OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Robert Nemes and his son, John, were buried in the area where the East Grand Avenue public restroom stands today.

The cemetery markers were later moved to Stroudwater Cemetery in Portland, but it is not known if the bodies were also moved.

In 1923, Mary Nemes, as the story goes, said she believed her relatives were buried underneath or behind where the public restroom now sits and said if the town built a bathroom over the graves, the town would be in the red forever.

This is one of the spooky local legends that will be featured Saturday night at the haunted history walking tour of Old Orchard Beach’s downtown, a fundraiser for the Old Orchard Beach Museum in the Streets Committee.

The narrated walking tour begins at Atlantic Birches Inn, and features 10 stops in the downtown, ending at The Brunswick. Tours begin at 5:30, 6:00, 6:30 and 7 p.m.

Register prior to the event to ensure a spot at oobmaine.com under “quick links” or by calling 937-5636.

Cost for the walk is a $10 donation, and participants who show their wristband at The Brunswick that evening will get half off an appetizer.

Saturday’s event is the first fundraiser for the Old Orchard Beach Museum in the Streets project, a self-guided walking tour with panels in French and English highlighting local history.

Museum in the Street tours are located in other communities in Maine, across the country and in Europe, and advocates of the walking tours say they promote economic development and foster a sense of historical identity.

The committee needs to raise $25,000, said Assistant Town Planner Megan McLaughlin, and hopes to have the Museum in the Street walking tour in place next year. Other fundraisers will be scheduled, and sign sponsorship opportunities will be available. For more information call McLaughlin at 937-5636, ext. 1536.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].