Count Dracula and Vlad Dracula, III in Saluda for Halloween

Published 10:47 pm Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Bram Stoker’s great-grand-nephew, Dacre Stoker, will be making two appearances in Saluda Oct. 3 and Oct. 31 at the Historic Depot.

On Oct. 3 at 6:30 p.m., Dacre will be delivering his very special multi-media presentation entitled: “Stoker on Stoker, The Mysteries Behind the Writing of Dracula.” This informative and compelling presentation weaves together details of the history of Dracula with Stoker family history, reflecting on Bram’s life in Dublin, London and his infamous summer holiday in Whitby. A collection of Dacre’s slides will delve into the back-stories, origins and mysteries of Bram’s writing of his world famous novel.

On Saturday, Oct. 31 at 1 p.m., visitors can meet Dacre. He will sell copies of his books and sign autographs. Dacre will make an encore presentation about the writing of Dracula. In addition he will do another presentation from 3:30-4:30 p.m. about his recent tours to Transylvania, focusing on the life of the real Vlad Dracula, III and the origins of the vampire in history and mythology.

Dacre, lecturer, author and film-maker, has co-edited (with professor Elizabeth Miller) The Lost Journal of Bram Stoker – The Dublin Years (Robson Press 2012), and has contributed to John Edgar Browning’s Bram Stoker’s Forgotten Writings. He co-authored a sequel to the novel Dracula, named Dracula The Un-dead (Dutton 2009), which sold approximately one million copies worldwide as it had been translated into 22 different languages.

Dacre is a sportsman who coached the Canadian Olympic Team in modern pentathlon for the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and is a court tennis teaching professional. He has also been a teacher at an international independent college in Ontario, Canada.

His wife, Jenne Stoker, and their two children live in Aiken, S.C. The Stoker’s also have had a seasonal home in Saluda, N.C. since 1995.

Stoker’s multimedia presentation “Stoker on Stoker” will be at the Saluda Historic Depot at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 3. Tickets include heavy hors d’oeuvres and libations. Tickets for Saturday, Oct. 31 cover for both presentations “Stoker on Stoker” as well as “Transylvania, Vlad Dracula, III and the Origins of Vampires in History and Mythology.”

Tickets will be on sale starting Sept. 15 and reservations can be made by calling 828-749-2321 and available at Thompson’s Store, Saluda Historic Depot, or Cathy Jackson Realty. Books, Dracula T-shirts, and posters will be available for sale. Proceeds from the event will go toward the fundraising efforts to purchase the train depot. “Stoker on Stoker” will kick off a spooky month of events at the depot.

-Submitted by Cathy Jackson