FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Every October, the historic city of Fort Pierce comes alive with its annual historic ghost tours. This year, the event is happening as the community is recovering from devastating tornadoes.
Members of non-profit Main Street Fort Pierce say things looked differently exactly two weeks ago when catastrophic damage hit the city.
"Being here today after the hurricane is kind of like a little treat,” Daniela Mendoza, board member of the non-profit, said. “It feels awesome it feels great to see everybody happy, smiling after such devastation.”
The ghost tour takes crowds through historic buildings and figures, and while signs of tornado damage are visible in Fort Pierce, so is the community's Halloween spirit.
Steven Haines is no stranger to the Fort Pierce ghost tours.
“We’ve probably been doing [the tours] about 10 years or so," shared Haines. "It’s just fun to come out and listen to Fort Pierce history and learn a little bit about the community and just make a presence out here.”
Members of Main Street say compared to previous years, sales for this year's tours have decreased by a third.
“I do think that because of everything that happened which is completely understandable, maybe it's not going to be at best, but again completely understandable,” Mendoza said.
The non-profit says they raised about $9,000 for the two-day event. Meanwhile, hundreds of volunteers, are here to prove Fort Pierce’s resiliency.
“I just hope that this marks the beginning of bringing positivity back to the community," Mendoza said.
Thursday, Oct. 24 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. will be the last day for this year's Fort Pierce ghost tours. Tickets are on sale for $15 per person.
