This year's script was written by Oregon author Jane Kirkpatrick and is based on her books about the life of an Aurora Colony descendent, Emma Giesy. Other books by Jane Kirkpatrick include "Homestead" (a memoir), "A Land of Sheltered Promise" and her most recent work "A Tendering in the Storm." Kirkpatrick grew up in Wisconsin and moved to Oregon in 1974. She currently resides in John Day.  

The Old Aurora Colony Museum is taking reservations for the Candlelight Tour. The event will take place throughout the museum complex. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors over 60 and $6 for students and children under 12. Tickets are available at the Old Aurora Colony Museum or by phone. For reservations or additional information please contact the museum at (503) 678-5754 or e-mail info@auroracolonymuseum.com.

The Old Aurora Colony Museum houses all that remains of a Christian, utopian lifestyle that began in 1856 with the arrival of Dr. William Keil. The colony grew rapidly and by the end of 1867 the settlement was home to 600 people. These pioneers built their own homes, shops and mills on the 18,000 acres of land acquired by Keil with communal funds. Today Aurora boasts many antique and specialty shops, as well as several quaint clapboard houses built in the late 19th Century.