1,200 attendees expected at PSU paranormal conference
Laura Weldon, a teacher from Cambridge, Md., has always believed in ghosts.
In fact, she's sure the home in which she grew up was haunted. A firm believer in the paranormal, she's a big fan of the Sci-Fi Channel's "Ghost Hunters" show, featuring Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson as plumbers by day who investigate reports of paranormal activity in their spare time.
Weldon was pretty excited when she learned about UNIV-CON, the nation's largest paranormal conference, being held through Sunday at Penn State.
"All my middle school students are excited for me and want to know all the details," Weldon said as she waited Thursday night to attend a talk by Chris Flemming, star of the Biography channel's "Dead Famous: Ghostly Encounters" series. "I promised a whole class-time of stories about growing up in a haunted house and details about what the ghost hunters said instead of learning about trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship."
The conference, held at Penn State last year, drew 700 people, and organizers earlier this year said they were expecting more than 1,200 to attend this year based on early ticket sales.
Flemming opened the conference Thursday night with his presentation "Journey Into The Unknown" in the Thomas Building auditorium.
Flemming said he began working as a paranormal investigator as a teen, after realizing as a child that he was sensitive to the existence of spirits. After graduating from college, he began publishing a magazine called "Unknown" and came to realize he was not alone in his experiences.
"That's why we're here today," he said. "We have some of the greatest people out there to present and share their stories."
"So many people have experienced paranormal phenomenon, but few come forward because they feel that they are the only ones out there who are experiencing these things," said Ryan Buell, director of the Penn State Paranormal Research Society.
The highlights of the conference Friday night included a lecture by John Oliver, of the Court TV show "Haunting Evidence," a haunted carriage tour of Penn State, and a late-night ghost hunt. The latter two events will be held for a second night tonight.
The carriage tours will depart every half hour from the HUB between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.
The conference gets into full swing today with various workshops and presentations being offered from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on subjects such as using paranormal equipment, the "Craft of the Occult," and psychokinesis, as well as exhibits and vendors at locations in the HUB and around campus.
This evening features a presentation by Hawes and Wilson from 9 to 10:30 p.m. in 100 Thomas.
On Sunday, there are more workshops from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., such as "A Psychic Medium Experience," and "Ghosts and Faith: A Christian Perspective on the Paranormal." Lorraine Warreen, a pioneer in the field of paranormal investigation and co-founder of the New England Society for Psychic Research, will be the featured speaker at 6:30 p.m. in 100 Thomas.
For more information on the conference, visit www.pennstateprs.com.
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