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Latest Pennhurst Paracon Updates: Exciting News and Paranormal Adventures Await!
Good morning from Pennhurst Paracon! As we dive into the day, I’m thrilled to share some exciting Pennhurst Paracon updates with you. The website has undergone a major overhaul, and it’s looking fantastic – a fitting hub for all the latest news and events from one of the biggest paranormal conventions in the US.
As I update you from the heart of Pennhurst Paracon, I can’t help but feel the electric atmosphere. The updates to the website have made it easier than ever to connect with fellow enthusiasts and keep abreast of all the happenings. Last night’s kick-off party was just a taste of the incredible energy we’re going to experience today.
Now, let’s talk about some of the Pennhurst Paracon updates that are sure to excite you. The Paranormal Circle is now live, and it’s a game-changer for the community. This online platform is a treasure trove for those passionate about the paranormal, offering live webcams, exclusive meet-ups, and member-only discounts.
In addition to the Pennhurst Paracon updates, there’s news on my other projects. While Kindred Spirits is in limbo, I’m embarking on a new television project that’s very close to my heart. Plus, the sixth season of my podcast, Haunted Road, is in production, and my cookbook, Food to Die For, is set to release on July 30th.
With all these Pennhurst Paracon updates and personal projects, it’s shaping up to be an exciting year. I’m eager to meet many of you at the convention and at upcoming Strange Escapes events. Remember, next Thursday is our first live event for the Paranormal Circle, and it’s not to be missed!
So, as I gear up for another day at Pennhurst Paracon, I want to remind you to check out the updated website and join us in the Paranormal Circle. It’s the perfect place to stay informed about all the Pennhurst Paracon updates and connect with the community.
See you soon at Pennhurst Paracon, and let’s make the most of these thrilling updates!
Cheers,
~ a
Why are you doing larger/well known locations?
It’s Friday! That means tonight it’s an all new episode of Kindred Spirits on Travel Channel at 9/8c.! Make sure you check out our investigation of Sterling Hill Mine in New Jersey tonight! It’s a doozy.
Now, on to today’s question. I’ve answered this before in another blog, but thought I’d readdress it since we get it a lot!
Why are you doing larger/well-known locations?
When Adam and I created Kindred Spirits, our goal was to help families. Every investigation focused on a family who felt they were being haunted and they were desperate for answers.
As we started applying our thoughts and theories to these investigations (see my blog, “Why We Don’t Cross Things Over”), we began to realize that in addition to helping the living members of these families, the spirits seemed to want and need our assistance as well.
As the show began airing and gaining in popularity, more and more people from locations that weren’t residences began reaching out for help. Some of these places had been treated as novelties for quite some time and the owners were ready to treat their ghosts in a more humane way, to find out what they actually needed. It was time to stop looking at these spirits as something spooky that provided you with a scare and then you left, to actually finding out their stories, their names, their reasons for being where they are.
The other deciding factor was how many employees, volunteers and staff at these locations were having experiences that were actually hindering operations or scaring them. Or visitors having experiences that terrified them enough they either stayed away or it left them wondering what was really going on there.
So, we branched out. We feel like these entities in these larger spaces, as well as the living people trying to operate them, need our help too and it’s been extremely rewarding. Not only have we identified a number of potential spirits and found out why they linger, but we’ve also corrected SO much misinformation historically about some of these places, in addition to finding entirely new bits of history during our research. (Honestly, the research is my FAVORITE part.)
Our focus is and has always been, helping. The idea of someone’s loved one being trapped in an old infirmary, hospital, jail, etc fueled us to start taking those cases as well. Frankly, we’re incredibly glad we did. We also love our family cases and we’re glad to have a healthy mix of both each season for you.
Thanks so much for following along with these this week! I may do this again soon!
In the meantime, enjoy the show tonight! Make sure to tell your friends!
xoxo
Ghost Hunters Cameras: Why They Don’t Point at Spirits
Hello friends! Continuing my daily blog in anticipation of the all new episode of Kindred Spirits on Friday night at 9/8c on Travel Channel. This week we head deep into the Sterling Hill Mine in New Jersey, which if you’ve followed me for some time, you know I’m terrified of being underground. We don’t get to delve too deep into my claustrophobia issues on the episode, but it’s quite apparent by my body language and facial expressions that I am VERY uncomfortable, ha! Also, doesn’t help that the place is wicked haunted to boot and there were crazy sounds happening around us constantly.
Aaaaanyway, moving right along to today’s commonly asked question about the show…
“Why don’t the camera operators point at the ghosts instead of you? Why don’t you wear head/body cams so we can see what you see?”
There are many reasons for this, so let’s dive in.
First of all, it is the camera operators job to focus on us. They are making a show about us and our investigation process. It is imperative that they capture as much of us and what we’re doing as possible because we never know how the investigation is going to end, so every bit of what we say and do could play in to what needs to be edited to tell the “story” for you as viewers. If they miss a key moment – a facial expression, a bit of dialogue, an action we make – they can’t get that back. So their instruction is to stay on us AT ALL TIMES. Even then, if we see something obvious, they will try to sweep in that direction to see if they can pick anything up, or at the very least, give you an idea of the surroundings we’re in so you know what we’re looking at.
Secondly, their cameras are just not like ours. Their cameras are much more involved and require a few seconds to set up a shot. They can’t just point it in any direction and pick up everything. Some lenses are designed for close up range, some are more tilt shift, some are designed for wide angle, so when they change the shot, they need a few seconds to adjust their lighting settings and focus. (Sorry my crew friends, I know it’s SO much more involved than that, I’m trying, ha!) Even then, if we are seeing something at the end of a long dark hallway, if there’s no lighting, their cameras will just pick up darkness. Even with IR cameras from Ghost Hunters days, they require IR light, if there isn’t any, you don’t pick up a thing.
Yes, our DVR cameras are capable of reaching larger spaces, and we blanket every location with as many of them as we can. But the quality is just not there in a camera like that to shoot a show with. Not to mention, even those require large amounts of IR light to capture a space.
The same goes for body/head cameras. We’ve tried them on many occasions, and the reality is, the footage is unwatchable. Without someone monitoring lighting and positioning, you get a bouncy shot that would make you, as viewers, completely seasick.
All of this means that we all do our best. We all have our jobs. Adam and I reposition our cameras through out our multi day investigations and put a lot of thought and planning in to where we decide to put them. The crew works their butt off making sure they can keep up with our craziness. Sometimes we get a wild anomaly on camera and sometimes our cameras are pointed right at it and it still doesn’t pick up.
It’s all the nature of the beast when investigating the paranormal. It’s highly unpredictable, sometimes frustrating, but mostly, utterly fascinating to me.
Thanks for continuing along as viewers and readers and we’ll see you on Friday night in the mine! *gulp*
~ a
PS. Shout out to our phenomenal crew at Paper Route Productions who have become like family to us over the years. You all do an amazing job and we love you!
Why We Investigate at Night on Kindred Spirits: Key Insights Explained
Season four of Kindred Spirits is in full effect, airing every Friday night at 9pm/8c. on Travel Channel. And because of that, we are getting a ton of great questions!
I’m going to answer a common question here on my blog every day this week up until another new episode Friday night.
So….I would say the NUMBER one question we get is,
“WHY DO YOU INVESTIGATE AT NIGHT?”
The reason why we investigate at night is because the opportunity for contamination from outside sources is much lower. At night, the world slows down, traffic is at a minimum, people are sleeping, businesses are closed, etc. It’s just a lot more feasible for us to rule things out and/or experience activity when it’s night time. Also, many light anomalies seem to be more evident in the dark.
That being said, we have adopted an approach where we still have dim lighting with lanterns, as opposed to being in pitch darkness like we used to do. Also, if someone says to us that the bulk of the activity happens in the day, we would certainly incorporate daytime investigating as well.
Hope that helps! What question should I answer tomorrow?
Why We Don’t “Cross Things Over” and Why We’re Doing Larger Locations
I get this question constantly so I thought I’d write a little blog about it to outline our theory on “crossing spirits over.” At the end of the blog, I also address why we’ve started to visit locations that aren’t family homes this season of Kindred Spirits.
Let me preface this by saying that I will never speak in absolutes. Everything I put here is theory and it comes from ideas, experiences and evidence we’ve had over years of investigating. I always urge people to do or believe what feels right to them. This is just me, outlining how I personally feel and choose to do things as a paranormal researcher.
I admit, I have sat in investigations and watched people who I deeply respect and still investigate with claim to “cross spirits over” or “send them into the light.” And I believed it – until I was called back to those same locations repeatedly. Sometimes years later, with that same ghost still there, still very much wanting attention and causing activity.
It was then that I realized that the idea of just sending these spirits off without listening to them was actually a little dismissive. Why did I feel like I somehow had the right or the power to decide when these spirits needed to move on?
If we aren’t even sure what happens when we die, if we aren’t even sure what ghosts are – why are we SO sure that spirits need crossing over? Are we projecting our own fear of being stuck somewhere as a ghost on these spirits and in the process not listening to what they actually have to say?
When Adam and I came up with the idea for Kindred Spirits we wanted to started telling the story of every spirit we encountered. We wanted to figure out who they were/are, and most importantly, WHY they would still be here. And most every single time, we’ve found a reason.
It’s an incredible amount of work. It involves a huge amount of research, interviews and in depth investigations over multiple nights. Sometimes we spend days chasing the wrong lead and have to start back at the drawing board. But in the end, if we can figure out why that spirit is still here, we can begin to address fixing their issue or delivering their message. Many times, once their issue is addressed, the activity decreases significantly or stops altogether. Or, once their issue is realized, the living around them can begin working with them to help. Some of us have deep-seated psychological issues or guilt complexes, etc – I don’t think these feelings disappear when we pass.
This is also why Adam and I chose to start visiting locations that weren’t just homes this season of Kindred Spirits. Kindred Spirits was born because of the huge amount of guilt we felt personally when we once left Waverly Hills years ago and felt as though a group of spirits there were still desperate to talk to us. Even so, we initially chose to focus on homes and help families, but more and more, people were asking us to help the ghosts of these larger locations…the spirits still roaming, with no one listening to them. Spirits who could have family alive today who have no idea their relative is still here in some fashion. They’re no less deserving of our help.
In conclusion, what I’m saying is that with a little work, a little time and a whole lot of compassion, we can stop viewing spirits as helpless individuals floating in the night and start seeing them for what I strongly believe them to be – PEOPLE like you and me, who just aren’t ready to leave yet. People with free will, who can choose to accept your help or not. Talk to them like you would want to be spoken to. Talk to them for real and most importantly, listen to what they have to say.
Thanks so much to everyone who has watched us on this journey. Season three of Kindred was epic and an absolute joy to bring to the screen. We’ll be back out on the road soon working on more episodes. In the meantime, you can watch past episodes on the Travel Channel web site.
If you’d like to meet me, I’m doing a number of appearances and talks over the next few months, (including some great trips with my company Strange Escapes), so check out my appearances page to see if I’ll be nearby.
xoxo,
~ a