Paranormal Parties

A paranormal pal of mine, Donna Marsh, recently let me know about a new business venture she's embarking on: Fun with Donna, which among other things hosts paranormal parties.


Photo by Michael Pohl from stock.xchng

HOW I KNOW DONNA

Fueled in part by, I admit it, watching Ghost Hunters, I met Donna when I attended one of her Basic Ghost Hunting Workshops a couple of years ago. I dragged Wayne with me, who thinks I'm a bit cuckoo about all this ghost stuff but humors me anyway, and even he had a great time. Donna's very warm, personable, and entertaining. I imagine attending one of her parties would be quite the blast!

WHAT KIND OF FUN DONNA OFFERS

The main crux of her business is actually adult toy and goody sales. She caters to every kind of setup you can imagine:

• Ladies Night Out
• Bachelorette parties
• Wedding showers
• "Divorced Diva" parties (for the divorced woman who wants to celebrate her freedom)
• Couples
• Romance (learn tips and tricks for enriching your sex life)

However, as any good business person would, she's also added her own unique spin. Since she is a sensitive and a ghost hunter and understands people enjoy exploring this aspect of life, she also offers the following for paranormal parties:

• Ghost hunting (in your home or at an off-site location of your choosing)
• Seances
• Psychic and medium readings
• Spell crafting

For more info on the specifics of each, visit the "Parties" link on her site.

FUNDRAISING WITH DONNA

I think using haunt jaunts as fundraisers is an extremely clever and fun way for organizations or clubs to raise money, but Donna's putting a twist on it. She'll put her talent to work in a gallery-style psychic reading for your guests.

I see a lot of possibilities here. Including perhaps pairing this up with a ghost hunt too. All you'd need is a hotel or bar (or some other place with purported activity) to donate the space, sell a few tickets, maybe serve some food and drinks and voila! A really unique fundraising event people are sure to talk about long after.

For more info on fundraising parties with Donna, visit the "Fundraising" link on her site.

REPORT BACK

And of course if you do attend one of her paranormal parties, I'd love to hear all about it.

Where to Find Ghost Hunting Tours

On my post about ghost tours, Autumnforest (from Ghost Hunting Theories) made a comment about how she advises people interested in ghost hunting to try a tour on for size first. She even stated how her group, MVD Ghostchasers, conducts ghost hunting workshops four times a year.

This is a wonderful idea. More and more I'm seeing such groups offer opportunities like this. Sometimes you have to join the group (usually it's a modest annual fee to do so), but other times you only need make a reservation for the night of the hunt. (Again, usually there's a nominal cost involved, about equal to what a dinner and/or movie out might cost you.)

Another nice thing about ghost hunting with an established group is they often provide access to equipment it might otherwise cost you a small fortune to buy. That way you're not pouring money out for a hobby you discover you have no interest in.

WHERE TO FIND A GHOST HUNTING GROUP NEAR YOU

1. Try the Shadowlands List of Local Ghost Hunters, Investigators and Researchers
2. Check out the Society for Paranormal Investigation's list of ghost groups
3. Scan Ghostvillage.com's list of Paranormal Investigators
4. Search for ghost hunting meetup groups in your area on Meetup.com (Alternately, you can find ghost tracking groups on Meetup.com also)

However, some haunted sites that draw tourists on their own also offer ghost hunting. Sometimes it's in conjunction with a paranormal group, sometimes it's with a ghost tour company. Sometimes it's just offered by the place itself.

PLACES THAT OFFER GHOST HUNTING TOURS

1. One Feather Productions - Spirit Adventure Tours (conducted in a variety of areas, including Sedona, Tombstone, Santa Fe, the Oregon Trail, Gettysburg, St. Augustine, and Great Britain).
2. Preston Castle - Overnight ghost tours conducted in conjunction with Ghost Trackers Paranormal Research Group (Tour offered June-November).
3. The Whaley House - A 90 minute investigation led by the San Diego Ghost Hunters.
4. Walking Ghost Tour and Ghost Hunt - Look for ghosts in Old Town San Diego.
5. Queen Mary Paranormal Investigation Tour - Try your hand at hunting for ghosts aboard this famed ship.
6. Lizzie Borden B&B Weekend Paranormal Retreats - These are offered in conjunction with Haunted Times and there's only one weekend left for 2009, September 4-5. (Click here to read a blog I wrote about other locations where Haunted Times holds ghost hunts.)
7. Haunted Tours at Historic Fort Wayne - Take a tour of the fort, learn its history, then stay and search the grounds for evidence of what still lingers.
8. Copper Queen Hotel - Every Thursday night the hotel offers guests to do more than stay the night in Bisbee.
9. Old Montana Territorial Prison - It's a tour where they turn the lights out and take you to five of the hottest of the prison's hot spots. They encourage you to bring your camera, video recorders and other ghost hunting devices to see what evidence you might capture.
10. Haunted Detroit Tours - The tour guides come equipped with digital camera, infra-red thermometers, and EMF detectors for your three hour ghost hunting adventure of Metro Detroit.

Improving Ghost Hunting Investigation Techniques

Autumnforest left some wonderful comments on yesterday's post that of course got me thinking about other ways to improve ghost hunting investigation techniques.

JOB ASSIGNMENTS

Autumnforest brought up the very astute point that just as people are assigned certain duties within a ghost hunting group (such as lead investigator, case manager or tech manager), investigators should be assigned certain tasks when out in the field.

It seems so obvious, but I know of very few groups where one person is in charge of taking EMF readings all night, another in charge of monitoring temperature fluctuations, yet another is responsible for EVP work.

But other scientific studies do this, break out the work and have people dedicated to specific tasks. Very good observation on her part. Leads to less contamination of evidence.

BETTER WAYS TO VERIFY EVIDENCE

Another thing she brought up was the EVP she'd captured of a kid. It was of bootsteps I believe, yet the kids at school didn't believe her. Even now many grownups would be hard pressed to.

Even though I've never heard the evidence myself, I'm 99% certain she didn't fake it. I think Autumnforest was ahead of her time even back then. She might not ever be able to convince the doubters but I think there's a crucial clue to legitimizing EVPs from her experience.

I believe I read before that she caught the EVP by sitting on the top of the stairs of the home she was growing up in at the time. This memory was triggered by something else Autumnforest said in her comment on yesterday's post. About how even GH, as much as they strive to be credible, still potentially contaminate a lot of evidence by moving around too much. They operative word is sit.

Now many times I have seen GH and GHI members sit while conducting EVP sessions. But I've also seen them start them while walking or while standing. I think a way to produce better, less contaminated results would be to (a) conduct them while sitting and staying as still as possible, and (b) conduct them in front of a video camera.

That means if a two-partner team is in the room during the EVP session, both people are accounted for on screen. That way no one can say it was the person behind the camera murmuring something and "creating" the EVP.

This can be accomplished a couple of ways:

1. Either both investigators wield cameras and keep them trained on each other the while time, or
2. If they're sharing a camera, placing it somewhere and then positioning themselves in front of it together.

Also, I hate to say it, but if it truly is an EVP, it should show up on both the voice recorder and the video camera. However, I also agree if the ghost only approaches the voice recorder and speaks softly into it and the video camera isn't close enough, I could see how the camera might not get it.

Still, I think evidence is the most legit when you have more than one source capturing it and too often it seems opportunities to do this (or try and do it) are missed.

A MATTER OF CONTROL

Another thing Autumnforest's comment made me think about is something from my college days: every experiment always has to have a control group. I have yet to see or read about any ghost hunting group using control methods to help verify results.

What made me think this was Autumnforest has a theory (well, a bunch of them really, that's why she blogs about them at Ghost Hunting Theories), that people can influence an investigation as much as the weather, time of day, or the moon's phase. It's an interesting theory, and I'm hoping she'll find a way to test it if she hasn't already, but it made me think of something else from my college science course experiment days. People themselves can corrupt data.

How to correct for corrupted data? Why, you set up a control group of course!

But how do you set up a controlled environment when ghost hunting? I'm sure there are other ways, but here's two I came up with:

1. The knowledge and background investigators have about each location should be minimized as much as possible. The case manager and the lead investigator(s) should know the hot spots and reports of activity, but the rest of the team members shouldn't. The lead investigator should assign the other investigators to certain areas but shouldn't tell them what to look for. Why? Because if you think about it, there's already a kind of corruption factor to begin with. It's called the expectancy factor. Investigators who know about a location will have preconceived notions of what they expect to experience and thus up the chances of doing so through self-fulfilling prophecy.
2. Investigators should not discuss experiences as they're happening. I've seen Jason and Grant do this from time to time on GH, but there's definitely room for improvement. Say a team of investigators hears something, like a voice. It's okay to say, "Did you hear that?" but instead of saying, "I thought I heard X" both should write it down on separate pieces of paper and then compare results during evidence review. (Or, in GH's case, for entertainment value the investigators could hold up their papers for the camera.) And to up the credibility factor, both investigators should be visible on camera, their backs to each other (or somehow make it obvious they can't see what the other's writing), and then hold up the paper. This would help validate experiences when investigators hear knocking, bangs, voices, etc. And in the case of voices the gender, whether they heard them laughing, screaming, moaning, or saying a word should be noted. (Example: I remember an episode Jason and Grant were investigating a tunnel, I think at the Stanley Hotel. Even the cameraman's camera picked up the voice of a little girl. It would really make such an experience even more credible if Jason and Grant wrote down separately what they thought they heard. In this case if they'd both written little girl laughing there'd be no denying it.)

Questioning Convincing Evidence

I've been thinking a lot about convincing evidence when it comes to definitive proof that ghosts exist. Sure the TAPS team of Ghost Hunters fame have captured a lot of interesting and thought-provoking evidence, but have they captured actual proof? Have any ghost hunter groups, whether on TV or otherwise?

THE TAMPERING FACTOR

The trouble with so much of what's on TV is the trust factor. Especially when the guys of Ghost Adventures start using things like that word box of theirs. (I'm sorry, but their explanation of how it works --"spirits manipulate their energy to pick out relevant words to communicate with"-- just doesn't cut it. And then they have the gall to claim that's scientific evidence? I don't think so.)

But gimmicky instruments aside, can we really trust what we're seeing? Or hearing as is more often the case? How do we know that they're really catching EVPs? How can we trust that it's not tampered with in some fashion or that the evidence isn't manufactured or staged somehow?

I WANT TO BELIEVE

I want to believe in ghosts. After a couple of the experiences I had at both the Shilo Inn in Utah and then down in St. Augustine, I believe something paranormal happened.

I also know others have had similar experiences in other places. (Or even at the same locations in some instances.) The trouble is capturing the proof of what our mind's have experienced.

I know that's what paranormal groups are trying to do. Or debunk what happened. I get that. And while I commend Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, and all of the other paranormal investigation groups out there who have brought a more scientific element to the quest, I see room for improvement.

MY SUGGESTIONS FOR CAPTURING MORE CONVINCING EVIDENCE

More and more as I'm watching the various ghost hunting shows or evidence presented by paranormal groups, I find myself wanting to believe but instead donning a skeptic's hat. Here's ways I think would help legitimize evidence and make it more convincing:

• COLD SPOTS: When cold spots are felt, thermometers should be immediately wielded and the incident documented with some kind of camera, either digital still or camcorder. I get so frustrated when I hear someone say, "Ooh, I feel a cold spot!" but don't do anything about it. That's the perfect time to break out equipment and see if you get anything. (I've seen some of the investigators on Ghost Hunters do it every now and then, but even they don't do it as consistently as they should. Or if they do it's being edited out before airing.)
• DOUBLE SHOT APPROACH: I realize orbs, mist, and the like isn't always visible to the naked eye and oftentimes only shows up in evidence review. However, I have a hard time buying any of it as evidence if only one camera catches it. Theoretically, if something's really there and two cameras are taking pictures of it (be they both still cameras or video or a combo thereof), the evidence should show up on both cameras, right? But time and again I see evidence being claimed as real when only one camera caught it. Like perhaps a digital still camera caught something, even when video cameras were rolling but nothing came up on that. If it's really there, more than one camera should be capturing it. (If you take a picture of a landscape with two different cameras, both will capture the same trees, grass, flowers, et cetera, right? So why should different standards apply for ghosts or orbs?)
• EXTENDED INVESTIGATIONS: For entertainment sake I understand many of the TV show investigations can only take place on one night. But for scientific research sake that's not really legit. It's kind of like an archaeological dig. You wouldn't send a team of archaeologists out to a sight and expect them to recover artifacts in 12 hours. Sure they'll dig up some things, but it's doubtful they'd find the true prizes or insights into the place in that time. Ghost hunting is no different. It takes patience, repeated visits, perhaps even lengthy stays to really have a chance at digging up anything. I'd be interested in following the progress of an extended investigation at one location rather than these quickie one-night-stands where they hope and pray it'll be an active night and they'll catch something.
• IMPROVED DOCUMENTATION OF MANIFESTATION TIMES: I'd like to see better documentation of when things actually happen. This one falls more on the shoulders of the people who live, work or play at the haunted sights. Rather than just relating stories of experiences, they need to note times and dates of when activity occurs. If investigators knew when something was likely to manifest it would up their chances of capturing convincing evidence. (I liken it to the geysers at Yellowstone. Take Old Faithful for instance. As noted on the Geysers of Yellowstone site, it erupts every 35 to 120 minutes for one and a half to five minutes. People have a fair idea of when to stop by to see it blow. The same should apply to residual hauntings. Theoretically they should happen with more predictability than an intelligent haunting, and thus should render quantifiable "viewing" times.)

Haunt Jaunts as Fundraising Venues

Increasingly I'm noticing a trend in some of my Google Alerts: stories about Haunt Jaunts as fundraising venues. Especially for historical societies and foundations.

This weekend I came across another one. How the Vaughan-Smitherman Museum in Alabama recently did a ghost hunt as a fundraiser. Specifically, The Friends of the Vaughan-Smitherman Museum held a Paranormal Weekend in conjunction with Southern Paranormal Researchers.

HOW IT WORKS

Oftentimes the venue's historical society (or preservation society, whatever name they might give it) teams up with the local paranormal investigation group. The paranormal investigators, along with members of the historical society, offer a night (or sometimes a weekend) of ghost hunting.

Both groups advertise the event, and usually so does the venue. As you might imagine, it generates a lot of local press. Which is great for all involved.

Also, experienced and novice ghost hunters are usually both welcomed (and encouraged) to attend the events. This offers a really great DIY opportunity for fans of shows like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures to experience the action for themselves.

RECENT AND UPCOMING HAUNT JAUNT FUNDRAISING EVENTS

I think the first one I came across was a dinner at a restaurant where the money would benefit something. Trouble is, I don't remember either the restaurant or the cause... (Sorry!)

But I do remember the Haunt Jaunt that would benefit Historic Fort Wayne's preservation society, which I wrote about in a previous article. Their next events will be on these dates: 8/16, 9/19, and 10/31.

Most recently I wrote about PARA's upcoming event at Fort Mifflin on 9/5. I went to their website today and saw their May 16 and 17 events raised over $6,000 for the fort. That just goes to show if you pair a great location with a ghost hunting fundraising event, you can raise some pretty decent money!

And here's another one I stumbled across: The Preston Castle Foundation (yes, as in the Preston Castle that was recently the focus of an investigation on Ghost Adventures), in conjunction with Ghost Trackers Paranormal Research Group, offers Overnight Ghost Tours. The cost is $100 per person and can be attended on the following dates: 7/25, 9/26, and 11/28. (There was also one for 8/22 but it's sold out.)

Don't be surprised if you see me post more of these as they come up. I think it's a pretty neat idea.

The Othersiders: Too Young To Hunt Ghosts?

While I was watching Cartoon Network's "The Othersiders" investigation of the Queen Mary, I found myself thinking, "Perhaps these kids aren't too young to hunt ghosts after all."

With that said, I guess it's a good time to admit that I shared the sentiments fellow blogger AutumnForest expressed in one of her posts about "The Othersiders." Kids hunting ghosts? (Or as she put it, "drape climbers," which just cracked me up.) Come on, be serious. Someone's really trying to make a mockery of ghost hunting now.

However, the Queen Mary investigation made me stop and go "Hmmm...."

RELATE-ABILITY FACTOR

Personally, I think "The Othersiders" is kind of boring as ghost hunting shows go. (Although, maybe if I was a kid I'd think it was great.)

I also have a hard time believing the five were friends before the show and weren't "casted" for it. However, I have to admit a ghost hunting team comprised of teens might allow for different results than a team of just adults.

For instance, any children ghosts might be more inclined to make contact with someone nearer their own age. Likewise, older spirits may find younger ghost hunters more approachable and less threatening than an adult.

But on the converse of that, people who didn't much care for kids in life might be irritated by the presence of younger ghost hunters. (Talk about a new method of provocation!) Older ghosts (or, rather, people who were older when they passed) might relate more to someone their own age.

DID SHE SING BECAUSE THEY DID?

That's what I wondered when the Othersiders played the EVP of the little girl singing in the pool area. Perhaps they caught that EVP based on something they did during the investigation.

They tried to cajole the girl ghost said to haunt the pool area into singing, as its reported she does, by singing themselves. They picked "Ring around the Rosy." A simple song, a common enough one, but it impressed me nonetheless. Why?

I don't have kids and it's been a while since I was one. When they made the decision to sing period my first thought was, "What on earth song would I have sung if that was me investigating?"

When they went with "Ring around the Rosy" it was both obvious and genius. Of course I knew it. What person didn't sing it at some point in their own youth? But it never would have occurred to me to pick that one.

Now if they truly came up with it on their own or had some help from a producer, who knows. And who knows if they would have caught the EVP anyway without singing, but it was a pretty good EVP...perhaps because of what they did.

GHOST HUNTING TEAMS: THE ADVANTAGE OF DIVERSITY

It was because of the song they picked that I reconsidered my stance on teenage ghost hunters. Instead I thought, "What an advantage it is for those teams that are as diverse as possible."

Think about it. If you have good coverage of the age spectrum (youngsters on up to senior citizens), as well as a mix of males and females plus people from a variety of walks of life, you cover the gamut. The age/gender/ethnicity/etc might be as much of a factor or influence of the type of results your investigations turn up as anything else.

Yahoo! Groups Provide Haunt Jaunts Galore

Today I finally had some time to skim the posts on the Yahoo! Groups I belong to and ended up stumbling across Haunt Jaunts galore! (I didn't have much time to lurk around these groups before, but I do now that I'm done with radiation. After what I came across today, I'm stoked because what a great additional resource for me to find new Haunt Jaunt activities!)

All except one I found via the Haunted Times Yahoo! Group. (The other was via The Paranormal Research Society group.) I listed them by event date.

1. LIZZIE BORDEN BED & BREAKFAST WEEKEND RETREAT: JUNE 26-27, 2009

I know this doesn't give you much heads up since this event starts tomorrow. I don't even know if there's space still available. But I thought I'd list it anyway.

It's a Haunted Times event. On Friday June 26, Christopher Moon will give his Ghost Hunting 101 Seminar, followed by dinner which includes telling of the haunted history of of the B&B plus a tour. Then the night concludes with an investigation. On Saturday June 27, Moon goes more in-depth with his Ghost Hunting 102 class, and then dinner plus more investigations follow. (And, yes, Moon will be using his Telephone to the Dead during the investigations.)

Cost: $150 plus tax per person per night (includes class, dinner, investigation, room and breakfast) OR $50 per person per night for investigations only.

Call the Lizzie Borden B&B at 508-675-7333 to register.

2. AUDUBON COTTAGES - DAUPHINE ORLEANS WEEKEND RETREAT: JULY 24-25, 2009

Another Haunted Times event. Same kind of thing as described above, just the location and costs are a bit different.

Cost: $99 plus tax per person per night (includes class, dinner, and investigation...room is extra but discounted rates are available) OR $50 per person per night for investigations only.

Call Haunted Times Magazine at 877-880-6232 to register for the event.

To book a room at the event site, Call Dawn Ledet of the Dauphine Orleans at 504-586-1800.

NOTE: HT says space is limited for this one so if you're interested book sooner rather than later.

3. VILLISCA AXE MURDER HOUSE - SPIRIT COMMUNICATION 101: AUGUST 7, 2009

Another HT event. This time the focus of the class is on communicating with the dead, followed by a dinner and an investigation. Moon and his HT staff will leave at midnight, but the house will be open for further investigations until 2 a.m.

Cost: $99 per person (class, investigation and dinner only, you have to make your own room reservations)

Call Haunted Times Magazine at 720-344-6150 to make reservations for this event.

4. MASON HOUSE INN BED AND BREAKFAST: AUGUST 8-9, 2009

Yep, another HT event consisting of Ghost Hunting 101 and 102 classes.

Cost: $75 per person per event (Rooms are extra, but if you stay both nights you get $5 off your room the second night.)

Call 1-800-592-3133 to register.

5. FORT MIFFLIN PARA EVENT: SEPTEMBER 5, 2009

This is not an HT event. Rather, it's put on by Paranormal Association of Research & Assistance (PARA) in association with PARA-X Radio (who will be broadcasting live during the event).

Looks like they have some neat things lined up: presentations at each of the buildings, an EVP lab where you can listen to EVPs captured there, a photography lab teaching spirit photography techniques, and even an auction where one of the prizes will be a private investigation with investigators Shannon and Jeff Sylvia (who will also be there).

Cost: $75

Contact Lorraine Irby at 215.685.4167 to pre-register or visit PARA's website for more info.

ABOUT THE YAHOO! GROUPS IN THIS POST

If you're not a member of them but are interested in checking them out and maybe joining yourself, I posted their links below:

TheParanormalResearchSociety

Haunted_Times_Magazine_Public_group

Is There a Law for Becoming a Ghost?

Thanks to the Haunted Formula AutumnForest is working on over at Ghost Hunting Theories and Lisa Logan's Where Would YOU Haunt guest blog, I can't stop wondering: is there a law to becoming a ghost?


You know, like the Law of Gravity, the Law of Attraction...is there a Law of Lingering? (For lack of something else to call it.)


PHYSICAL CONSIDERATIONS


In a previous post I wrote about how AutumnForest is using six criteria to determine whether some places may be more predisposed to hauntings than others. Basically, she's trying to figure out if certain conditions must exist before a person's spirit could remain behind somewhere.


I've thought this is a very interesting way to examine haunted places, but now it really has me wondering some things. Especially after Lisa's post yesterday.


ASSUMING GHOSTS EXISTS

Maybe you can pick where you'd like to haunt. Maybe you don't have to die there necessarily. But can you only haunt places where the conditions will allow you to? (This is assuming you need certain conditions, such as proximity to water, sand/granite/limestone/or other such "conductors" that seem to appear in many environments where ghosts "live"...basically the criteria AutumnForest proposes in her Haunted Formula.)

So now I'm starting to think about how it is ghosts come to be differently than I was before. All of this has raised a whole new batch of questions, such as:

1. If there's something to the Haunted Formula, can ghosts still haunt places that don't have conditions conducive to letting them "live" there? (For instance, if someone dies in a place without the necesaary elements, can a ghost still manifest, or do they "feed" off certain elements to live?)
2. Why is it some people's spirits remain behind at all? I guess this is the question most ghost enthusiasts want the answer to, but now I'm thinking about it in a different way than I used to. I used to think you either died suddenly, or tragically, or with unfinished business, or just so much love for a place you wanted to stay there forever. But now I'm wondering if maybe there's physical properties about places that make it easier for people's spirits to remain behind...if they want to stay behind. But what if they don't want to stay behind? Which brings me to the next question...
3. Are ghosts made by choice or by circumstance? Meaning, when we die, do we have the option to become a ghost if we so choose? Or is it the place, specifically elements about the place, that sort of "trap" them and don't let people's spirits leave? (Maybe there's something about places with residual hauntings in particular that act as "recorders" instead of traps, but with intelligent hauntings...that's what I really wonder about. Are the spirits there by choice or because they can't leave?
4. And what if it's not about the physical elements of a place? What if ghosts don't want to go to the Beyond (for lack of knowing what's really After this life) so they stay Here. Or, what if the Universe is the greatest recycler of all and some ghosts exist because there wasn't a new body for them to go into at the moment of their death?
5. How would the major religions of our world reconcile their beliefs if somehow one day we are able to prove there are ghosts, we find a way to communicate with them, and we understand how it is they come to be and what it takes for them to exist?

I don't know if there's a law to becoming a ghost or not, but maybe one day with all these different people investigating the paranormal we might find out. (Who knows, the next Einstein or Newton might be out there right now as we speak on the verge of making the next great discovery!)

Ghost Conferences for the Rest of 2009

A while back I wrote about HauntedCon, but this week I got to thinking about other ghost conferences coming up for the rest of 2009. Where were they and when? (I knew I'd seen some others during my travels around various websites, so...)

I decided to do a little investigating and put together a list of what I came across. This is what I dug up.

Whether you're a ghost hunter or ghost enthusiast like myself, maybe one of these conferences will be near you. Could make for a fun (not to mention informative, educational, and possibly entertaining) little haunt jaunt!

1. June 19-20: 2009 Haunted America "Lucky 13" Conference. Where: The "haunted" Lincoln Theater in Decatur, Illinois. Cost: $60 (for both days.) Click here for more details. (Something I thought was neat was that one of the sponsors is Ghostology with Brian and Anna Marie, a show I mentioned in a blog not too far back. I have a feeling they might be the next breakout paranormal hit with their new show due out this fall. Of course, if they're not, you'll have this blog to quote me on...)
2. August 6-7: Paracon 2009, the First Annual Canadian-American Conference. Where: Sarnia, Canada. Cost: $37.50 USD - $72 USD. Click here for more info.
3. August 14-16: The Ohio Paranormal Convention. Where: Dayton, Ohio (Hara area). Cost: $35-$65. Click here for more info.
4. September 24-26: HauntedCon 2009. Where: Hotel St. Michael, Prescott, Arizona. Cost: $99.99-$284. Click here for more info.
5. October 2-3: 2009 Chicago Ghost Conference. Where: The Portage Theater, Chicago, Illinois. Cost: $50. ($30 for students.) Click here for more info.
6. October 8-11: Univ-Con 8 2009. Where: Pennsylvania. (The website hasn't been updated with all 2009 info as of this posting, so I'm not sure if Univ-Con will be held at Penn Stater again.) Advance tickets are on sale though for $25 plus a .99 cent surcharge. Click here for more info. (Click on the Univ-Con 2009 graphic to purchase advanced tickets.)

Ghost Adventures: Castillo de San Marcos

In my very first blog I explained the reaction I'd had the very first time we drove by the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine: Here there be ghosts...

Well, if you watched Ghost Adventures on Friday, you saw they investigated the fort. And they did find paranormal activity.

THE LANTERN

The best footage was what appeared to be a lantern being lit on the ramparts. I've heard the rumors about the lantern man before, so it was neat to see them capture something that backed up the many claims surrounding that strangeness.

THE POWDER MAGAZINE

I was surprised there was no mention of the woman ghost rumored to haunt the Powder Magazine though. I've toured the Castillo de San Marcos three times. Every time I heard the story about the officer's wife who fell in love with another soldier, had an affair with him, her husband found out and shut her away in the Powder Magazine where she ultimately died. I heard it from 3 different tour guides too, so I was surprised that wasn't brought up for Zak and his team.

NEW EQUIPMENT

They also used a new piece of equipment I don't recall seeing on any of their other shows before. I forget what they called it, but it reminded me a lot of the Telephone to the Dead. Except the GAC's was smaller and also had these goggles Zak could wear.

They also explained how it worked, but I got confused. Something about it picked up activity and then translated it...the thing did "speak" a couple of times. I'm not sure if I quite buy this gadget...mainly because I just don't understand how it works.

But if it's real...wow. Then it's got a lot of possibilities.

They also have this thing they call an EMF Pump. Basically it's like a battery that generates EMF energy to "feed" ghosts so they can manifest.

Now that's something that seems pretty useful. I'm curious if it helps save the battery juice of other investigative equipment like cameras, digital recorders, etc. that often get drained when ghosts are suspected of trying to manifest. Maybe we'll find out on future shows.

CLIP OF GHOST ADVENTURES' CASTILLO DE SAN MARCOS EPISODE

Haunted Golf Courses

I found a story about haunted golf courses when I was slogging through my backlog of Google alerts today and stumbled upon a posting by Stephen Wagner at About.com: Paranormal Phenomena called "The Latest Paranormal News."

Wagner was listing ghost-related or otherwise odd stories he'd found, among them one entitled "Even golf courses have ghost stories" by Joe Morelli at the New Haven Register.

Apparently a book called Haunted Golf: Spirited Tales from the Rough was released this past April. It details incidents like the murder of a woman at a golf course in British Columbia whose spirit is said to haunt the seventh hole. Or the mysterious incidents at the Canton Golf Course in Connecticut. And, my personal fave because it reminds me of Cheeseman Park, the "remnants of corpses discovered at Lincoln Park [Golf Course] in San Francisco."

I never would've thought of adding golf courses to the Jaunts listings. Or amusement parks or anywhere else people go for relaxation and fun. However, this has opened my eyes to a whole new dimension of Haunt Jaunt possibilities!

And I can't help but wonder if any ghost hunters have ever investigated any golf courses? Hmmm...golf anyone?

A 'Haunting Formula' for Best Haunt Jaunts

On one of the blogs I've been following lately, Ghost Hunting Theories, the author has concocted a "Haunting Formula" in conjunction with some research she's doing to rate "50 haunted sites around the US." She uses a criteria of six things to base her scoring on:

1. What the building's constructed out of (i.e. brick, stone, etc)
2. Age of the building
3. The building's history (history or death or other traumatic events)
4. What it's built on or over (i.e. limestone, sand, granite)
5. It's proximity to train tracks
6. It's proximity to water

She may have scored other places using her Haunting Formula, but these are the ones I know she's examined so far:

Ft. Mifflin

St. Augustine Lighthouse

Eureka Springs Crescent Hotel

Iron Island Museum

Bunnyman Bridge

All have earned perfect 6 out of 6s except for the Eureka Springs Crescent Hotel. It got a 5 out of 6.

It's very interesting to me because what great Haunt Jaunts some of these places would make! (Some were already on my list to add to the Jaunt pages on HauntJaunts.net, like the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Ft. Mifflin, but her posts reminded me about the other places that would also be good adds.)

What's even funnier, I just realized today that Ghost Hunting Theories is the brainchild of Autumnforest. If you follow the comments on my blogs, you'll see I have two regular commenters and she's one of them. (The other is Lisa Logan, authoress of the blog Writing in My Wildest Dreams.) I was tickled to find that out, because hers is one of my favorite blogs to follow and here she sometimes leaves comments on mine!

At any rate, I'll continue to follow her findings. It's very interesting stuff and just may provide a new way of looking at haunted places. (Not to mention Haunt Jaunts.)

Haunted Grass Valley Historical Walking Tour: Edgier Than Most

Today I came across a story on TheUnion.com called "Explore hauntings in the county" which told about the Haunted Grass Valley Historical Walking tour in Grass Valley, California. It caught my eye because the ghosts featured on the tour sounded a little edgier than those on most ghost tours.

Why do I say that? Well, for one, the tour's creator, Mark Lyons, is quoted as saying, "While I would be perfectly delighted to encounter any of the Nevada City ghosts some dark night, I am not so sure I could make the same claim regarding Grass Valley ghosts." (Lyons also runs the Haunted Nevada City historical walking tour.)

Gulp.

Just what kind of ghosts are we talking about here? Apparently, as the article put it, "Grass Valley wraiths colorfully reflect the rough and tumble atmosphere of its early hardrock mining days."

For instance, there's a "phantom" who tried to strangle a young woman in Saint Joseph's Hall. And over at the Owl Tavern, phantom patrons think it's a hoot to terrorize waitresses by untying their apron strings, pinching them and "engaging in other inappropriate physical behavior."

Lovely.

I've never heard of anyone being accosted by a ghost on a ghost tour, but it sounds like it could happen on the Haunted Grass Valley tour. If you're hoping for such contact, this just might be the ghost tour to check out!

INFO ABOUT THE HAUNTED GRASS VALLEY HISTORICAL WALKING TOUR

Lyons is now operating the tour on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. June through October.

He doesn't require reservations. Just show up at the Grass Valley Library (207 Mill St.) and pay your fee ($10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-12, children 5 and under are free).

Or check out the Haunted Nevada City Historical Walking Tour. He runs that on Saturday nights. Start time again is 7:30 p.m., same fees, but it takes off from the corner of Bolder, Broad and Nevada Streets in Nevada City. (The exact address is 101 Boulder.)

Ghosts, GPS, and Learning

Earlier today I wrote about using Haunt Jaunts to teach based in part on a headline one of my Google alerts popped up with: "Tracking Ghosts in the Valley: Ashby Lee Students Use GPS for New Learning Program" by Aimee Cregger. Well, I finally got around to reading the whole thing this afternoon. This is exactly the kind of thing I think more schools should offer!

AUGMENTED REALITY

The language and speech pathologists at Ashby Lee applied for a grant after learning about a new program called Augmented Reality. The grant allowed them to purchase 30 GPS units and pay for fifth graders from Ashby Lee to travel to New Market and Lexington.

The other day at Examiner.com I wrote about geocaching. Well, this program sort of combined geocaching with ghost hunting.

HUNTING GHOSTS WITH A GPS

In a manner of speaking. The students had read a book called The Ghost Cadet. They used the GPS units to find five different locations at the New Market Battlefield, a Civil War site, where they were asked questions about the book and also located envelopes containing puzzle pieces. (Which, when put all together, formed a gold watch that played a part in the book.)

They also visited places mentioned in the book, like the Virginia Military Institute where the ghost cadet attended.

ON-SITE LEARNING

If I was a kid, learning this way would totally appeal to me. Reading a book, then going to see places mentioned in the book and using a GPS in a sort of scavenger hunt? Oh yeah, that's totally up my alley.

But it's a great example of how ghosts can play a part in teaching kids --and can be fun as well as educational. Granted, it was a fictional ghost in this case, but still...I'd count this not only as a learning excursion but as a Haunt Jaunt to boot.

Using Haunt Jaunts to Teach

My husband and I don't have kids, but I got to thinking today how, if we did, what a great teaching tool Haunt Jaunts would make. Check out the various lessons that could be taught:

HISTORY LESSONS

Some kids find history dull. Others love it.

I was one of those somewhere in between. Certain things I found interesting (both the first and second World Wars gripped me), but battles with Native Americans over land or the Civil War would put me to sleep --until I was older.

When we moved to Florida a whole new world was opened up to me. We made trips to places like St. Augustine, Charleston, up to Atlanta, and saw sites where history had played out --which made it come to life.

I'll never forget our first trip to Atlanta. We stayed with Bill, one of our friends from college. He was newly arrived to the city and was still exploring it as well. A museum major, he was interested in checking out the Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum. That's when the Civil War began making sense to me.

The thing that always confounded me about the Civil War was that it happened soooooo long ago. Really it didn't, but I didn't have a frame of reference for the dates. (My parents and grandparents both talked about World War II, so it seemed more current to me. And my grandparents were recently married young adults when World War I was raging, so even it seemed not so long ago, but the Civil War? It seemed centuries old!)

However, suddenly, after visiting Cyclorama, 1861-1865 didn't seem as distant as it once had.

It was also the first time I'd ever taken in a Civil War anything. Maybe if I'd grown up with it I would have had an easier time categorizing it.

But that's just it: exposure. What better way to help kids understand history than exposing them to it? Not only that, but you also expose them to the stories of real people who lived during those times.

For instance, our recent Jaunt to the Sam Davis house was interesting because Sam Davis and his family were everyday people who found themselves living during extraordinary times. It wasn't hard to imagine the ghost of his mother, even if it might only be a residual one, haunting the place and crying on his deathiversary.

Or, like Donna Marsh illustrated when she wrote the "Stones River is Murfreesboro's haunted battlefield," you get to tour places where battles actually took place, walk on the same ground soldiers marched across. It sparks the imagination better than simply reading about it in a book.

GEOGRAPHY TEACHING LESSONS

Geography was easily one of my lousiest subjects in school. And I'd say this goes for most kids. But another great way to use a Haunt Jaunt as a teaching tool!

You can mark out on a map where you're starting from, where you're going, and give kids a perspective of place. Helpful for learning the layout of their own city, state, region, or country --or even if you journey overseas!

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY TEACHING LESSONS

Very few travelers venture out without a camera, but I bet few view them as technology teaching tools. But what a great way to teach kids about how cameras work (and maybe learn a few things yourself while you're at it).

And if you happen to also be a ghost hunter who brings along devices like digital recorders, mini DVs, heck even EMF detectors...well, think back to your youth. Wouldn't learning about science and technology have been a whole lot more interesting using a hands on approach like these devices offer? Your kids can learn about electromagnetic fields (all the things both natural and manmade that emit them), how things are recorded (not just EVPs but our regular, old average human voices as well), and then there's all the lessons they can learn about nature, advancements in technology (like indoor plumbing and electricity since many Haunt Jaunts, especially the historical ones, lack such modern day conveniences)...the opportunities for learning are endless!

And the exposure to such outside-the-box thinking? It just might lead to inspiring the next generation to find new devices to invent --or perhaps new ways to conduct paranormal research.

RELIGION/SPIRITUALITY TEACHING LESSONS

It's hard not to wonder about "The Beyond" when you talk about ghosts. What a great opportunity to introduce your kids to different beliefs from different cultures about ghosts, death and dying, and our purpose for being Here. Or to explore your own spiritual roots a little deeper and understand your denomination's take on such matters.

I'm sure there are even more teaching tools Haunt Jaunts could be used for, but these were the ones that sprung immediately to my mind. Can you think of other lessons Haunt Jaunts could teach? I'd love to hear about them!

Telephone to the Dead

I got to see the Telephone to the Dead in practice the other day while I was watching the Travel Channel. I had turned it on while I was folding laundry and Extreme Mind Blowing Hotels was on. I just happened to tune in right when they were featuring the Lizzie Borden B&B.

Then next thing I know this guy comes on screen who looks awfully familiar. I thought to myself, "That sure looks like that Christopher Moon guy who does Haunted Times." (His face was sort of fresh in my mind from having been recently checking into something else he'll be doing here shortly: HauntedCon.)

Anyway, the show started talking about how guests at the Lizzie Borden B&B can participate in a ghost hunt using the Telephone to the Dead. That's when I was positive it must be Christopher Moon, because that's sort of his claim to fame.

But just to be sure, I went to the website to double check and...Sure enough, it was him!

ABOUT THE TELEPHONE TO THE DEAD

Before I'd seen it in action, when I'd only heard the word "telephone," I immediately thought: Gimmick!

However, after seeing the device in action, I'm now thinking: Interesting. Kind of like an instant EVP without having to go back and listen to hours of tapes to find something.

What I found interesting after a visit to the site was that I wasn't the only one skeptical upon first hearing about it. Even Moon himself was!

The device was actually developed by Frank Sumption. Moon put it to the test and was "immediately astonished by the results." (In addition to the Lizzie Borden House, he's also used it at Waverly Hills, The Whaley House, The Hotel Maison de Ville, and Eastern State Penitentiary.)

WHAT THE TELEPHONE TO THE DEAD DOES

It's name pretty much says it all. While the device itself doesn't resemble a telephone at all, it does enables communication with the dead. But it doesn't act alone. Spirit guides also factor in.

What I saw on the Travel Channel show was Moon and his team asking questions just like you would during an EVP session, but then the results were audible right then and there.

But according to the TTTD site, it doesn't just let you communicate with ghosts at a particular site. Apparently you can talk to any deceased person. Moon took it to the Ghost Chaser's conference in Georgia and demonstrated it by allowing conference goers to come up and ask questions of deceased loved ones. Answers were received --shocking not only the participants but Moon himself.

THE TELEPHONE TO THE DEAD IN ACTION

If you go to TheTelephonetotheDead.com you'll see a box in the upper right hand corner that will let you listen to a recording done during a radio broadcast with Dr. Jimmy and Heather of ASPR Paranormal Talk Radio.

You can also contact Moon directly to set up your own reading.

Or go to HauntedCon. The Telephone to the Dead will be making an appearance there as well.

Examiner.com's Haunted Places and Haunted Sites Examiners

I recently signed on with Examiner.com to be a Nashville Getaways Examiner, but was excited to find several Haunted Places Examiners for me to follow in the process.

WHAT'S EXAMINER.COM?

It's a newer site dedicated to promoting cities by providing writers a platform to share their expertise or passion about where they live on all manner of subjects. Their catch phrase is: Examiners are credible, passionate, knowledgeable writers.

They have Examiners for everything ranging from Arts & Entertainment Examiners to Careers & Workplace, Bars & Restaurants, Pets, Politics, and Relationship Examiners. (It was actually because a Google alert let me know Seattle Marriage Advice Examiner Becca Campbell referenced one of my old Families.com articles that I became familiar with them.)

And I'm glad I did. Not only because they're allowing me to write about Nashville Getaways, but now I've found other people (Examiners) interested in the same thing as me! Haunted Places!

HAUNTED PLACES AND HAUNTED SITES EXAMINERS SO FAR

Examiner.com hires more and more writers every day so I'm sure this list will be expanding, but here's the links to two of the Haunted Places and Haunted Sites Examiners already on board.

1. Debe Branning, Arizona Haunted Sites Examiner
2. Vince Wilson, Baltimore Haunted Places Examiner

"WHY AREN'T YOU A HAUNTED PLACES EXAMINER, COURTNEY?"

Excellent question! They asked if I wanted to be a Nashville Haunted Travel Examiner, were willing to work with me on that, but I declined. I wanted to broaden my horizons to Getaways because Wayne and I will inevitably be getting out and about more again now that I'm getting better and closer to being done with my cancer treatments. That way I can write about our Haunt Jaunts here, while also tweaking them for the Getaways blog too.

Also, I didn't want to taint Haunt Jaunts the blog. Since I do use it as my travel blog also, albeit for more than just Nashville, I wanted to keep it sort of its own thing.

However, I'm looking forward to becoming more acquainted with the Haunted Places and Haunted Sites Examiners!

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Can Ghosts Follow You Home?

I was talking to a friend the other day about HauntJaunts.net and he said, "Ghosts can follow you home. You don't want to be messing with seeking them out, Courtney. That's bad stuff."

That's a concept I've seen addressed on some of the TV shows that deal with ghosts and haunted places. Some people perform little protection ceremonies before even entering a suspected haunted area. Others do it after, and ask that the spirits leave them in peace as they have tried to do while on their territory. Some combine both techniques together.

I always think it's respectful, if you think you're in the presence of a ghost, to introduce yourself, explain why you're there, and to ask that the entity respect your boundaries. Unless you really do something not to a ghost's liking, I can't see them meaning you any harm.

I also don't believe ghosts can, will, or would even want to follow you home. Mostly I believe they can't, though. I believe ghosts are attached to their surroundings. So much so that's what causes them to haunt there!

But as for regular, every day people who happen to show up? Why would they follow you home? If they didn't know you while they were alive, they couldn't form an attachment to you. Hence, there's no emotion invested in you, nothing at stake.

Although, I have to admit I've read a couple of interesting stories about such a concept, such as Janet Brown's The Ghost in a Yellow Dress or Joe Hill's Heart-Shaped Box. The first dealt with a ghost following someone home, the second with a ghost haunting the buyer of a haunted suit off of eBay.

All fiction aside, I believe it's not a ghost you're dealing with if it follows you home. It's something worse. Could be something evil, perhaps even demonic, but you're run-of-the-mill ghost? Nah. There's no motivation for them to do such a thing.

Still, for paranormal activity that's sketchy and less run-of-the-mill (i.e. not your average bumps in the night/apparition sightings), it's probably best to say your blessings and perform protection ceremonies when adventuring to those.

Ghost Cams: Ghost Hunt from Home

Today I joined Digg and came across some great articles, including one on a topic I've been pondering writing about/adding to HauntJaunts.net's Find a Jaunts page: Ghost Cams.

WHAT'S A GHOST CAM?

A ghost cam is a webcam set up to monitor paranormal activity. Then, you the at-home-ghost-hunter, can monitor the activity without the travel, hassle, or investment in equipment. And you can do it round-the-clock if you want to. For multiple locations all at once.

HOW DO I FIND A GHOST CAM?

One way is to Google "ghost cam." You'll get a mind-boggling list of hits. Some are for actual ghost cams set up monitoring activity, some are to try and sell you ghost hunting equipment...it's really kind of overwhelming.

Or...

You can save yourself all that work and check out this great article by Ryan Dube called "Go Ghost Hunting with Your Internet Browser." Not only does he list the top ghost cams out there, he shows you how to set up a Webcam Watcher. I didn't even know there was such a tool!

But Ryan sure does, and he uses step-by-step illustrations to explain how to configure everything you'll need to have what he calls your at-home "ghost hunting lab" to flow smoothly from your computer.

It was a really great article that had exactly what I was wondering about (best ghost cams) and a little bit more (a technology lesson).

HauntedCon 2009

Today I was perusing posts on the Haunted Times Yahoo Groups listing I recently joined and saw a post for HauntedCon. Of course that piqued my interest, so I clicked on the link and was taken to the HauntedCon 2009 website.

WHERE AND WHEN

HauntedCon 2009 will be held September 24-26 in Prescott, Arizona at the historic Hotel St. Michael.

I'm kind of hoping I'll get good news next week about my cancer. I used to live in Arizona and Prescott is one of my favorite places. I'd like to attend this conference! Not only because of the location, but because of who all they'll have there.

WHO WILL BE THERE

Guests they'll have there include:

Chip Coffey from Psychic Kids and Paranormal State
Demonologist John Zaffis
Christopher Moon of Haunted Times Magazine and Telephone to the Dead
Michelle "Babs" Babiarz from the PSI Network
Stacey Jones of the Central NY Ghost Hunters
Scotty Roberts, author and Intuitive Tarot Consultant
Mark Mihalko, cryptozoologist and Haunted Times Literary Director
Tim Meunier of River City Paranormal Investigations
Brian Cano & Chris Mancuso, paranormal investigators and urban explorers
Michelle Belanger, vampire author and energy worker

...just to name a few.

Looks like the Paranormal Activity Search Team (P.A.S.T.) of Arizona and Haunted Times Magazine (who are co-sponsoring the HauntedCon) have really gone to a lot of trouble to attract some neat guests.

They don't have the full agenda up on the site yet, but I imagine they will before long.

COST

They have several ticket options to choose from.

Thusday only or Friday only tickets = $99
Saturday only (with buffet dinner) = $124
2 day Thurs & Fri only = $182
2 day with Saturday = $194
3 day (Thurs, Fri, Sat) = $284

This is for the conference only. It doesn't include the cost of any hotel stay.