If you're already planning on being in Philadelphia to see those tasty Mediaeval Baebes at the annual Dracula's Ball on November 2 (that's the Day of the Dead, for those of you wondering why they skipped over Halloween), you might want to arrive a couple of days early to catch a couple of spooky must-see Hallows' Eve activities.

First, the one and only Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, will be appearing at the Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum for a reading of “The Raven,” part of a series of special events commemorating Poe's upcoming 200th birthday on January 19th. Then, be sure to jet over to the historic Trocadero Theatre for a concert with the legendary UK Gothic rock band Sisters of Mercy.

Still going strong after almost thirty years, founder and lead singer Andrew Eldritch keeps the Sisters active through constant lineup changes (the other founding members left in '85), and his deep bass-baritone voice became a staple of the '80s post-punk Gothic rock sound, which continues to influence countless dark-themed bands even today. Though a bit more of an industrial-rock outfit these days, the band continues to play all their greatest hits on tour – despite having no label affiliation and no new album releases in almost 20 years.

Both Elvira and the Sisters are probably making retirement plans soon, so you'd better not miss this chance. Tickets to both events are still available, and of course  don't forget about Dracula's Ball... [www.draculasball.com]