The Lehighton Area Heritage Alliance will host the third annual Lehighton Cemetery walk from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday. The rain date is Sunday.

During the walk, visitors will be led through the cemetery by tour guides and will stop at four sites to hear the stories of four people who have shaped the history of the town.

“They are all very interesting stories,” said Kathy Long, the organizer of the event. “This is not a ghosty walk. We are not hunting for ghosts. We are telling our town’s stories and preserving our history. This is going to be educational, but also entertaining.”

She noted that the walk is not only appropriate for children — children are welcome and encouraged to attend to learn about history in a new way, in story form.

“This is one of the best ways to help children learn about our town’s history,” said Long. “It brings our past to life, and it’s passed on to our children that they know what happened in Lehighton to build it to its present, so that they can live here now.”

“Oftentimes young people want to know what keeps them here. It’s the people here, and the people who helped to build this town to what it is today,” she said, adding that the walk is also a good introduction to the town for newcomers.

This year’s walk will feature four people either interred at the cemetery or with ties to the town: James M. Beisel, Charles Remaley, Wilbur Warner and Benjamin Franklin.

James M. Beisel Jr. was the first firefighter to die in the line of duty for the Lehighton Fire Company. Charles Remaley worked with the Lehigh Valley Railroad and was killed at a train derailment in Bowmanstown. Wilbur Warner was the town’s postmaster and civic leader; his granddaughter will write and deliver his story.

While Benjamin Franklin, the statesman and inventor, isn’t buried at Lehighton Cemetery, he did visit the area for various reasons. The tour will touch briefly on his visits and impact.

The first cemetery walk in Lehighton was held over the town’s sesquicentennial in 2016. Nearly 600 people attended.

“People came out and said ‘We loved it, please do it again.’”

A second was held last fall. Despite the heat, the walk proved to be popular again.

Long noted that one draw for the walk seems to be locals who enjoy hearing the history of the town and how they are personally connected to the town. The people profiled during this walk and past walks have been an excellent example of how people living in a small town have ties to each other in little ways.

“You find these nice little nuances that connect everything together. That’s what we want. We want the town, and the people who are here now, to connect themselves with the history of what was before so that it makes the town viable now,” said Long. “That’s the nice thing about a small town. It makes you feel like you are tied to the town. It’s nice to see the light bulb come on above some people’s heads.”

Walkers can bring lawn chairs if they need to sit during the tour. There will also be a tent for shade, and one of the four sites is located inside the mausoleum.

While there is no admission charge for the walk, a freewill donation will be taken to benefit the launch of a Lehighton historical society.

“Hopefully people will be generous with their donations, so that we can get up and running,” she said.

The Lehighton Area Heritage Alliance plans to hold more events in the near future, including a veterans’ event and a “Stories in the Mausoleum” program in the fall.

On Saturday, groups and individuals are asked to enter the cemetery at the main gate at Fourth and Allen street. Tours will begin every few minutes, as tour guides are available and full tour groups form.

For more information, contact the cemetery at 610-377-4403.