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Paranormal convention at Hara Arena open to all

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By Natalie Knoth, Staff Writer 6:12 PM Thursday, August 13, 2009

DAYTON — Devoted believers and unshakable skeptics alike are invited to the first Ohio Paranormal Convention Aug. 14-16 at Hara Arena.

The three-day event features speakers, breakout sessions and open forums on ghost-hunting, ufology, cryptozoology (study of unknown animal species), and Big Foot research, said Brian Klein, event organizer and co-founder of Southern Ohio Paranormal Research. Vendors with psychic or medium abilities also will be on hand.

Klein said the convention is a good outlet for those who have witnessed paranormal activity in their own lives or on TV, and have questions to be answered. But the conversation is open to those who have their doubts, too.

“There’s no tell-tale way to convince a skeptic,” Klein said. Although there are no experts in paranormal activity, he said he can offer his own evidence and opinions.

Guests include the Louisville Ghost Hunter Society’s Keith Age, who has been seen in Sci Fi Channel’s “Spooked: Ghosts of Waverly Hills” and the DVD documentary “Children of the Grave” and “The Possessed”; author and ghost hunter John Kachuba from Cincinnati; and Joedy Cook who has been featured on History Channel’s “MonsterQuest.”

Music will liven up the ghostly affair. Both bands will perform Friday, with the Goody Two Shoes at 8 p.m. and the Lonesome Tumblers at 9:30 p.m.

Tickets are $65 for the weekend and $35 for one day, plus special pricing Friday evening of $10 at the door.

Tickets can be purchased online in advance at ohioparacon.com and at Hara Arena at the time of the event. Weekend-long tickets will be available only until 8 or 9 p.m. Friday at Hara Arena, after which only single-day tickets will be sold.

Contact this reporter at nknoth@DaytonDailyNews.com.

GET IN SPIRIT WITH THESE FAMOUS HAUNTINGS

To get you in the ghost-hunting spirit, some of the area’s more famous haunted folklore:

FRANKENSTEIN’S CASTLE (WITCHES TOWER), OAKWOOD: Legend has it that the tall stone turret near Dayton’s Community Golf Course was built atop a Civil War-era burial grounds. It must have been a bad omen: a woman reportedly climbed to the top of the tower and committed suicide, and now her ghost — dressed in a long black robe — overlooks the tower. Another ill-fated incident allegedly occurred in the 1960s, when two teenagers inside the tower were struck by lightning. Their silhouettes purportedly appear inside the tower whenever lightning flashes.

GOLDEN LAMB, LEBANON: A young ghost named Sarah reportedly dwells in a childlike room where the girl’s tantrum outbursts have been heard. Other ghosts purported to roam the inn are Clement Laird Vallandigham, a Dayton lawyer and Ohio congressman, and Justice Charles R. Sherman, father of Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, both who died in the inn.

PATTERSON HOMESTEAD, DAYTON: The namesake of Col. Robert Patterson, this three-story brick farmhouse is apparently as lively now as when it was inhabited by the Pattersons. Some claim rocking chairs sway on their own, items shift about, room temperatures change, and the aroma of cooking lingers in one of the rooms. Several ghosts have been reported to wander the 1816 home, including one which allegedly locked a volunteer in one of the rooms.

STETSON HOUSE, WAYNESVILLE: The ghost of hat maker John Stetson is said to peer out of a window on the upper level of this home, where his sister, Louisa, lived. She contracted tuberculosis from her brother when he came to visit and later died. Her own ghost looms in the front doorway. But ghosts are not the only strange phenomenon: apparently every mirror that has been hung in the house slips off the wall and shatters on the floor.

SOURCES: Montgomery County Ohio Exploration Society www.ohioexploration.com/montgomerycounty.htm

“10 famous haunts in Buckeye State,” by Chris Woodyard, author of the “Haunted Ohio” series

How to go

What: Ohio Paranormal Convention

Where: Hara Arena, 1001 Shiloh Springs Road, Dayton

When: Aug. 14-16; 5 to  11 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday

Cost: $65 for three-day tickets; $35 for each single day. Special pricing Friday evening of $10 at the door.

More info: Visit www.ohioparacon.com

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You've got to be kidding!? $35.00 for one day? While I'm an avid fan of all things paranormal I certainly wouldn't (can't) pay that much to attend a convention. Maybe if you had the whole Ghost Hunters team...Jason, Grant, Steve and Tango...it might be worth the price but I think even they would object! Too bad, I really would have loved to attend.

Lee Arnold
11:32 AM, 8/15/2009

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