After I posted 19 Horror and Paranormal Events and Conferences for 2012 and Beyond, I came across five more. One is coming up pretty quick, but the others give you a little more lead time on getting to them.
And when you’re planning your jaunts, don’t forget about HJ’s Halloween cruise. See our Halloween Cruise 2012 page for more details.
1. March 22-25, 2012 Phenomenology 104: Parapalooza – Gettysburg, PA
Not only is this going to be in Gettysburg (cool venue), but anyone with a name in the paranormal is lined up to be there, including Chip Coffey, Kris Williams, Ben Hansen, Jeff Belanger, Eric Altman, Aaron Sagers, Chris Fleming…the list goes on and on. How I didn’t know about this sooner, I don’t know. (Not that it would matter now. Personal issues would prevent me from attending, but I’ll keep an eye out in case they do this next year.)
2. April 20-22, 2012 Blood on the Beach Horror Convention – Virginia Beach, VA
Pamela K. Kinney told me about this one. It’s near her stomping grounds. Lucky lady. If you love horror movies and TV shows, you will dig the line up for this convention. Included among the celeb guests are Edward Herrmann (loved him in The Lost Boys and Gilmore Girls), Norman Reedus (a.k.a Daryl from The Walking Dead), Sean Patrick Flanery, Michael Biehn…you maybe get the point by now. They’re also having a “Sleepaway Camp Cousin Reunion.” I was in Jr. High when Sleepaway Camp came out. It was a huge hit among me and my peers. It’d be fun to check out the “reunion.”
3. May 27, 2012 Paranormal Conference Aboard the USS Salem – Quincy, MA
My friend Jen Blaney from Twitter told me about this one, which she’s involved in. It’s going to be a two part affair. The day event will consist of paranormal classes and sessions. There will also be a former USS Salem crew member to discuss the history and experience of being on the ship. They’re also going to serve lunch (hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, soda and water) included in the admission fee (which is a super reasonable $15 for adults and $10 for kids ages 6-11). The second part is at night, a ghost tour of the ship! (Known to have shadow people, which always interests me.) You can order tickets through the USS Salem at: (617) 479-7900.
4. September 15, 2012 Maritime Ghost Conference – San Diego, CA
This is a fundraiser for the Maritime Museum of San Diego, and the focus is going to be on something not a lot of others focus on: maritime ghosts. Per the description from their site:
Experts on four haunted ships (the Star of India, the RMS Queen Mary, the USS Hornet, and the USS Midway) will give presentations on the ghosts of each ship, telling what paranormal activity has been seen and experienced. Additionally, there will be a presentation of ghost ships of history, such as the story of the Marie Celeste.
5. September 22-23, 2012 Pensacola Para Con: A Paranormal, Horror, Sci Fi, Anime, Gaming & Costuming Convention – Pensacola, FL
Their name pretty much says it all. That’s the broad spectrum that will be covered at this event, but not limited to it as they’ll also have steampunk, mystery, arts and crafts, collecting, film making…so much! It’ll take place at the Pensacola Interstate Fair Grounds. They’re also going to have an offsite ghost hunt Saturday night at the Pensacola Lighthouse, which was featured on the Travel Channel’s “America’s Most Haunted Lighthouses” and was also a Ghost Hunters investigation location.
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.