"A Christmas Carol" celebrated in haunted school
ALTON -- In a flurry of activity, Gary Levi prepared this week for the renaissance of the Milton School building as the Milton Museum.
"The school was probably named after John Milton, who was born in 1608. It's his 400th birthday," Levi said in pointing out one of many possible reasons to celebrate at the school. Milton, a poet, wrote the epic poem "Paradise Lost" in the 17th century.
Even more timely, Christmas is another reason to celebrate.
From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays in December through Christmas Day, "A Christmas Carol" exhibition will overtake the historic 75,000-square-foot Milton School on nearly 5 acres where Robert "The Alton Giant" Wadlow attended in the 1930s. At 7:30 p.m. each Saturday, one of the oldest Ebeneezer Scrooge movies in existence, "Scrooge," will show on a 30-foot screen in the old Milton School auditorium. Seymour Hicks stars in the 1935 movie that was chosen by Milton Museum curator Tom Englert of Edwardsville.
Englert also will screen a segment pertaining to the Milton School from a documentary about Alton ghosts narrated and made by Alton ghost hunter Gary S. Hawkins. Levi began showing the film a few months ago and made it through only the first half of the documentary, he said.
Englert, a film buff, met Levi, also of Edwardsville, during a business networking event and decided to collaborate with Levi in converting the school into a space to discover the arts, ghosts and charity.
The Milton School has long been described as haunted. Levi recalled patrons of the Haunted Alton trolley tours banging on the school's doors and wanting to get in for a ghost hunt. Levi purchased the Milton School building in 1991.
"We want to celebrate Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol' this year with ghosts from the past, present and future," Levi explained. "Twenty-two thousand people have been through here, looking for ghosts. The building is haunted, and Alton loves ghosts."
The motto for the "Christmas Carol" exhibit is "God bless us, everyone," just like the book, and certainly includes those souls who still wander the Earth.
In this time of need, Levi wants to either give away or auction for charity thousands of pieces of giftware stored in the building, which had been closed for more than 10 years until a few months ago, when Levi reopened the old school. The building formerly housed Intaglio, a glassworks company, also owned by Levi. The "Christmas Carol" exhibit will be the premiere happening for the resurgence of the building.
"Everyone who comes here will get a gift," Levi said.
Levi invites anyone, including musicians, set designers, actors, carolers, artists, bakers and candy makers, to join him and Englert in creating and being a part of the "Christmas Carol" exhibit.
"Carolers can stroll in period costumes," Englert envisioned.
Groups can bring their bake sale goods to the scene and sell them.
"It's an old-fashioned festival," Levi said. "It's time to get on the sleigh."
Levi, a longtime philanthropist, donated $5,000 to the Salvation Army the same year he purchased the school building. This year's "Christmas Carol" exhibit will cost $5 for adults and $2 for children 12 years old and younger, with all proceeds going to charity. Returning visitors will be issued some sort of pass for re-admittance on subsequent Saturdays in December.