Knott’s Ghost Town Alive 10th Anniversary: The Time Capsule That Changed Calico

Calico 1895. The most important Founders Day yet: 85 years of Calico! With the town’s future already shrouded in uncertainty after the mine dried up, the townsfolk were ready to unwind with a grand celebration of cherished traditions. Yet, it’s not Founder’s Day without surprises— this time, one just as big as the momentous occasion itself. Within the darkness of the Calico Mine, a time capsule was discovered, housing a truth long buried that casts doubt on everything everyone once believed.

Within the time capsule, the true founder of Calico, Don Alberto Fernando Reyes De Ortiz Vallamonte, enclosed documentation of the town’s establishment. Not only is Calico 25 years older than originally thought, but it’s not actually a town at all! Calico was sold to the Flumvassers, the owners of the Timber Mountain Logging Company, and is therefore under the jurisdiction of the nearby Timberly Hills. So a question is posed: with the primary revenue stream dried up, what makes a town worth preserving beyond a few old buildings? Whatever the answer, this surely is the most important Founder’s Day yet: 100 years of Calico!

It seems this year’s Ghost Town Alive has taken on a more introspective approach, led by the new director, Andy Crocker. To dig into the richness of this unique, immersive live-action roleplaying event, I walked Calico with both her and the Vice President of Entertainment, Payden Adams. Today’s article builds on my last two deep-dive articles, complete with old-timey photos taken on orthochromatic black-and-white film. You’ll find some samples from two of my 1950s cameras: a 35mm Canon rangefinder and a folding medium-format Voigtlander. If you’ve just arrived and are interested in reading our in-depth look at previous seasons, don’t miss the articles below:

The Untold Stories of Knott’s Ghost Town Alive 2025 – Echoes of the Past

The Untold Stories of Knott’s Ghost Town Alive – Calico Revealed!

This season celebrates quite a few anniversaries. Andy explained that it was important to do something big and different for the 10th anniversary of Ghost Town Alive. Pushing the in-story anniversary from 85 to 100 was a part of that, giving 25 years of extra weight to the in-story decisions. This past July 4th was also the 250th American Independence Day. Payden noted that with Knott’s being a celebration of Americana, guests would be drawn to it (at least anecdotally, the park has been well attended this summer). 

The most patriotic thing at Knott’s Berry Farm is actually the recreation of Independence Hall just outside the park (Payden said it was surprisingly well attended recently), but there’s plenty to celebrate inside the park between decorations and additions to the entertainment. Notably, the Calico Saloon Show returned this season with a patriotic finale and a light storyline connecting it to Ghost Town Alive and the show put on by the saloon owner Cameo Kate at the Bird Cage Theater. Additionally, the entire park is filled with themed 250 embellishments. Although if you ask any of the townsfolk why 250 is everywhere in Calico, it’s to commemorate 250 days of the bank not being robbed— which obviously doesn’t last long. Andy also mentioned inspiration was drawn from the Los Angeles Library’s 100th anniversary, as they too recently had a bit of excitement digging a 100-year-old time capsule out of their walls. A lot of celebrating to take in. 

For the 10th anniversary of Ghost Town Alive, the team wanted to return to their roots— guest-centric, guest-driven interactions that can be in service of the overarching story, but not necessarily. Interestingly enough, even management has come full circle. Park president Raffi Kaprelyan recently returned to Knott’s after serving as a regional manager. Raffi was integral in getting Ghost Town Alive off the ground 10 years ago. As the story goes, he observed a blacksmith interact in-character with guests as he created their personalized horseshoe and wondered if all of Ghost Town could do the same. 

The structure of Ghost Town Alive has stayed relatively the same over the years, but there’s more focus on what Andy called “invitations to join.” The thought put into making the experience fun and accessible for all ages has always been impressive, but the various “invitation” avenues are clever, and the further you follow the invitations, the more you receive. Andy recognized the need to cater to all kinds of players, new, old, hesitant, or even someone who might’ve otherwise disregarded the experience. Ghost Town Alive is classic make-believe, and the team believes there’s enough here that anyone can have fun, as long as they choose to accept the invitation. 

Big moments are big invitations like the inciting incident in the morning (the time capsule), bank robberies, shootouts, debates, and the ending hoedown. Getting wrapped up in a spectacle is half the fun, but even the scripted parts invite guests to change the script. There’s always a debate about the town’s fate, but what choices are being debated?

Typically, at least one choice is unique— chosen by the guests— but some are loosely scripted. Yet, even those sometimes end up being wildly different day-to-day based on guest direction. The choice to “give the town to the Flumvassers” sounds straightforward, except when the guests suggest the townsfolk “sue them for not meeting their obligations.” Another choice to “buy back the town” always brings up the inevitable question of how to raise the funds since the town has no revenue; perhaps selling ice cream? 

For the most inquisitive players, though, Ghost Town Alive has always had obscure side quests. For example, I was clued into a series of short stories to follow, yet the starting point isn’t exactly broadcast— just one of many surprises that guests can organically run into, making the experience feel more alive. The “invitation to join” is a great representation of what Payden means by returning to the root theme. Ghost Town Alive is a celebration of what it means to be a community, and despite everything, we prevail. The character most emblematic of that theme is a primary member of this year’s central conflict: Gordie Lerew. 

Gordie was described to me as the voice of the fans. He curates the Calico Historical Society, a collection of props from the last 10 years of Ghost Town Alive, including this year’s time capsule. Gordie’s backstory is a bit of a running gag, woven right into his isolated museum behind the Ghost Town Candy shop.

You see, Gordie has always been here, but he’s just been too shy to come out. With the reception of numerous artifacts from Mayor Pearl and the ruckus around the time capsule, Gordie finally decided to put a sign out and let everyone come see the collection. The “I’ve lived here forever” gag is clever, as Gordie constantly has to remind the others that no, he’s not dead, not a ghost, didn’t move away, and in fact has been here the whole time. 

For long-time fans, Gordie represents everything they love about Ghost Town Alive, but I was concerned that folks might miss The Calico Historical Society’s out-of-the-way location. Clearly, that has not been the case, as Gordie is frequently overrun with curious guests. He’s a wealth of information on anything Calico, including the most obscure of side quests. It’s quite a lot to memorize for Gordie’s actor, but the team seems to have chosen the right person for the job. 

Last year’s Ghost Town Alive eschewed the central antagonist, but it’s the kind of plot device that the team wanted to return to this season with the rich town owners, the Flumvassers. Hailing from the nearby Timberly Hills, the family is very much inspired by pretentious Beverly Hills rich people who feel entitled to everything. Lindley Flumvasser feels the desire to change everything about Calico—to improve it—and is otherwise a great foil to Gordie. 

Lindley’s daughters, June and Maple Flumvasser, fit the naive rich kid archetype. They’re quite a bit more kind-hearted than their father, but otherwise exude a sort of Hallmark Channel style of cheese. Despite this, their Timberly Hills perspective is challenged as they come to know Calico more intimately.

Joining Gordie and the Flumvassers are over 20 new characters. Andy quoted me roughly 30 characters in town each day and around 50 in total. With so many new characters, it was inevitable I wouldn’t photograph them all, but I attempted to get as many as possible.

Andy explained that each character is plucked from different parts of the vast Western genre. There’s also real history. She described their approach as inspired by history, but not beholden to it. Appreciating, but not being totally tied down by the past, allows for a zany, diversified cast of characters that reflects simply what the team (and the fans) find most fun for the story. Sometimes that lands as silly stories like that of Fingers, the Calico Saloon’s piano player, who fell into a ravine and now tickles the ivories as a ghost. 

Newcomer Nellie Wells is a great example of historical inspiration. She’s named after Nellie Bly, an early pioneer of investigative journalism in the 19th-century who worked undercover in 1887 to expose abuse in a New York mental institution.

Joining her is Walter Ultzer, the Gazette’s gossip columnist who eats up the daily relationship buzz. 

I met the Mayfield’s lawyer, Bobby Sabado, at just the wrong time. He appeared with a big bag of bail money right after his clients broke out of jail. Hairpins are apparently quite good at picking locks. 

Davey Herpingle is a bit silly and scatterbrained, often dropping things to move to another, only to be distracted by something else. At least that was exactly the path that taking his photograph went. Just who you want handling your mail. 

The town’s undertaker, Edward Sepulveda, has taken a part-time job in the Calico Bank as a way to improve his image. He seems disappointed in how slow his business has been, but keeps a keen eye on the rising tensions caused by the Flumvassers. 

Eugene Sterling joins the Assay Office, a rather unfortunate employment choice with a dry mine. 

Cosmo “Cutter” Fisher is the town’s new barber, but he has a bit of a criminal past. A member of the Fisher gang (rivals of the Mayfields), he never really wanted a life of crime and is otherwise a “reformed” outlaw.

The majority of Ghost Town Alive’s characters are returning, many of them being in and out of Calico. Such is the case for teacher Ricky Goldy West Jr, who took a year off. He’s working as a teacher in the schoolhouse, but is actually the proprietor of the Goldie’s Place Hotel. 

Sheriff Skyler Haney and her team are some of the busiest folks in Calico, constantly buried in work with outlaws that seemingly never learn their lesson and a constant bombardment of guests seeking to join the law (or just play a little poker). 

Some of the Ghost Town Alive cast have even been with the event since the very beginning. Bixby Knolls has switched roles again. Show business and the moving-picture life were way too dangerous for him. After Emery Mund traveled back to Chicago to pursue moving pictures, Bixby has returned to his original home at the Gazette, back on the beat for the stories of Calico.

Ophelia Cinch is now the proprietor of the Assay Office, but once worked for her father (and spent a season looking for him after he was presumed dead). 

Kid Friday began as a deputy ten years ago, but has since juggled jobs until he landed on practicing law. 

Judge Roy Bean has been an important part of Ghost Town Alive since its inception, as he’s based on the historical figure Judge Roy Bean, the only law west of the Pecos and owner of the Jersey Lilly Saloon. There’s a replica of that Saloon next to the train station. 

The Mayfields have also been around since the beginning. Members come and go, but Clay and Tiny are originals. 

Tiny is an interesting case: his actor is now in charge of the props, but he chose to remain in character while performing his duties.

While Scruff Mayfield hasn’t been with Ghost Town Alive since the beginning, his actor has. 

Despite failing to get away with robbing the bank for a decade, the Mayfields seem to always gain new supporters. “Honest” Cody Sullivan and Theodora “Teddy” Delmundo are just some of Clay’s advocates. Despite having a solid business at the Dress Shop, Teddy’s really in it for the love of the game. 

Rounding out the original cast still in town this year are regular quipster Abigail Dynamite, the enigmatic Looking Glass Thurmond, and the wife of the original mayor, current Mayor Pearl Parnell. 

Last year, I spoke to then director Rovin Dickinson (who is still serving on the team) about why others have failed to replicate Ghost Town Alive’s success. This year’s director, Andy Crocker, actually has personal experience with similar experiences, as she served as the Immersive Experience Director for the now-defunct Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser (she’s been on the Ghost Town Alive team since 2023). It seems the “secret sauce” isn’t all that secret; every guest has directly interacted with it for the past 10 years, and the Knott’s team wrote it directly into Judge Roy Bean’s short monologue at the end of the hoedown:

“We’re all Founders. Our town is more than a town charter and a bunch of old buildings. It’s the people and the choices they make that make it alive.”

Ghost Town Alive is such a special, unique piece of entertainment, and after speaking with the entertainment team for several of these articles, it’s clear they have no interest in slowing down. Each year, the experience grows, and even more guests fill Ghost Town to experience the richness of the West. Here’s to 10 more years. 

If you enjoyed this article (and want to help me cover the costs of the film/development), make sure to share it with your friends, and please tell us your favorite Ghost Town Alive interactions in the comments below! With that said, it’s still quite hot so I think I’ll head over to Goldie’s Place. I’ve heard it’s haunted, so it might be rather chilling. Adios!