Prepare to be haunted on Central City Creepy Crawl

During this time of the year, not all of the visitors to Colorado’s historic Central City are alive! Bwaaaaaaaaah!

The former mining town’s 150 years of history add up to one legendary ghost town where, as Halloween approaches, reports of sightings of the un-dead run rampant.

To celebrate its hallowed past, (very alive) members of The Gilpin Historical Society will lead The Creepy Crawl, hour-long lantern tours Saturdays, Oct. 16, 23 and 30 beginning at 7 p.m., with departures every five to seven minutes until 7:30 p.m.

Brave and living souls should congregate at the Century Casino, 102 Main St., where the parking is free. Tours will leave from the Gregory Street side entrance to the casino.

The tour is free for the first 200 guests (ghosts are on their own) per Saturday, but reservations are required by calling 303-327-2255. (Call the number, the voicemail message will put you in the mood.) Or register at www.gilpinhistory.org.

A word to the wise: Expect a trek that will include steep hills and stairways, so wear feet-friendly shoes.

“There will be several stops inside different buildings to warm up and ‘feel’ some of the ghosts,” said spokeswoman Allison McGee Johnson. “Participants will learn that most of the ghosts in Central City are pranksters, not evil, but your skin tingles nonetheless.”

Slick slots. Ameristar Casino Resort Spa in Black Hawk may be one of the newest casino kids on the block, but it’s already rolled out a new slot machine strategy with machines on the floor that are only a few months old.

“We have some of the first games in the nation like Godard’s Rockin’ Olives,” said Ameristar spokeswoman Heather Leigh. “Hot Slots are our most popular and fun games that are guests are playing the most.”

Another newbie are Point Multipliers, machines that build points faster. “Guests get two times, three times or four times points on hundreds of slots all day every day on top of the Star Awards tier daily multiplier,” Leigh said.

Dissolved. Black Hawk and Central City have opted to end the Black Hawk and Central City Convention Visitors Bureau, which has been a joint venture between the two towns for roughly three years.

“I can’t speak to Black Hawk’s specific concerns with the Bureau, but from Central’s perspective, we were not seeing the return on our investment that we had hoped for when we started the venture,” said Central City Mayor Ron Engels. “We’re in the process of re-focusing what the city’s marketing message should be, and how we deliver it to potential visitors. Once we have the message honed, we’ll budget for getting that new word out.”

The joint Visitors Bureau was a marketing arm used by both entities. Black Hawk Mayor David Spellman could not be reached for comment.

“Central City has its own Visitor Center on Eureka Street that is open during the summer,” Engels said. “That has not changed. It’s a great place to get oriented to what’s in the area and where.”

- Penny Parker is a columnist for The Denver Post. She’s always on the prowl for tidbits and tips from Colorado’s gaming communities. Call her at 303-619-5209 or e-mail pparker@denverpost.com.