Meet the Guides

Kayla Russell

Kayla has been doing tours for 19 years. She is an Army Veteran and teacher. She works in the Farnsworth House as a Manager as well as doing the tours. She loves spending time with her family and giving tours at the Farnsworth House. Kayla is a fantastic tour guide.

Christine Abbott

Christine hails from New York. She flew in on her broomstick a little while ago, and she landed at the Farnsworth and started doing tours. She is a lot of fun and is a great tour guide!

Rick Shurock

Rick is a U.S. Navy veteran. He was a surgical tech. When he was in the Navy, he was stationed in Charleston, SC where he started following the civil war. Rick retired from the PA Department of Corrections. His dream retirement job is being a guide in Gettysburg. He is also the Co-founder of Keepin It Real Paranormal. Rick is an awesome tour guide!

Rick May

Rick is just finishing up his 16th year doing ghost tours at the Farnsworth House (and he still don't know everything that goes on). He has been retired from full-time work for almost 9 years. He worked in a machine shop for almost 16 years and worked in the insurance business (doing claims) for 26 years. He has previously done some amateur theater years ago. He likes to entertain and to teach. He likes to work with his hands. He also likes to see things run smoothly. Rick is a wonderful storyteller!

Cheryl Farkas

Cheryl graduated from Towson State University with a B.S. in American History. She was involved in amateur theater - acting in supporting roles and helping apply make-up for some of the cast members. She worked in the medical insurance industry until she retired. She went back to Carroll Community College where she got a certificate in Medical Records Coding, and she ended up at Boscov's making fudge. She has been working at the Farnsworth House for about 9 1/2 years. She enjoys meeting the guests on her tours and giving a tour that will make them want to come back to our house. Besides travelling throughout the United States, she has travelled to Europe and Africa. Cheryl is a fantastic storyteller!

Will Monaghan

Will, AKA "Big Will" is from Philadelphia. When he isn't ghost hunting or giving a tour, you can find him somewhere on the highway driving a truck. Will is still new to ghost hunting and has only been at it for a year. Will is a fun tour guide!

Rick Alokonis

Rick is originally from Maryland. He is a history buff, fantasy football fanatic, and pinball wizard.

Rick (sometimes fondly called "Gandalf" by his fellow guides), he is very interactive with storytelling! Come and have a great time on one of his tours!

Nick Froio

Nick graduated from Shippensburg area senior high school and is currently attending Harrisburg area community college for a degree in communications.

Nick has been reenacting for 6 years now and has a love for American History. Nick wanted to become a Ghost Tour Guide because he has a passion for Civil War History and wants to share it with the world. He enjoys interacting with the public and portraying both sides of the war.