Meet Our Team

We have an incredible crew of volunteers who work hard to make our tour a memorable experience for all of our guests!  

Here is a little bit about them!

Melany Hall - Founder and CEO

Hello!  My name is Melany Hall.  I am the founder of Gold Country Ghost Tours.  I grew up in not one but two different houses that were haunted and I have always found all things ghostly absolutely fascinating.  I've attended many ghost tours from New Orleans to Jack the Riper in London!  One day I decided it was high time that my hometown and get the chance to share our haunted history with you all!  Interestingly enough, every year during our tour the spirits seem to get even more prolific in our little town...

I was born and raised here in Auburn and then traveled the world as an Army Officer.  I eventually made my way home where I now work at our local continuation high school, stay very active in my community, and my family and I love exploring everything our area has to offer.  Enough about me though, here is a little bit about my amazing team!   I am so thankful to have so many incredible folks to work with on this tour!  

Ralph Gibson - "Knower of All Things Historical"

My name is Ralph Gibson.  I have worked for the Placer County Museums since 2004 and have been Museums Administrator since 2013.  Before working for Placer County, I was the Curator of the Kell House Museum in Wichita Falls, Texas. This museum is very haunted and in 2003 I developed a Ghostly tour on a night near Halloween – a tradition that continues. As a graduate student at New Mexico State, I co-curated an exhibit on ghosts at the New Mexico State University Museum. I live in Antelope, California with my wife, ten-year-old son, a dog,  a cat, and three guinea pigs.

Jen Russell- "Coordinator Extraordinaire" 

My name is Jen Russell.  I am a home studies teacher at Harvest Ridge Cooperative Charter School.  I help Melany with check-in for the Ghost Tour and many other ghostly adventures.  When I’m not spending time with my husband and our two sons, I like to garden, paddleboard, and hike.  

Nicole Burns aka "Set Designer Extraordinaire"

Hello, I am Nicole Burns and I am an Auburn local. When not working in software sales, I enjoy spending time with my husband and 2 girls. We enjoy hiking, camping, skiing, cooking, traveling and all the things that keep us outdoors. 

You can find me behind the scenes of the Ghost Tour, running around Old Town, arranging sets, putting up lights and making sure the magic and spirit of the night is in full swing. I have been doing this since 2019 and have enjoyed how this event has created such a fun experience for visitors and locals. This is my favorite time of year. 


Mickey Couvrette aka "Soroptimist Tour Guide Coordinator Extraordinaire"

Hi, I am Mickey.  I  was born and raised in Auburn.  My Great Grandparents settled here in 1912. Auburn is a great place to grow up!  My family was very involved in 4-H.  In 1971 my brother and I rode our horses in the "Rattlesnake Dick" day parade and won the 1st Place trophy.  YES!  Auburn used to have a "Rattlesnake Dick Day" celebration.  I married my wonderful husband in 1990 and we live in North Auburn.  In 2023, I joined the Soroptimist International of Auburn, ladies club.  Our ladies are your volunteer tour guides. This year I am honored to be the Tour Guide Coordinator.  I love everything historical about Auburn and have never missed a Ghost Tour! 👻

To be honest, we couldn't wrangle you all without her expertise and Soroptimist friends.  These "Ghost Hosts"  ensure that you don't get lost or stray from the path.  Mickey doesn't want any uninvited "restless spirits" taking over our tour....

Dan Spacek aka "Rattlesnake Dick", Richard Barter

Minister by day, Auburn’s most notorious outlaw on certain October nights.  

My name is Dan Spacek, and I love bringing the story of Richard Barter, aka Rattlesnake Dick, to life each year through the Auburn Ghost Tour.  Playing this role is a fresh and fun compliment to my everyday role as the Senior Pastor at the First Congregational Church of Auburn, UCC.  Like all of us, there is much more than meets the eye when it comes to understanding this colorful character.  I enjoy pouring over old books and articles to find obscure details that add substance to the scoundrel we think we know.  So come to the tour if you want to hear the REAL story!  

I live in Auburn with my two sons, Wyatt and Jericho.  Most often you’ll find us ambling along some trail savoring the beautiful vistas while keeping an eye out for Rattlesnake Dick’s long-lost treasure.

Joan Maxwell aka "Alma Bell"

My name is Joan Maxwell. I’m a real housewife of Auburn until Halloween rolls around then I become possessed by Alma Bell. Alma is an Infamous character who murdered her fiancé over 100 years ago and she just can’t “Rest In Peace” so she attends the Ghost Tour through me! During the other months of the year, I volunteer as a museum docent for the Placer County Museums. 

I’m a retired nurse and I also enjoy traveling with my husband and spending time with our children and grandchildren. 

Donna-Lisa Otto aka "Alma Bell" (Select Shows)

My name is Donna-Lisa Otto.  I am honored to join this year's amazing Ghost Tour team sharing in the role of "Alma Bell".  The craft of acting is my passion.  I am a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and have worked in film, commercials, and print for the past 28 years.  The joy I get from performing live keeps me busy in theatre throughout the Greater Sacramento Area, Auburn, and Jackson.  I look forward to bringing Alma Bell's ghostly character to life.  

When I am not acting, you can catch my husband and me hiking the beautiful trails of Auburn.  

Rick Schlussel aka "Pike Bell"

Since moving to Auburn in 1992 to my Chiropractic practice and never looked back. What a great choice to live, work, and raise my daughter in this wonderful community, surrounded by nature’s beauty and rich history. 

I’ve been acting on stages from Grass Valley to Sacramento since 2012 and am a founding member of the State Theatre Acting Company here in Auburn. This Halloween I have the pleasure to inhabit the world of Alexander "Pike" Bell, the great pocket hunter (gold miner) of Placer County...and namesake of Bell Road.  I  can't wait to share all the ghostly details with you...and more!

Joey Scicluna aka "Sheriff John C. Boggs"

I am recently retired law enforcement from Folsom State Prison. After wearing a badge of my own for the last 27 years, it is truly my honor to have researched and now portray, such a quintessential individual who helped carve out and impact Auburn’s Wild West beginnings.  I find it immensely fulfilling to portray ‘Sheriff Boggs,’  who in his day, had indeed sent many of the ‘Wild West Undesirables’ to Folsom Prison.  I first moved to Auburn in 1973.  It was not long before I would say,  “I love this town.”  It has so much to offer to all those who call it “Home” and those who are here for a visit.  I fell in love with the Gold Country Ghost Tour after the very first time my wife, Angeline, and I took the tour.  I am honored to be part of something bigger than all of us.  It is such an exciting and historical event that allows just some of Auburn’s important history, ghostly or not, to be passed on to all who desire to hear it. 

Peggy Seitzinger aka "The Fire Queen", Emily Casement

My name is Peggy Seitzinger. This is my fifth year with the Ghost Tour and I have the good fortune to play Emily Casement: The Fire Queen. Although Emily’s and my day jobs are a little different (she ran a brothel and I run a jewelry store) we have quite a bit in common.

When I’m not channeling a madam from beyond the grave, I spend my days at Roper’s Jewelers, or with my husband Tom and our children, Jake & Samantha. I serve on the board of the Gold Country Heritage Foundation, The Auburn Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Planning Team for Leadership Auburn. 

I love our town, and like Emily, believe that we should all help each other out, whenever we can. 

Marsha Porte aka "Maggie Coan"

I moved to Auburn in 2003 and I was finally “home.” After my husband passed, I wanted to fill my time and becoming a Placer County Museum docent fit the bill as my B.A. degree was history. Throughout my life I have been on stage singing, playing the piano, and tap dancing. I raised three children, all of whom became actors in leading roles at school and community plays. Although I am not Obi Wan Kenobi, I did teach them well. Acting has always been in me. I started out in 2019 portraying Maggie (Margaret) Moran Coan in the Cemetery Tours. Maggie was the last person I wanted to bring to life because of the tragedy she went through, but Carol Cramer convinced me she needed to be heard. In 2021, I was asked to bring Maggie into the Ghost Tours. This is where she belongs as her ghost story is most compelling, and—spoiler alert—it continues to expand. How is this possible? Ask Maggie!

Amanda Petty aka "Maggie Coan" (Select Shows)

Amanda Petty has lived in Auburn for nearly 20 years and loves this community! When not in the Ghost Tour, you can find her involved in other theatrics with Auburn's State Theatre Acting Company where she serves on the committee and participates in their LIVE Old Time Radio shows. She is very excited to be joining the Auburn Ghost Tour for her second year sharing the stage as Maggie Coan, mother to little Leroy Coan Jr. If you can spare the time, sit a spell and listen to my woeful tale of a mother's heartbreak and the haunted Auburn courthouse. In addition, she will be playing Mrs. Snowden (aunt to Adolph Weber) and Mrs. Armes (Alma Bell's mother-in-law) in Ghost Tour's very FIRST LIVE stage production. As Maggie Coan, I'm the wife of the jailer of Auburn....so many ne'er-do-wells to watch out for.....Rattlesnake Dick, Adolph Weber, and Alma Bell to name a few.....Watch your backs! 

Bill Gray aka "Deputy Sheriff Frank Dependener"

Near Hallows Eve, late October, I bring to life the ghost of Frank "Big Dip" Dependener.  He was Placer County Sheriff for 37 years.  Big Dip fought many bloody battles with desperate criminals.   My name is Bill Gray. My wife Jean and I have shared our town with the many ghosts of Auburn for over 30 years. 

I am a docent at the Placer County Museums and also bring characters to life at their annual Cemetery Tour. 

My greatest joy in life are my three children and four grandchildren.

Stacey Wheeler aka "George Stevens"

I came to Auburn in 2015 and immediately fell in love with the great people, wonderful businesses, and small-town feel. How could I not?! A few years later I did a show with the State Theatre acting company. Through that association, I was introduced to Ghost Tours. History and acting are some of my great interests... Ghost Tours was a natural and enjoyable fit. In this year’s production, I play George Stevens, one of the early pioneers of Auburn. George was the founder of the American hotel, which is where the Auburn Ale House now sits. Some say his ghost visits there still. I'm looking forward to another October, playing the oft-forgotten man whose spirit still echoes through old town Auburn.   

Ashley Meadows aka "Bertha Weber" 

Bertha was murdered along with the rest of her family by her brother 'Adolf Weber.'  She was popular and said to be a very friendly girl who smiled and gave a kind greeting to those who came in contact with her.  Also, she was very talented in the music area.  She played the piano and was thought to be playing at the time of her murder. 

When I am not a ghost, I enjoy spending time with my family and partner.  I am a HUGE Disney fan and History nerd!  I also volunteer at the Placer County Museum when they have special events like S'mores & Stories, Heritage Trail, etc. 

Angeline Scicluna aka "Mrs. Mary Weber"

I am Angeline Scicluna and it is my pleasure to acquaint you with the remarkable story of “Mary Weber,’ the mother of the infamous “Adolf Weber.”  I have lived in Auburn my entire life and can’t think of a better place to call “Home”!  I currently work for the local high school district at Placer School for Adults.  Participating in the Gold Country Ghost Tour is incredibly special to me, as I have always been intrigued by and hold a special place in my heart for learning the stories of those who have passed on to “the other side."  The idea of telling 'their' stories is privilege to me: especially, if we learn that they have more to tell. I also love that my husband, Joey, and I perform this spooky project together.  However, once the Ghost Tour is over, Joey and I, “come back to life” and you can find us both on the stage of the Placer Theater Ballet Production of “The Nutcracker,”  in December or playing Santa and Mrs. Claus for family, schools, and neighborhood children. 

The rest of the year I will be found with my sons, their wives, and my new Grandson, (and new grandchild due in January). We can usually be found at Disneyland!