Closing down

Hi, my three faithful readers...

I've lost several subscribers due to my missing several days this December, so I'm just going to close the blog down.

I thank you for reading it!

Para-Tip Monday Avoiding Unwanted Guests

From Chasing Kaos:  Para-Tip Monday Avoiding Unwanted Guests

This weeks para-tip we’re dealing with avoiding “attachments”. Those entities that attach and follow you.

It’s fun and thrilling to go ghost hunting until you bring that unwanted entity back home with you. Our team has been asked several times to help out others who, after ghost hunting, have had an attachment. So we’re posting this weeks para-tip on avoiding it and helping prevent it before its an issue with a few quick tips.
First off don’t take “souvenirs” from a haunted location! Taking things from a sight may also bring an unwanted entity home with you, so leave it there.
Be careful what you’re saying and giving an entity permission for on a hunt. If you open communication and aren’t specific with your intentions and expectations the entity may take advantage.
Be responsible with your communication tools like spirit boxes and Ouija boards.
Don’t seek out negative energies.
Before leaving an investigation site simply state for the entities to not follow you home. Be polite and respectful, but let them know you don’t want them to follow you home. I know it may seem silly to some, but we use this practice and its proven to work, not only by us, but other investigators we know or have helped.
There you are friends, some quick tips on preventing attachments. If you want to know more you can always contact us.
Until next time, Provoke Responsibly
JW Kinzer
Lead Investigator Chasing Kaos Paranormal

 

New posting schedule

Now that I've got this new full-time job, I'll be posting in this blog twice a week - on Monday's and Wednesdays.

So the next post for this blog will be on Monday.

Thanks for your patience.

Posts resume this Wednesday

I'm a freelance writer and I am way behind on a job I have to do, so I won't be posting here until Wednesday..

Thanks for your patience!

Hunt ghosts with your iPad and the Mr. Ghost antenna

From PadVance.com:  Hunt ghosts with your iPad and the Mr. Ghost antenna

If you've ever watched a show with the words "Ghost", "Hunt", or "…ers" in the title, chances are good that you know what an Electromagnetic Field (EMF) is and how it relates to the supernatural. A newly funded attachment for your iPad or iPhone will now let you measure these EMFs and go ghost hunting with the help of your favourite iOS device.
The attachment in question is Mr. Ghost, an antenna that plugs into your iPhone or iPad’s headphone jack. Using the antenna along with its free companion app allows you to measure fluctuations in EMF readings and, if the pseudoscience of ghost hunting is to believed, track the activity of spirits, spectres, and other boojums.

It definitely looks like we've got some, uh, frequencies… in this room. Yeah, no doubt about that..

Mr. Ghost is the brainchild of Aaron Rasmussen, who recently turned to Kickstarter to secure a modest funding goal of $7,000 to launch the device. At time of writing, there are currently 13 days left in the drive and Mr. Rasmussen has already raised over $11,000.
While completely safe to use with your iPhone and iPad, the original iPad is apparently not a strong enough medium to interact with the spirit world - Mr. Ghost will only work on an iPad 2 or later.

 

Ghost Hunting History

There's too much info on this website to share it... it's one of those Windows 8 looking things where you have to click on a photo to get to the text behind it.

http://pinterest.com/getghostgear/ghost-hunting-history/

It's very interesting. Go to your computer and check it out.

Wrecking ball ends dilapidated Greenfield house's reputation as hotspot for ghost hunters

From the Republic:  Wrecking ball ends dilapidated Greenfield house's reputation as hotspot for ghost hunters

GREENFIELD, Indiana — There is little but rubble left of Black Moon Manor, the historic home on CR 300N that had become a ghost-hunting hotspot in recent years.
Owner Walter Eastes, whose family has owned the property for more than 200 years, made good last weekend on his promise to have the house demolished amid controversy over its use as a haunted attraction.
The two-story dilapidated house, which was torn down Sunday, was dubbed Black Moon Manor in 2009 by Matt Speck, a local man who leased the home from Eastes, according to the Daily Reporter (http://bit.ly/YKVKFs ).
Speck had originally hoped to use the property for a haunted attraction but failed to receive approval from the Hancock County Board of Zoning Appeals, Eastes said. Shortly thereafter, Speck began advertising the house as a legitimately haunted property and invited investigators to camp there, overnight, and hunt for ghosts.
As the newly named Black Moon Manor gained popularity - it was even featured on a variety of paranormal-themed TV shows - descendants of the Eastes family became upset, criticizing Speck for misrepresenting the family's history.
Eastes, having heard from several angry relatives, asked Speck to vacate the property Nov. 1. Eastes said he should have had the home torn down years ago as it fell into disrepair.
Looking over the flattened property Monday afternoon, Eastes expressed relief at seeing the ordeal come to an end.
"It's been a lot of trouble," he said. "Now, it is done, and they are doing a very nice job of it. I am so impressed."
Mike Leonard of Leonard Excavating Inc. in Wilkinson took on the task of razing the home and two nearby outbuildings. The house sits on 70 acres of land, much of which is leased for farming.
Leonard said he'd heard about the home and the controversy surrounding it prior to taking the job. One descendant of the Eastes family watched during the demolition process and expressed regret that the house was being demolished.
But it's not unusual for onlookers to show up when he's taking down an old house, he said.
"They'll say, 'Yeah, I remember playing in that house as a kid or that barn or whatever,'" Leonard said. "She said she was related to the Eastes family, . and she hated to see it go. She said she had a lot of memories there."
Sharon Kingen, 68, of McCordsville, is a descendent of the family and said Monday she was sad to hear of the old home's demise.
"It's just part of the history of the area," she said. "The Eastes family has a long tradition, really dating back to the establishment of the county."
But Kingen added she'd rather see the house come down than continue as a haunted attraction based on a false history of the Easteses.
"It was an offense to the family," she said.
Eastes said he'd been approached by various people about efforts to restore the home and convert it into a bed-and-breakfast, museum or hotel, but no feasible financial options emerged.
"That would be great if it weren't sitting on 70 acres I didn't want to part with," he said. "That's really the only sad thing is I could not find anything reasonable to do with (the house)."
Eastes estimated it would have cost $50,000 to bring the home up to a usable standard. Demolishing it, on the other hand, cost about $5,000, Leonard said.
The crew removed most of the home Sunday and Monday, recycling metal roofing and drain pipes and burning leftover wood.
Speck asked Eastes if he could move the house but was not able to come up with the financing to do so, Eastes said. Various paranormal groups also expressed interest, but Eastes said he didn't want the home used for that purpose any longer.
Eastes said Speck's stories - including that 200 people were buried in the backyard - were so obviously false he was surprised so many ghost-hunters were interested in the first place.
Going forward, Eastes said he might lease the land for hunting - animals, not ghosts.

 

Mr. Ghost iPhone Attachment Lets You Hunt Down Ghosts With Your Phone

From Hugffpost Tech:  Mr. Ghost iPhone Attachment Lets You Hunt Down Ghosts With Your Phone

If there's something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call?
Siri, maybe.
In addition to making phone calls and sending text messages, your iPhone can now be used to hunt down ghosts in your attic, basement or crawlspace, thanks to a newly created attachment called Mr. Ghost. The attachment (via Geekologie) resembles an old cell phone antenna and is available in white, grey, red or orange; more importantly, it functions as an electromagnetic field (EMF) detector that plugs into your iPhone headphone jack and displays on your screen the level of electromagnetic radiation being emitted by anything you wave the detector over.
That means Mr. Ghost can be used not only to measure the amount of electromagnetic radiation certain electronic devices in your home are emitting, but also to find, track down and pinpoint the location of of ghosts, which, of course, emit unusual amounts of electromagnetic energy as they zip around the dark corners of your home.
Mr. Ghost creator Aaron Rasmussen explains how it all works, and hunts for ghosts in his own attic, in his Kickstarter video below:
As you can see, the primary function of Mr. Ghost is identifying the gizmos in your house that are emitting high levels of electromagnetic radiation so that you can avoid exposing your more cherished organs to them for too long, or too often. The more intriguing function, however, must certainly be the ghost-hunting mode: We all have spaces in our homes, or offices, or spouses, that we have long suspected are haunted, and now we have a device to verify our beliefs and vindicate ourselves from our dismissive friends and relatives (and spouses).
The Mr. Ghost attachment, then, will allow us to locate any number of ghosts, including but not limited to spooks, spectres, shapeshifters, phantoms, phantasms, poltergeists, wraiths, succubi and, of course, invisible zombie children.
If there is one great downside to the Mr. Ghost iPhone attachment, it is perhaps that it can only find the position of the ghost, and not actually subdue or capture it. Maybe, as a followup, Mr. Rasmussen could invent an iPhone-ready proton pack?
In all seriousness, Mr. Ghost is a real product, available to back on Kickstarter, where it has already exceeded its funding goal of $7,000, with two weeks still to go. A white Mr. Ghost attachment costs $20 and will arrive in February 2013, per the Kickstarter page; for $25, Rasmussen will get you one by Christmas. Mr. Ghost works on iPhone 4 or newer and iPad 2 or newer; while the attachment will detect ghosts on Android phones, there is not yet an app to visualize their energy, nor is there an immediate plan to build one.
You can find out more and order a Mr. Ghost detector on its official Kickstarter page here.

 

Haunting Oriskany Battlefield – CNY Paranormal

From Lite987:  Haunting Oriskany Battlefield – CNY Paranormal


The month of August marks the anniversary of an event that has shaped our region’s history. On
August 6, 1777, the Battle of Oriskany took place, in what is now known as the town of Oriskany. This
battle was one of the bloodiest battles in the Revolutionary War, and not only effected the history of the
Central New York region, but also shaped our developing nation.

The Battle of Oriskany was started as an attempt to lay siege to British forces attacking Fort
Stanwix in nearby Rome NY. Patriot forces were led by General Herkimer. As they attempted to
intercept British soldiers, General Herkimer and his men were ambushed by enemy forces, as well as
Native Americans supporting the British soldiers. Trained to fight in open fields, the Battle of Oriskany
was fought in the middle of a forest, leading to guerilla warfare on the part of the attackers. While
General Herkimer and his men were not outnumbered, they were outclassed by the Native Americans
who were intimately familiar with the forests surrounding the battlefield. General Herkimer was
mortally wounded during this battle, and died soon after. Overall, Patriot forces lost 450 men, while the
British and Native Americans lost 150 men. This was not the decisive British victory the numbers appear
to be, because the Patriot forces at Fort Stanwix rallied and later attacked the British at their
encampment.
Because of the amount of fighting that took place soon after the battle, and with the sweltering
summer weather, most of the deceased soldiers were left on the field, denied a proper burial. In 1884, a
monument was erected on the site, providing these soldiers with the only headstone they would ever
receive. In 1962, the battlefield was named a Historic Site, and is now a state park.
To approach the battlefield, it is a serene view, with open fields and wooded areas. Without
knowing the tragic history of this location, it appears to be a beautiful area to bring the family. But the
men killed in the long ago battle still roam the field. There have been reports of people seeing soldiers in
military costumes who proceed to disappear, hearing voices of men crying out. People have also
reported hearing the sounds of battle coming from the woods. On the battlefield, long-dead soldiers are
still reliving the war, and those who are there at the right time can experience this.
In October 2012, Ubisoft Games will be releasing the third game in their popular Assassin’s
Creed series. This installment will take place during the Revolutionary War, with one of the scenes in the
video game taking place during the Battle of Oriskany. This will allow modern gamers to discover more
about this influential battle in America’s history.

Oriskany Battlefield/Google Maps

 

Ghost Hunting – Health and Safety Issues

From Hollow Hill (a ghost hunting blog):  Ghost Hunting – Health and Safety Issues

Note: I’d prepared this article for the first week of December.  With today’s news, about the death of ghost researcher Sara Harris, I’ve decided to publish it early.
Her story wasn’t the first I’ve heard about ghost researchers contracting respiratory infections after investigations, but it is among the worst. Her widower, Shane Harris, has started the Sara Harris Foundation.  It will help to educate paranormal investigators about issues of health and safety, and provide masks and first aid kits to ghost hunting teams that can’t afford them.  Shane says, “I have 3M on board to donate masks as soon as I get the tax ID number. My Paypal account is under saraharrisfoundation@yahoo.com, if you can help our cause.”
In addition, a follow-up article at Paranormal Insider includes even more reasons for concern among ghost hunters.
My article barely brushes the surface of the problem, but — in the interest of getting this information to more people, immediately — I’ve decided to publish it early. (Also listen to my related podcast, published early.)

Among ghost hunters, I’ve been hearing some really scary stories.  They’re not about the ghosts.  They’re about health and safety issues.
This is especially important during the winter, when we’re often investigating indoor locations.  Energy-saving measures — such as doors and windows with weatherstripping, and storm doors and windows — mean less air circulation.  The air isn’t as healthy, especially when someone has “indoor allergies” or environmental sensitivities.

• Many researchers don’t take allergy medications before an investigation, especially if those medications might affect their alertness.  That can put them more at risk for respiratory distress.
• Sometimes, a client blames physical phenomena — like dizziness or depression in just one part of the home or business — on ghosts when the actual issue is something environmental, like allergies, off-gassing from new wall-t0-wall carpeting, or oil-based wall paint with high VOCs.  That’s going to affect some investigators on the scene, as well.
• Are you or team members allergic to pets?  Ask the site owner if he or she has animals in the home or business.  Since people often isolate their pets before an investigation team arrives, it’s a mistake to assume that there are no pets, just because you don’t see or hear them.

Allergies are the tip of the iceberg.
Basements and attics often present safety issues. In at least one case this year, an otherwise healthy investigator was hospitalized with a life-threatening respiratory complaint, after conducting research at a site with rodent droppings.

• Structural issues – Attic floorboards can be old and unable to support much weight.  Ask the owner before you venture up there.
• Dust in attics isn’t just an issue when you’re trying to take credible orb photos.  It’s also an allergen for many people.
• Basements are prone to mold and mildew.  Against cement or stone walls, the problems may not be obvious until someone starts wheezing.
• In cities and warm climates where cockroaches are a steady problem, remember that it’s not always the insects but their droppings that present the worst respiratory challenges for people with allergies.
• Histoplasmosis – Bat droppings can put you at risk. It’s not just “bats in the belfry,” but bats (and sometimes birds) in the attic and the basement.  Histoplasmosis can be a serious respiratory disease and a significant threat in some areas.  As it says at Bats and Rabies, “To be safe, avoid breathing dust in areas where there are animal droppings… wear a respirator that can guard against particles as small as two microns.“  Every researcher should have — at the very least — a few simple, paper masks in his or her ghost hunting kit. (However, not all blue medical masks protect at the level you need. Read the label!)
• If you’re exploring a haunted cave (such as the Bell Witch cave), a mask is an especially good idea, if you’re subject to respiratory issues.
• Investigating an abandoned hospital?  Some people worry about visiting old tuberculosis hospitals; they’re usually called sanitoriums.  Generally, TB can only be spread from human to human, and only when the contagious person has an active case of the disease.  However, some doctors are now saying that tuberculosis “is spread usually from person to person by breathing infected air during close contact.”  (Emphasis added.)  Should you wear a mask in dusty, abandoned hospitals?  Probably, but not because of TB.  At deserted sites, there’s a greater potential for disease-containing animal and insect droppings.

This isn’t a complete list of the risks involved in exploring old sites, especially those that haven’t been maintained, but it gives you the general idea.

Skip the scrubs, but consider the blue mask. Be safe, no matter where you investigate.

With recent reports of ghost investigators becoming ill with life-threatening respiratory issues — and with the death of Sara Harris — we all need to be more aware of the dusty places we visit when we’re looking for ghosts.
You’re probably going to be in the dark, anyway.  Why not wear a mask if there are any reasons to be concerned?
A ten-cent paper mask can help protect your health, reduce your chances of an allergic reaction or asthma,  and — in extreme cases — might save your life.  Get a box for yourself, or your team, and carry some masks with you, no matter where you’re investigating.
Depending on your health concerns, and the environments where you’re researching, stronger protection may be necessary if biological hazards are a very real issue.
However, for the casual researcher visiting sites that may contain irritants, allergens, and significant dust, the basic mask is one that protects you from 2-micron size particles or smaller.  Inexpensive surgical masks are the simplest option, but be sure to read the labels.


Read more at http://hollowhill.com/ghost-hunting-health-and-safety-issues

 

Ghost Hunting and Tourism

From Youth Voices:  Ghost Hunting and Tourism

Particularly around Halloween, companies use , what are believed to be, haunted sites as a form of tourism. This is especially popular in towns such as Salem, where nineteen women were hanged after being accused of being witches.
Some hotels you can stay in advertise to be haunted.
For example, a hotel in Vermont holds a legend that says during winter storms, the ghost of Boots Berry, who saved a girl stuck on the inn's roof before falling to his death during a snowstorm, can be heard tap dancing on the hotel's third floor. While some think of such “ghost hunts” and “ghost haunts” as simple fun and a little spooky, some people really do believe that ghosts as well as ghost hunting are real.
For example, Ross Allison, a professional ghost hunter, has done investigations all over the country. When asked what his most memorable ghost hunt was he said, "St. Louis University, site of The Exorcist case, stands out. Five minutes into the investigation, all the equipment went off at the same time. We asked, 'Whose room are we in?' and received and EVP saying, 'it's mine' and some words I won't repeat. Another time we heard pounding on a door and recorded, 'Let me out.'" Allison also stated that, "Most countries believe in ghosts...European countries don't need or want proof. They believe in ghosts. They feel unwanted communication with ghosts is disrespectful.”
So should tourism companies advertise something that is taken so seriously by some as simply spooky fun?

Friends get help searching for Everett YMCA ghost

From Seattle PI:  Friends get help searching for Everett YMCA ghost

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — The stories have been told for years.
An unknown voice heard over a speaker before music is turned on during an exercise class. A punching bag swinging when no one is near it. Doors banging shut.
Everett YMCA staff and patrons often blame a ghost they call "George" for these and other strange occurrences that have no clear explanations.
For the past year, Jacob Nix, 12, Santana Ortiz, 14, and Timothy Wood, 12, listened closely to these stories and pushed to learn more.
The friends, members of the YMCA, researched history books about the area at the Everett Library.
One book they scoured for clues was "The First 100 Years: An Illustrated History of The YMCA of Snohomish County." They interviewed the book's author, historian Larry O'Donnell.
Through their research the boys found out that a fire on March 30, 1920, destroyed much of the original 1901 YMCA building, at 2720 Rockefeller Ave. That matched with unconfirmed stories of a man, possibly a janitor, who helped children escape the blaze but who never made it out of the burning building.
"We're curious and we thought we may not learn any more if we were to do it ourselves," Jacob said. "We should at least find somebody who is professional about this and have nifty things to help them as well."
They sent an email to Seattle Paranormal Incidence Research and Investigation Team, or SPIRIT, and asked that a group come visit the Everett YMCA. Lynnwood residents and founders of SPIRIT, Gene and Danielle Rathbun, their 15-year-old son, Anthony, and four others started the free investigation Saturday night after the YMCA closed for the evening. The SPIRIT team was joined by the boys, Catherine Rasnack, YMCA teen coordinator, and Desiree Boss, a YMCA teen center assistant.
About 10:30 p.m., armed with cameras, recorders, electromagnetic detectors, and walkie-talkies as their connection to others at "base camp" in the teen center conference room, a small team went on a ghost hunt through the weight rooms.
Santana set a small detector on the floor and watched for a light to flash on.
"If something comes by it and touches it, or if an energy field passes through it's supposed to go red," said Brett Kemnitz, a SPIRIT investigator from Renton.
He and Boss asked questions to try to get a response from "George" or any other ghosts.
"I've heard stories that you've dropped weights before," Boss said. "If you could, do it for us now. We're here and we're listening."
Groups of two or three people also rotated throughout the 1920s gym, and walked the halls of "Ghost Town," a condemned portion of the original brick building that in once served as a hostel. The teams used recorders and video cameras as they tested for any evidence of paranormal energy or activity. Those who stayed in the conference room watched video feeds from cameras set up in eight different locations.
Several people who were watching the video feed said they saw a punching bag in the gym move when no one was around it.
"It was noticeable on the camera," Santana said. "I'm really excited. I hope they find something (in the footage)."
The ghost hunt was fun even though he didn't see or hear anything that was creepy or bizarre, Timothy added. For him, the best part of the investigation was getting to go into Ghost Town several times.
This investigation was different from others SPIRIT has done because younger people were involved, Danielle Rathbun said.
"We don't normally involve anyone under the age of 16 but because Jacob contacted us and it was his group who did their own mini-investigation we included them and included our own son," she said.
The official investigation lasted from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. The group plans to review the video and recordings from that entire time to look for any abnormalities. That process will take about a month, Rathbun said. SPIRIT will probably plan another investigation in order to cover more ground at the Everett YMCA.
That's good news for Jacob, who said he is interested in going on another ghost hunt someday, even though parts of this one were a bit scary.
"I'd call people fools if they weren't afraid of doing this stuff," he said. "We are afraid of what we don't know and we know as much about (the) paranormal and (the) supernatural as Benjamin Franklin had on electricity at his time. We still have a lot to learn."

 

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Discovery Channel Hunts for Wild West Treasures on "Ghost Town Gold"

From the Futon Critic:  Discovery Channel Hunts for Wild West Treasures on "Ghost Town Gold

-- New Six-Part Series Premieres on Discovery Channel November 15 at 10 PM ET/PT --
(New York, NY) - Putting the boom back in boomtown, Discovery Channel's new series GHOST TOWN GOLD follows two modern day explorers, Brit Eaton and Scott Glaves, as they track down priceless treasures of the Old West. From 19th century denim jeans to Wild West weaponry, railroad relics to cowboy collectibles, Brit and Scott are always on the prowl to turn what looks like rusty junk into everybody's favorite collectible - cash. GHOST TOWN GOLD premieres on Discovery Channel Thursday, November 15 at 10 PM ET/PT.
Part history buffs, part pickers, Brit and Scott visit old ghost towns, abandoned mining camps and industrial graveyards in search of treasured ruins from the Wild West. Whether it's diving into a well that once hid prohibition-era moonshine or digging through dusty debris at a dilapidated ranch, Brit and Scott's passion for history and the thrill of the hunt, drive them to these old boom-then-bust towns where there's an endless supply of relics to find, explore and hopefully sell. Brit and Scott have each been collecting and selling western memorabilia for over a decade and combined have over 25 years of experience. Today, Brit's warehouse in Durango, Colorado holds more than 1-million artifacts including thousand-dollar whiskey bottles, old west revolvers and one-of-a-kind hand forged branding irons, to name a few. The demand for these iconic items that capture the true spirit of the Old West is insatiable and every object featured in GHOST TOWN GOLD has its own unique story to tell. Following Discovery Channel's premiere of GHOST TOWN GOLD on Thursday, November 15 at 10 PM ET/PT, an encore airing of the series will premiere on Destination America beginning Tuesday, January 1 at 10 PM ET/PT.
GHOST TOWN GOLD is produced by JWM Productions for Destination America. For JWM, Bill Morgan and Jason Williams are executive producers. Brit Eaton is an executive producer and Pamela Deutsch is executive producer for Discovery Channel and Destination America.
About Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 100.8 million U.S. homes, can be seen in 210 countries and territories, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com.
About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.8 billion cumulative subscribers in 209 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity through 149 worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science and Investigation Discovery, as well as U.S. joint venture networks OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The Hub and 3net, the first 24-hour 3D network. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools and owns and operates a diversified portfolio of digital media services, including Revision3. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.
About JWM Productions:
JWM Productions specializes in innovative, immersive and character-driven films and storytelling. Their work has been featured on PBS, History, Discovery, TLC, NBC, CBS, TBS, TNT, CNN and by more than 85 international broadcasters. Started in 1996 by two multiple Emmy Award-winning filmmakers, Jason Williams and Bill Morgan, JWM has produced more than 300 hours of high quality, thought-provoking programming. Today, JWM ranks among the world's leading independent producers of factual entertainment.To learn more, please visit our website at http://www.jwmprods.com.

Palestine, TX: Local group offering "Christmas ghost hunts"

From Palestine herald:  Local group offering "Christmas ghost hunts"

PALESTINE — The group, Haunted Little Town Walking Tours, will offer “Christmas Ghost Hunts” at the old Anderson County Jail in Palestine starting this Friday.

The group offered tours in October prior to Halloween, but this event is planned to be a little different — offering ghost-hunting tools for attendees to use and allowing more time for exploring.

“We are opening this weekend and will continue through Dec. 29 on every Friday and Saturday,” Haunted Little Town Walking Tours event coordinator Jeremy Janz said. “We will be open from 6 to 10 p.m., and on every hour, we will be cycling in a new tour group. We will split them in four groups and give them different ghost-hunting tools to use.”

Those participating in tours will have the chance to do EVPs, use black lights, digital photo, video, an EMF detector (measures electromagnetic fields) and view pre-recorded video surveillance of ‘ghost’ monitoring at the jail.

“They will be doing a ghost hunt with an EMF detector this time where they will be finding letters to identify Christmas spirits they are trying to find,” Janz said of the scavenger-hunt-type search.

The jail was recently investigated by the Sonshine Paranormal Investigators of Fort Worth, but results are still pending.

“I know for sure — because I was there and heard them myself — that we got some good EVPs during the investigation,” Janz said.

According to historical information provided, the oldest structure known at the current jail site was a log cabin owned by a widow named Ann White whom took care of the widowed Dr. E.J. DeBard. The next home was owned by Jasper Starr, newspaper editor of “The Wonder.” Nearby was the Lonestar Saloon next door. In the 1880s, a jail was built in the location with a clock tower donated by Palestine pioneer George Wright. In the 1930s, the current three-story Art Deco jail was built. The jail closed in 1988, but was used for another decade as a juvenile detention center and later for storage. The county sold the historic structure in July to Tyler resident Michael Collins, who has allowed the Haunted Little Town Walking Tours group to continue the tours.

“For a $15 flat rate, we are providing all the tools they are going to need, give them a chance to explore this historic old county jail in a controlled environment and offer a possibly rewarding experience of finding or identifying something interesting,” Janz said. “We got a lot of positive feedback from our other tours. We had a lot of people who shared stories of family members who worked at the jail. Whether it was nostalgic or history or just people having fun doing the ‘ghost hunting,’ people really seemed to enjoy going through the jail.”

The “Christmas Ghost Hunts” will be more family-friendly than the Halloween tours.

“For the ‘Christmas Ghost Hunts,’ children can come in and have a great time without worrying about making a mistake,” Janz said. “We want children to be able to enjoy the experience as well.”

————

The “Christmas Ghost Hunts” will be offered at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. every Friday and Saturday from now through Dec. 29. The old jail is located near the Anderson County Courthouse Square. For more details and tickets for the “Christmas Ghost Hunts,” call Janz at 951-552-3578, visit www.hauntedlittletown.com or visit the Haunted Little Town on Facebook. Reservations in advance are encouraged.



PCT Cross Promotion

As a cross promotion with the Palestine Community Theatre (whose production of  “A Christmas Carol” production opens Dec. 7 at the Texas Theater) those participating in the “Christmas Ghost Hunts” on the weekend of Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at the old jail will have the opportunity to use ghost hunting tools to find the following ghosts: Jacob Marley, Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Future, Janz said.



Documentary in Works

This holiday season, the public is invited to be a part of Haunted Little Town’s documentary film and paranormal investigations.

“Haunted Little Town was created to showcase the magical history and abundant paranormal activity of Palestine, Texas. Paranormal investigations are a critical element of this inspiring story,” Janz said. “Please contact us to share your story, experiences and schedule an investigation.”

For more information, call Janz at 951-552-3578.

 

Jacksonville, TX: Palestine Old County Jail Christmas Ghost Tours

From Haunted Little Town.com:  Christmas Ghost Hunt Admission and Information: 951.552.3578

Christmas Ghost Hunt

Presented by Haunted Little Town Walking Tours

Dates and Times:
6pm, 7pm, 8pm, 9pm (Every Friday and Saturday from Now to the New Year!)
November: 16, 17, 23, 24, 30
December: 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29

Tickets: Call 951.552.3578
Cost: $15

 

Ghost Hunting Equipment Rentals in Bisbee Arizona

This is a commercial site that rents Ghost Hunting Equipment in Bisbee AZ. Thought I'd share it here


http://oldbisbeeghosttour.com/OBGTRentals.html

From their website:

Do you think your hotel room is haunted? Want to do your own ghost hunt of your haunted room?

You can now rent Ghost Hunting Equipment from us!

You will get a K11 Meter, EMF Detector, Digital Thermometer and user instructions for all the tools.

Cost is $45 for one evening

Equipment is available for rent after 3pm from Sweet Midnight located at 7 Howell Ave. Next to the Copper Queen Hotel.

- Equipment is available for rent after 3pm from Sweet Midnight located at 7 Howell Ave, next to the Copper Queen Hotel. 
- Only available on Friday and Saturday evenings when we are NOT doing a Ghost Hunt of Old Bisbee
- Our equipment is rented on a first come, first serve basis
- During the checkout process we will charge your card for the $45 rental fee and an additional $150 to cover the cost of the equipment if you fail to return it. If equipment is returned on time the following day we will refund your card the $150.
- Equipment must be returned no later then 1pm on the following day. Every hour it is late you will be charged $10.
- You MUST ask and get permission from the hotel you are staying at to use the equipment outside of your room. We will not be responsible if you are told to put it away!
- We strongly recommend purchasing 9Volt batteries prior to renting the equipment. Ghosts will drain your batteries and we are not responsible if your batteries get drained and you are unable to use the equipment for the rest of the evening!

UK, Dec 1: Museum to host ghostly event

From Ripley & Heanor News:  Museum to host ghostly event 

A limited number of tickets are now on sale for a winter Ghost Hunt and Paranormal Investigation at Erewash Museum on Saturday, December 1.
The ghost hunt events at the Museum are always extremely popular and tickets get snapped up very quickly, so residents with a fascination for all things ghostly are urged to buy their tickets before they sell out.
The event is strictly for adults as it is a serious late-night investigation, taking place from 8pm through to 1.30am, with previous event visitors claiming to have experienced mysterious happenings.
A specialist paranormal investigation team will attempt to uncover the secrets of the Museum.which is housed in Dalby House at Ilkeston, a late Georgian building with Victorian extensions, and those taking part will be given professional ghost hunting equipment to record any activity.
Tickets are £28, which includes refreshments. Contact 0115 907 1141 for more details

 

 

Become A Ghost Hunt Weekends VIP Member!

My kindle readers can't see this, but everyone on a computer:

http://members.ghosthuntweekends.com Become A Ghost Hunt Weekends VIP Member! http://members.ghosthuntweekends.com/join/?_s2member_seeking[type]=page&_s2member_seeking[page]=125&_s2member_seeking[_uri]=Lw%3D%3D&_s2member_req[type]=level&_s2member_req[level]=1&_s2member_res[type]=page&s2member_seeking=page-125&s2member_level_req=1

UK, Dec 1: Join ghost-hunt at museum

This is Nottingham: Join ghost-hunt at museum

TICKETS are on sale for a winter ghost hunt and Paranormal investigation.
the event is at Erewash Museum, in Ilkeston, on Saturday December 1.
It runs from 8pm to 1.30am and is for adults only.
A specialist paranormal investigation team will lead the trail around the museum. Everyone taking part will be given professional ghost- hunting equipment to record any activity.
Tickets cost £28 each, which includes refreshments. To buy tickets or for further information, phone 0115 907 1141.

Ghost hunters investigate Baron Woolen Mills

From KSL.com: Ghost hunters investigate Baron Woolen Mills

BRIGHAM CITY — Little ghouls and goblins fill the streets every Halloween, hunting for candy in neighborhoods around the world. But on this All Hallow's Eve, we look, in depth, at a different kind of ghost — The real ones who, if you believe, still haunt places on earth, even after death.

At the Baron Woolen Mills in Brigham City — built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1870 and operated privately for another 100 years — paranormal investigators hunted for ghosts. The abandoned mill is considered one of the most haunted places in Utah. "We joke that this is like the paranormal Disneyland to us," said Wasatch Paranormal Investigator Tom Carr. Wasatch Paranormal Investigators work and leads tours at the tattered old mill. The mills were designed to be a keystone of industry in Brigham City. But you could say things went terribly wrong from the beginning.
"The day they were supposed to turn on the machines, it caught on fire and burned to the ground," Carr said.
Lead investigator Russ Cook says the mills re-opened and stayed that way until 1996, but the spirits that haunt it never left. Russell Cook, who works with Carr, looks for Electronic Voice Phenomena, or sounds they believe come from spirits. In one room especially, they have supposedly recorded a lot of activity from a curious spirit named Mary. She asks, "What's going on?" in the recordings. 

While it's never been proven, it is widely believed in the early 1900's, she was taken to the mill, raped and murdered. Paranormal investigators believe Mary's spirit was trapped in the building until two years ago with her alleged murderer.

"We believe that the gentleman who actually committed the murder is actually still in the building," Carr said. "…We know of four deaths, four confirmed deaths in the building. A young boy was actually killed in one of the machines during the 1920's."
As their ghost hunt begins, the investigators use a variety of instruments to interact with spirits. And eventually, the instruments indicate that they interact back. The investigators ask a series of questions, determining that the ‘spirit' they're talking to is a boy who worked in the mill a century or so ago.
"You always have to look at it with a skeptical point of view, but I think that you can come away with a belief as you do some further investigations and you get more responses," said investigator Jeff Palmer.
And curiosity keeps the paranormal investigators coming back.
"And you ask a question like, ‘How many spirits haunt this place?' or, ‘Can you tell me your name?' And you capture something on there that you just can't explain," Carr said. "That, to me, is exciting."

Ghost Hunting

From Cabrini College Loquitur:  Ghost Hunting

Students listening to Considine’s presentation at Grace Hall on Oct. 24. (Brooke Famous/Staff Writer)

Students got ready to ghost hunt in the mansion as they sat in on a presentation given by a demonologist. The presentation was given by Dave Considine, one of the small number of lay religious demonologists of North America. This event was for entertainment allowing students to explore more into ghosts, exorcisms, demonic beings and how to capture and record ghosts.
Through the years Dave has worked closely with many noted figures in the fields of Paranormal Research, Religious Demonology and exorcism. He has also worked with clergy of other other faiths, doctors, law enforcement and research institutions both nationally and internationally and has been consulted by many media agencies for his expertise including MTV, CNN, Lifetime, etc.
On Wednesday, Oct. 24, Considine talked about his experiences with ghosts and how he was able to capture images and voices through his presentation about Ghost Hunting. Considine went through how he used photography, recorders and Ouija boards to either capture the images of ghosts or to talk to them.
After the presentation, students were split up into different groups and taken into the Mansion to five locations, as they were given different devices to capture any ghosts they came across.
“It was terrifying and I am never going back in the boiler room again,” said sophomore Andrea Broe when asked about ghost hunting in the mansion.
While some were terrified of ghosts, others thoroughly enjoyed the experience of ghost hunting.
“The best part was going through the basement and the spookiness between the mansion itself and not knowing if you’re going to find anything,” freshman Dan LaBar said.

 

Ireland: Find vampires with hi-tech Halloween ghost hunt in new mobile phone game

From  Heralf, IE : Find vampires with hi-tech Halloween ghost hunt in new mobile phone game

DRACULA fans can have a bloody good time around Dublin this weekend by downloading Bram Stoker's Vampires smartphone game and going on a city ghost hunt.
The game uses GPS to turn players' smartphones into paranormal detection devices to lead then on an hour-long adventure around Stoker's old haunts, including Trinity College and Dublin Castle.
Their mission is to track down evil vampires and eriee ghosts and prove their existence by photographing them. Players can post these frightening images to Twitter and Facebook.
The characters in the game are based on vampires that appear in Bram Stoker's epic horror Dracula novel, including Count Dracula himself and the three vampire sisters Jonathan Harker encounters in Dracula's castle in Transylvania.
The game's creators have hinted that a talented ghost hunter may even be able to track down the wandering soul of old Stoker himself.
This new horror gaming experience is being launched as part of the inaugural Bram Stoker Festival, which celebrates the Dublin author's gothic horror on the centenary of his death.
Louise O'Reilly, project directorl told the Herald: "We are delighted to collaborate with Science Gallery and Haunted Planet Studios to bring this contemporary edge to experience the gothic author's enduring literary legacy in a totally original way."
The game's inventor, Mads Haar -- a computer science lecturer at Trinity College -- described the Haunted Planet gaming platform as "a global mystery adventure game that takes place in the real world". Mr Haar founded the Haunted Planet company in Dublin in 2010.

 

 

29 Oct, Scranton, PA: "Ghost Hunting 101" coming to the Scranton Cultural Center

From GoLackwanna:  "Ghost Hunting 101" coming to the Scranton Cultural Center

Are there ghosts in the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple? Community members are invited to join the Society of Paranormal Research and Investigation (S.P.R.I.) in scouring the Masonic Temple for evidence of paranormal activity as they present "Ghost Hunting 101" Oct. 29 and 30 at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on both evenings.
Participants will get the chance to use state of the art equipment and learn the techniques of paranormal investigators. They’ll learn how to use their equipment as well help the S.P.R.I try to find proof of the paranormal at the Scranton Cultural Center. Anyone who has their own ghost hunting equipment is also welcome to bring it and join in the hunt.
Light fare and a cash bar will be available throughout the evening. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at the SCC Box Office, by calling 570.344.1111, at Ticketmaster.com, by calling 1.800.745.3000 or at select Wal-Mart, Boscov’s or Gallery of Sound locations. Visit the SCC’s website, ScrantonCulturalCenter.org, for more information.

 

Michigan: Saginaw's ghost hunt: 'A Haunting on Potter Street' to premier at the Temple Theatre

From MLive:  Saginaw's ghost hunt: 'A Haunting on Potter Street' to premier at the Temple Theatre

SAGINAW, MI — Over the last few years, a frightening evening at the Temple Theatre in Saginaw has become a Halloween tradition.
The Seekers team, creators of “A Haunting on Hamilton Street” parts one and two, will release their third investigation into the paranormal legends of Saginaw this November.
The new documentary, “A Haunting on Potter Street: The Potter Street Station,” will be shown at 9 p.m. Nov. 2 and 3 and at 7 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Temple Theatre, 203 N. Washington in Saginaw.
(View the extended trailer for “A Haunting on Potter Street” here.)
“The promoter added at third show because we sold out (two showings) last year and had people literally crying because they couldn’t get in,” said Julie Nunn, executive director of the Temple Theatre.
Tickets are on sale now for $17, and each ticketholder will receive a DVD copy of the film.
Nunn said tickets sell out quickly, and because the tickets are general admission, patrons line up outside the theater early to ensure they will get good seats.
“It’s not just a film or a movie, it’s an event,” Nunn said. “The energy in the theater is just amazing.”
The Seekers and rapper Steve “Prozak” Shippy and his team of paranormal investigators spent several nights at the Potter Street Station, 501 Potter, looking for the best areas to set up their equipment to record evidence of paranormal activity.
The documentary was filmed during the course of a one-night lock-in at the station.
The movie “offers a lot of history and a ton of evidence,” Shippy said. “There’s a lot of elements: history, danger and the paranormal.”
Built in 1881, the Potter Street Station was a bustling hub of activity in Saginaw. It closed in 1985 and was eventually purchased by the nonprofit Saginaw Depot Preservation Corp. in 1989. Leroy Austin, the group’s vice president, said the group hopes to restore it and turn it into a center for the arts.
In 1991, the building was heavily damaged in an unsolved arson.
The building’s history has left its mark in the form of several specters who never left, Shippy said.
“Residents around the station and some police that patrol the area claim to see a man walking up and down in front of the station,” he said. “Then he just vanishes."
Others have reported seeing a woman in white inside the station.
“Some volunteers (from the Saginaw Depot Preservation Corp.) see her while repairing the building,” Shippy said. “She will just appear in front of them and give them a little more of a scare than I think they’d like.”
One volunteer who saw the Woman in White told Austin he will not to return to the station.
Austin said he had one paranormal experience in the station.
“I’ve heard voices, but I haven’t seen anything myself,” he said.
While the crew was filming the documentary, Austin and other members of the Saginaw Depot Preservation Corp. were standing guard to make sure no one would wander in and disrupt the filming when he heard a man’s voice behind him.
“I questioned what it was,” he said. “I thought I didn’t hear it right, but very clearly someone said, ‘Find your place.’”
Other volunteers have reported hearing a murmuring crowd of voices, feeling a touch on their shoulder and feeling cold drafts when there is no wind.
These kinds of apparitions and paranormal activity are probably the result of the station's long and sometimes dark history, Shippy said.
The area surrounding the station was once filled with bars, brothels and gambling houses.
“The brawls and stabbings in that area were plentiful,” Shippy said.
Shippy said several men were injured or killed working in the station’s yard, and bodies of soldiers killed in battle were brought home to Saginaw through the station during World War I and World War II.
“I’m sure that’s where a lot of wives went to say goodbye to their husbands and never saw them again,” Austin said. “Other times, people passed away (in Saginaw) and were shipped to other places. It was a center where (bodies) were brought or received, and that could have caused some (of the activity).”
Austin said most volunteers working on the station haven’t been deterred by the strange things they have seen and heard there.
“The rest of us don’t feel there’s anything that would hurt us or anything really menacing,” he said.
Even without the spooky incidents, the station itself is an interesting piece of Saginaw history.
“It’s a photographer’s dream,” Shippy said. “It’s like going underwater and exploring the Titanic. It has this grand design and decay and a definite dark side.”
The audience will get to see an extended trailer for the team’s fourth film, which will debut in 2013.
“We decided to investigate a private residence, which we don’t usually do,” Shippy said. “This person had contacted us many times, and her claims were so outrageous, we just had to go check it out.”
The Seekers team will film its fifth investigation in February 2013 to debut in 2014.
The team experienced so much paranormal activity in its initial meeting with the woman, a single mother of two, Shippy said the members felt compelled to investigate further.
To buy tickets for “A Haunting on Potter Street,” visit www.templetheatre.com or call the box office at 989-754-7469.

 

Ghosts were object of search at UNO's Paranormal Summit

From Omaha.com: Ghosts were object of search at UNO's Paranormal Summit

JAMES R. BURNETT/THE WORLD-HERALD

Local ghost hunting groups converged this month on the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus for the second annual Paranormal Summit, discussing recent findings and leading small ghost hunts around the grounds at night. In front, from left, are Kyle Finley, Ashley Chrism and Jeremy Andersen. In back, from left, are faculty adviser David Pares, Matt Judah, Katrina Arnold, PRISM Director Carl Norgard, Michael Petranick, Larry Kennedy, UNO Paranormal Society President John Powers and Ashley DeBolt.

 

More than a hundred amateur ghost hunters spent a recent Friday night searching the campus of the University of Nebraska at Omaha for signs of paranormal life.

They used a tool called a ghost box — which resembles a small radio — to “communicate” with the other side. They employed another tool that measures electrical currents to search for hot spots they believe ghosts create.

The ghost hunters videotaped and recorded the hunt to see if the cameras picked up on things that human senses could not. Ghost hunters also look for electronic voice phenomena, more commonly known as EVP — electronic sounds that resemble speech. They believe EVP suggests paranormal activity.

Others, of course, say it's just background noise.
The hunt was the grand finale of UNO's second annual Paranormal Summit, put on by the student-run Paranormal Society and drawing ghost-hunting groups from Omaha and the surrounding area. UNO students and regular people interested in ghost hunting came, too.
The event included presentations of evidence from ghost hunts, discussions of good ghost-hunting spots and a panel discussion in which members of various groups compared notes and took questions from the audience.
But the ghost hunt was the most exciting — and spooky — part of the night.
In past hunts, “we've gotten EVP all over campus,” said Kelley Kennedy, a member of the Omaha ghost-hunting group Paranormal Research and Investigative Studies Midwest — PRISM for short.
PRISM led a tour at the Strauss Performing Arts Center, where for years students and faculty have heard music coming from empty practice rooms. (Kennedy, who studied music at UNO, said she has heard it herself.) The building was locked, so Kennedy and other PRISM members led a group of 20 amateur ghost hunters around the building.
The tool that measures electrical current found evidence only of an underground power line.
But the ghost box talked. Putting it in the simplest possible terms, the box is a modified AM-FM radio that continuously scans radio bands, picking up random sounds and words. Much of the time they sound like gibberish.
When the group reached the back of the building, Kennedy spoke to it.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
“Reason, memories,” the ghost box “responded.”
Kennedy said that was meaningful, though skeptics say ghost hunters could find meaning in whatever words it happened to say.
Kim Moy of Omaha was holding the box when it responded. She said she got chills.
She and her husband aren't experienced ghost hunters. But they attended the summit because they'd watched ghost-hunting shows on TV, and they had lost members of their family. They wanted to know that those loved ones were still out there.
“I think it's a comfort thing,” she said.
They also happened to win the summit's door prize — an overnight ghost hunting trip to the Squirrel Cage Jail, a favorite spot among the more experienced ghost hunters.
The jail is so popular it got its own session at the summit.
Carla Borgaila of the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County told summit attendees about some of the jail's more notable residents — a suspect in the still-unsolved 1912 ax murders of the Moore family in Villisca, Iowa; a widely known Council Bluffs madam; and one pregnant woman who gave birth to the jail's only infant inmate.
Borgaila said she has come to believe that at least some of those inmates, as well as other, less memorable ones, still live there.
Borgaila cheerfully talked about the spirit of a former warden who allegedly still patrols the catwalks of the 1885 building. A little girl searches for her mother, she said. Inmates rattle the bars of their cells, and their footsteps echo in empty corridors. An invisible cat yowls and aggravates Borgaila's allergies.
“Apparently, ghost dander is just as bad,” she said.
Sometimes, she said, the ghosts talk to her.
Some have told her to leave them alone, she said, though one asked for homemade cookies. The most menacing: “You're the one I want to terrorize.”
The audience, many clad in black T-shirts or hoodies sporting the names of area ghost-hunting groups, was enraptured, if not surprised. Many have spent the night in the Squirrel Cage Jail (Borgaila generally chaperones such excursions), searching for evidence of paranormal activity.
Kennedy gave a Powerpoint presentation of PRISM's findings during an overnight ghost-hunting trip to the jail. The evidence they accumulated included a grainy photograph of a man in old-fashioned clothing standing in a window, as well as audio recordings of heavy breathing, whispers, snippets of conversations, and one long, mournful yowl.
Eight groups presented their research during the summit. They also discussed tactics they employ to dissuade ghosts from following them home. (Many say a prayer at the end of a hunt or keep a rosary in their car.) They addressed the popularity of ghost hunting shows on television. (Consensus: They're unrealistic.)
To the uninitiated, it's a creepy business. Moy said she was somewhat nervous to spend the night at the jail.
But ghosts often get a bad rap. Many ghosts aren't sinister, Kennedy explained. They don't always haunt the places where they died. Oftentimes, she said, they revisit places they loved when they were alive, which would explain the music coming from the Strauss practice rooms.
And ghost hunters aren't necessarily morbid, she said. They're regular people with regular jobs who happen to believe in ghosts. In their spare time, they visit places like the Squirrel Cage Jail to search for evidence. Occasionally, someone will seek out their services — often a homeowner convinced his house is haunted.
Those clients are interested in the evidence, she said, but they're also often relieved just to talk to someone who believes them.
“A lot of people want to know that they're not crazy, honestly.”
 

UK: Family ghost hunt this half term

From Westerns Wards Gazette: Family ghost hunt this half term
Ever tried hunting for ghosts and ghouls? Well this Halloween in Fareham Town Centre you can.
Ten stores will be hiding ghostly secrets for families to find as part of a Ghost Hunt during the half term week (October 27 to November 3).
Children aged 14 years and under are invited to track them down and record the unique number on an application form in the free event.
First prize is an extra-large Elliott Bear donated by From the Heart, a family meal for four at Domino’s Pizza and a choice of two Pitkin’s Guides donated by Fareham Tourist Information Centre.
Completed application forms should be posted in the Ghost Post Box at the Tourist Information Centre, which is located in Westbury Manor. Closing date is November 6.
Around 84,000 application forms have been delivered to homes in the borough, but additional forms can be picked up from selected town centre venues – including Apollo Cinema, Civic Offices, Crown pub, Fareham Library and all participating outlets.
Look out for the ghoulish surprises in the following businesses: Alterations, Craft Crazy, Dancewear of Fareham, Fareham Tourist Information Centre, From the Heart, High Street Sweets, Jacks Fish & Chips, Pampurred Pets, Traction Kites UK and Whistlers.

Zak Bagans: On the trail with a ghost hunter

From MetroUSny:  Zak Bagans: On the trail with a ghost hunter

When Zak Bagans saw his first ghost  -- a woman at the foot of his bed in Detroit -- he knew he was part of a rare breed of people. But he was disappointed to see how lightly people were taking his experience.

"I was really getting aggravated telling this story to people," the host of "Ghost Adventures" on the Travel Channel says. "I'd tell the story and then we'd go eat a sandwich and that's it. I experienced something that is legit. And that put me on this quest and it changed everything about me after that."
The paranormal expert now seeks out spirits for a living, and he doesn't listen to the naysayers around him.

"The evidence that we are capturing now is not just flickering lights and door knocks," he says. "I want to welcome people that don'tbelieve and talk with them and show them the steps and have them accompany me on investigations."

Bagans says the ghosts that still linger on earth do so for a reason.

"[They] have something to say," he says. "There's something unsolved in their life, whether it's an unsolved murder -- they know who the killer is but the police never found out -- a lost love [who] died suddenly, they're in denial [about their death]. A spirit, I believe, is still trapped here is because they're not ready to move on. They want to keep living. Or they're dead and they're just stuck here, in purgatory, because they know that if they go to hell, it's gonna be worse."

And there's also a reason why they choose your particular home to haunt.

"It's still a fight of who owns the place. There's a living person there but there's a ghost that wants the living person out."

Are you haunted?

If you’re one of the “nine out of 10” who Bagans predicts has experienced some supernatural activity in your home, don’t panic, he advises.

“Just let it be, because I think that if you try and communicate with them, like what I do, then once they realize — like in the movie “Ghost” — that you can hear them, they will just bug you even more. If that’s what you want, get a digital recorder and talk with them. If you directly start communicating with them, they’re gonna know that they’ve gotten your attention. That’s what they’re trying to do — get your attention.”

The basic tools

“The evolution of technology, the engineers that we work with — electrical engineers that have worked at NASA — they are designing this equipment for us,” Bagans says.
   
Mel meter: It may look like a cell phone Zack Morris would have owned, but it’s really used to pick up electromagnetic energy. “Spirits are made up of energy. ... This can detect the energy. It’s like a metal detector.”
   
Digital recorder: Got one of these lying around? You can use it to talk to ghosts. Once you identify some inexplicable energy, record yourself talking to the potential spirit and play it back on a speaker. “These microphones will pick up sounds that we can’t hear,”?Bagans says. “They’ll pick up subfrequencies. And when spirits speak they can speak within these subfrequencies, in the white noise that’s generated by the recorders.”

 

What's that sound? NJ ghost hunters keep listening for signs

From My Central Jersey.com:  What's that sound? NJ ghost hunters keep listening for signs

They may not see dead people — but they certainly can hear or sense them.
As Halloween approaches, several area ghost hunters and paranormal experts will be making appearances to explain their craft and offer proof of what they say are real-life hauntings.
Garden State paranormal experts these days are about as ubiquitous as ghost-hunting television shows, including the long-running “Ghost Adventures” on the Travel Channel and “Ghost Hunters” on Syfy.
“We’re tripping over each other,” said Tom Petuskey, 71, an East Brunswick resident and member of Scope NJ, a paranormal research group founded in 2007.
“We are looking for scientific confirmation of paranormal events,” he said. “One of the things we try to do is see if there are natural causes for what’s happening.”
Scientists might balk at paranormal researchers’ techniques, but these ghost buffs use real equipment and adhere to what could be considered ghost-industry standards.
One of their favorite tools is a device found at any electronics store: an audio recorder.
Serious ghost hunters might shell out hundreds or thousands of dollars for complex and highly sensitive microphones and recording hardware. But Charles “Chuck” Lehman, 47, of Monroe makes do with a simple $70 recorder and free audio software Audacity.
The recorders are supposed to pick up what is known as electronic voice phenomena, or EVPs, which cannot be heard by the people in the room.
EVPs may be of ghosts whispering words like “hello,” or phrases like, “get out of here!”
Lehman, an amateur ghost hunter who likes to capture EVPs at historic battlefields and cemeteries, compares them to dogs picking up low frequency sound waves. He has clips of EVPs from cemeteries in Jamesburg and Bound Brook on his website, www.chucksghosts.com.
The ghost hunters say they don’t manipulate the recordings except to enhance the sound.
Petusky, whose group posts its evidence from investigations at www.scopenj.com, said in one instance his team couldn’t make out a garbled EVP from an investigation at a 1919 Manville home.

3 ways to get your spook on in the Truckee Meadows

From RGJ.com:  3 ways to get your spook on in the Truckee Meadows

NIGHT OF SPIRITS

Local paranormal investigators Mark and Debby Constantino will lead a guided ghost hunt through the Wilbur D. May Museum from 7 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday to see if they can make contact with any ghosts in the collection.
The Constantinos are the founders of Spirits-Speak, a Reno-based paranormal research team specializing in electronic voice phenomena.
The Wilbur D. May Museum features exotic relics from around the world, including a human shrunken head and hundreds of taxidermied animals.
Cost: $60, includes wine and hors d’oeuvres. The event is limited to 25 people. Tickets are on sale at the museum.

FRIGHT FEST AT MEADOWOOD MALL

The “Slaughter House” opens Friday inside Meadowood Mall in Reno. The new haunt will be 8,000 square feet and a full redesign from previous years. The Slaughter House Haunt also offers a kid-friendly experience for younger ghouls and goblins on Sunday afternoons.
Cost: General, $13. Bring a donation of canned food to benefit the Food Bank of Northern Nevadsa and receive $2 off. Details: 877-767-2279 or www.RenoFrightFest.com.

DUNGEON COMES TO CARSON

The Dungeon haunted house welcomes visitors to tiptoe through 4,000 square feet of history and horror, as screaming victims, evil clowns and other blood-curdling characters keep you company. Trick or treat your way down to the Old Gottschalks building in the Carson Mall, 1809 North Carson St., on weekends in October. Cost: $13. Details: www.horrorfind.com or 775-691-3945.

 

Hunting Nicholls State's HAUNTED

From the Tri-Parish Times:  Hunting Nicholls State's HAUNTED

It was a dark and stormy night for Nicholls State University’s paranormal class on-campus ghost hunting session.
“This is the best weather,” said Professor Cally Hebert as she, her six students and several other locals set up infrared cameras near the bookstore, food court sitting area and Greek Hall in the Bollinger student union.
“This is the type of weather we hope for,” Hebert said. “The electromagnetic field from the lightning is strong and increases the chance that we will pick up something. This will be a fun night for the investigation.”
Indeed it was.
As the class was setting up for the investigation, a camera fell off its tri-pod.
“We are already having paranormal activity and we haven’t even started,” Hebert said excitedly.
This is the third year Hebert has been teaching the class and, in those years, she and her students have come to find paranormal activity in several buildings at the university.
“Polk, Talbot and the student union are the most active buildings on campus,” Hebert said. “Last time we did an investigation on campus, a shadow passed between a trash can and camera we had set up in Polk. We got it all on video and you can see right through the shadow. A skeptic in the class captured it, no less. We also get a lot of electric voice phenomenon in Polk Hall.”
The last investigation on campus also revealed Electric Voice Phenomenon of a little girl giggling in the student union as well as other laughter, footsteps and humming.
“Talbot Hall, that’s where a lot of people say they get a feeling, a heaviness, when they are in that building,” Hebert said. “We’ve got four or five different, good quality EVPs from the last investigation there. One of them said, ‘Call Katie,’ but there was no Katie in the room.”
According to Hebert, the EVPs in Talbot Hall range from older males and females to younger females and males.
Shamas Belo, senior culinary student from LaPlace, said he has experienced paranormal activity in room 117 of Peltier Hall.
“I was the only one in a classroom and a computer turned on by itself,” Belo said as he checked to make sure all the cameras in the union were properly set up and recording. “You need a key to turn on the server and the professor, who has the key, was not in the classroom.”
Belo had great expectations for his first paranormal investigation.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the paranormal,” Belo said. “This is a favorite class for me. We had a presentation in the last meeting, sort of an introductory into the paranormal about how to identify orbs and EVPs. I’m hoping for some strong signs tonight, maybe a cold breeze on my arm. I can’t wait to listen to the EVP sessions and see what the entities have to say.”
Once the cameras were properly set up, flashes began to appear in front of the camera in Greek Hall.
“It could just be a dust particle,” Hebert said as she headed off to check the area near the camera with a K-II meter that measures electro-magnetic emissions. “Most orbs move faster than a dust particle would move.”
Hebert quickly returned with brief news.
“It was nothing, probably just electrical stuff in the building,” Hebert said. “If there is a steady read on the K-II, it’s something man-made making it do that.”
Students soon broke into three groups and manned themselves with K-II meters, thermal leak detectors, which measure hot and cold spots, digital voice recorders, cameras and flashlights.
“Each group will spend about 45 minutes in each location before moving on to the next one,” Hebert said as the students prepared to leave the building.
“I know I’m going to be crying by the end of the night,” said student Suzanna Cavallo of Raceland as she joined Joseph Hubble of Port Allen, Derek Foret of Houma and Hebert and headed out into the night toward Polk Hall. “I’m so excited.”
The hunt begins
“Janitors have reportedly seen shadows pass through walls in this room,” Hebert said as the group entered a dark computer lab on the first floor. “Janitors are a good source of information for us. They let us know of any commotion they hear in buildings so that we know where to come for future investigations.”
Once the group arrived in the room, everyone turned on their voice recorders and while Hubble and Foret began moving about the room, Hebert began pinpointing cold spots in the room and debunking drafts while Cavallo took a few photographs from different angles in the room.
“A spirit gives off a lot of energy,” Hebert said as she scanned the room with the thermal leak detector. “This device is just one way for them to communicate, to let us know they are there. Blue means a cold spot below room temperature, a good sign of an entity, green signals room temperature and red means an above-room-temperature reading.”
As the group moved around the room, each posed several questions into the air of the dark room: “Why are you here?” “Are you sad?”
“Are you there?” Hebert asked as her thermal leak detector changed from green to blue. “Wow, already getting something!”
Through a series of yes or no questions answered by making the light blink – blink meaning yes – Hebert determined that the entity was female.
“Were you a student here?” Cavallo asked.
“Are you still here?” Hebert posed. “Can you make the light blink again?”
“Why are you here?” Foret questioned as Hebert’s thermal leak detector blinked from green to blue again. “Were you a teacher here? A construction worker on this building? Are you alone?”
Foret’s K-II lit up near a chair.
“Are you a spirit that needs help?” Hebert asked. “Can we help you?”
The spirit responded in the positive by making Hebert’s light blink again and both Foret and Hubble’s K-II readers began to blink.
“I’m getting the chills now,” Cavallo said. “Do you want us to contact your family? What is your name?”
“My temperature gun turned itself off,” Hebert said. “It takes lots of energy for them to turn something off and they sometimes take the energy from our batteries to turn things off.”
The group soon moved further into another corner of the room and Foret rapped on the wall to check for a possible response. If there was one, it was not audible. After spending about 20 minutes in the room, the group traveled to the second floor of the building.
“I feel like nothing is here,” Cavallo said.
It seemed that Cavallo’s premonition was right and neither the K-II readers nor the thermal leak detector picked up any readings as the group walked down one of the building’s hallways before moving toward a staircase to the outside of the building. As the team made its way toward the door, Hebert’s thermal leak detector flickered from red to green to blue.
“Do you want some more company?” Hebert asked as the lights stopped changing color. “We’re leaving but others are coming to visit you.”
From the library, the team made their way to Talbot Hall, the university’s art building.
“If we cross one of the other groups, don’t tell them anything about what we saw,” Hebert said. “We want to know what they see without them knowing where we saw activity.”
After running into several locked doors, the group found one unlocked door that lead to several open doors of the instrument and singing practice rooms.
“Is anyone here?” Hebert asked as Cavallo sat at a piano in the first room and Hebert’s thermal leak detector quickly changed to blue. Foret and Hubble began to check each room with their K-II sensors but turned up nothing as Cavallo and Hebert moved from room to room as the light continued to blink from green to blue.
“It seems to be moving to the bigger pianos,” Hebert said, laughing. “We have heard EVP requests for help in this building in some of our other investigations.”
After 15 minutes of room hopping, the entity seemed to move back to the first room before completely disappearing from the thermal leak detector’s radar. From there, the group began to search for other unlocked doors along the hallway, finally hitting pay-dirt with the door to the building’s theater.
While Foret, Hubble and Hebert worked the room with their ghost hunting devices, Cavallo made her way to the back of the stage to take several photographs of the area.
“I’ve got two possible orbs,” Cavallo said. “In each shot, the orb is in a different place.”
With no readings on K-II readers or the thermal leak detector, the team made its way to a hallway outside of the ceramics room.
“I’ve got something on my K-II,” Foret said as he made his way past shelves of student artwork on display.
“Me, too,” Hubble said as he scanned the far end of the hallway.
“I’ve got blue,” Hebert said. “Can you please make the color go to red? We’ve only got a few minutes left in this building before we have to leave.”
Activity in the area continued for about 10 minutes, but after several minutes with no activity on the K-II readers or the thermal leak detector, the group made its way back to the union for its final session, settling in a hallway in front of the doors to the bookstore.
Hebert’s thermal leak detector immediately began to flip through all three temperature colors and soon the K-II readers also began going off.
“This is a nice entity,” Hebert said. “It has lots of energy and is really interacting with us.
“It really seems to like the guys and their K-II readers.”
For a solid 10 minutes, the K-II readers and the thermal leak detector continued to blink, with the group determining through questioning that the entity was male.
“Do you want us to leave?” Hebert asked after several moments went by with no movement on any of the readers. Foret and Hubble’s K-II readers immediately went off.
“I’m going to leave my tape recorder here in case you have something to tell us,” Hebert said as the group moved on to Greek Hall and upstairs to classrooms on the union’s second floor.
“We’ve had reports of paranormal activity in these classrooms from the janitors,” Hebert said. “On one occasion, the doorknob was jiggling on the room divider door and no one was in the other room.”
After no readings popped up on the K-II readers, the group made their way back downstairs to check in with the returning groups.
“Everybody be in the next class so we can discuss everything from tonight and talk about what we find on our EVPs,” Hebert said. “Class dismissed.”
EVP sessions reveal voices
“We got a bunch of EVPs in response to our questions,” Hebert said following the class’ session to discuss what was seen, heard and felt during the campus investigation. “We got lots of ‘Help me’ requests from each building.”
The majority of the students’ EVPs were from Talbot and Polk halls and very few were heard in the student union.
“When we walked into the computer lab in Polk, you could hear five or six other people whispering in the room,” Hebert said. “None of us were whispering when we walked in. It’s really cool to hear all our voices and the other voices that you know weren’t there.”
Other hotspots for that night’s EVPs were the music practice rooms in Talbot Hall.
“A single note was played on a piano and in another piano room, we got a long, drawn-out ‘No,’” Hebert said. “One teacher asked us not to tell her if anything showed up around the door to her office and as I was saying that in front of her door during the investigation, there was a very sinister voice on my EVP recording saying ‘I’ve got your back. I’m in back of you.’”
Hebert also reported a recording of knock-back when students knocked on the floor of the Talbot Hall auditorium.
“It was a very successful investigation,” Hebert said. “Three students want to take the class again and some students even brought friends and spouses to the EVP listening session.”