Painesville’s Riders Inn to reopen with Halloween party featuring psychic - The News-Herald
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A guest psychic will channel the ghost of Suzanne Rider when a Halloween party serves as the opening event on Oct. 31 for Rider’s Inn in Painesville.
“She was the third wife of Joseph Rider,” explained Elaine Crane, owner of the area’s oldest inn. “Suzanne died in what is now the pub and has watched over the inn ever since the 1800s.”
Several paranormal groups have visited the inn to document its haunting, she said.
In her 80s, Crane has returned to temporarily operate the 10-room bed and breakfast part of the inn so likely eventual owner Leonard Merriman can put his focus on the restaurant and pub. The inn has been closed since early 2025 when Crane and Kaela Alex ended their landlord-tenant relationship.
“We have rooms reserved for Halloween and Nov. 1,” Crane said. “But we still have a few rooms available.”
Merriman wants to honor the inn’s long history and sees his relationship with Crane as a partnership that will help do that.
Although he is now a tenant, Merriman holds an option to buy Rider’s from her early next year.
“She had a lot of good things going on at Rider’s,” he said. “I want to bring back open mic nights in the pub and to have a game night. I want this place to have good wholesome fun and to be a place people can get away from being glued to the computer screen.”
The Halloween party will take place from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Oct. 31 with costumes, games, music with a DJ, food and drinks. Prizes will be awarded for costumes, including an overnight at the inn for the winner of a costume category reflecting a person from 250 years ago. Crane, a history aficionado, is a member of the local America250 committee to celebrate 250 years of America’s independence this summer.
A snafu with the inn’s liquor license has been resolved, and a full bar will be available for the Halloween party, Crane said.
Meanwhile, Merriman has been working to prepare the inn for its reopening since May and has renamed the pub and restaurant as the 1812 Pub at Rider’s Inn and the Phenix Dining Room. He’s a registered contractor and has replaced many of the kitchen’s appliances, had the roof and plumbing fixed and made other repairs. He’s worked as a chef at Pine Ridge Country Club and, with his wife, Dee, operated Knock Off’s Grub and Pub on Lake Shore Boulevard in Willoughby. He also was associated with Back Street Cafe in Mentor.
He’s designed a menu for Rider’s framed around comfort food.
“We’ll have a few invitation-only soft-opening evenings before our official Oct. 31 opening.” Crane said.
Rider’s Inn
Where: 792 Mentor Ave., Painesville.
Halloween party: Oct. 31, with reservations needed by Oct. 26 at 440-942-2742 or 440-551-9416.
Editor’s note: The spelling of Leonard Merriman’s name was corrected at 6:50 a.m. Oct. 14.
Originally Published: October 13, 2025 at 3:54 PM EDT