SOWNY Paranormal Conference
If the walls could talk at the Bell Tower Community Arts and Entertainment Complex, they’d have plenty of stories to tell.
That’s the opinion of Seika Groves, who along with partner Edd Scorpio, host haunted history tours in Bridgeburg in Fort Erie’s east end — as well as Port Colborne — among a host of other spooky activities. In fact, she says Bridgeburg is a hotbed for the paranormal in general.
“There are so many hauntings,” she said, and she knows a thing or two about the subject. Seika is a medium or as she likes to refer to her ability – an Afterlife Switchboard Operator. Seika has appeared on paranormal TV shows such as Paranormal Survivor, Deals from the Dark Side, Repossessed and many others. she is also an expert on a number of docuseries shows with her background as an archaeologist.
On a walk-through of the 117-year-old former church at 575 Central Ave., Groves told stores of shadowy figures and spirits of children seen by herself and visitors to the centre. That shadowy figure is believed to be a one-time minister of the church.
“He comes out the area that is now a crawl space but when you look inside you can see a door,” Groves said. “At one time it was the side door to the church.”
She has also seen a young blond-haired boy.
“He’s been seen in the choir loft,” Groves said.
All this activity makes the Bell Tower the perfect place for the duo to host the inaugural Southern Ontario-Western New York (SOWNY) Paranormal Conference. The event takes place Saturday, Nov. 30 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“It just made sense to come here,” Groves said. “It’s a great old building with a great ambience, and it has its own people who move through this space frequently.”
Groves and Scorpio think the conference will be the kind of thing that will bring out the curious.
“A lot of people have a lot of curiosity about it right now,” Scorpio said. “There’s a proliferation of it right now.”
The event will feature readers, speakers, workshops and vendors. In the evening, there will be a separate ticketed building investigation and sleepover in the Great Hall.
Tickets for the main event are $10 and will be available at the door. A special VIP package that includes all events is sold out. There are a limited number of spots left for the overnight stay at $50, which includes entry into the event.
The conference is open to all ages, but anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult. More information is available at https://halfpennydreadfuls.com
Article originally written by
By Richard Hutton Fort Erie Post
Thursday, November 21, 2019
