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A review of the June 2005 paranormal conference
IT WAS THE biggest year so far for ParaCon, the annual paranormal conference sponsored by The Smoking Gun Research Agency (SGRA), an organization dedicated to investigating ghosts, UFOs, cryptids, government conspiracies and other “fringe” topics. SGRA Director Jon Nowinski seemed pleased with ParaCom 2005, which was held in Stratford, Connecticut on June 17-18, saying that the attentive crowd was “truly impressed with what they saw.”
The conference featured an impressive roster of speakers who presented on their particular areas of expertise. Here’s a recap of those presentations:
John Zaffis is veteran paranormal researcher of over 30 years and is the founder of The Paranormal Research Society of New England, which investigates ghosts and hauntings. But John’s special area of expertise is in the dark area where most ghost hunters dare not tread – cases of possession and exorcism. In his engrossing presentation, John spoke about some of his most fascinating cases and his belief in the reality of demonic influence in the world today. Over his many years of investigations, John has amassed an impressive collection of items and artifacts that his clients claimed were either “possessed” or had some kind of negative attachment, and have turned over to John. They now reside in his eerie museum, some of which you can see online. John is also author of Shadows of the Dark.
Jeff Belanger has been the driving force behind GhostVillage.com since 1997, a site which has grown to become one of the most popular and respected ghost-related sites on the web. Jeff, a former journalist, offered a level-headed presentation that gave an overview of paranormal research that began in the late 19th century with the Fox sisters and the subsequent spiritualist movement. He also discussed current research, including paranormal photos and EVPs, and the need for honest, skeptical examination of the evidence. Jeff is the author of The World’s Most Haunted Places, Communicating with the Dead: Reach Beyond the Grave and the soon-to-be published Encyclopedia of Haunted Places.
Stacey Jones is the founder of Central New York Ghost Hunters, the largest such organization in New York State (and of which I am a member). A former police officer, Stacey has been a paranormal investigator for more than 10 years who takes a serious, no-nonsense approach to the subject. Her presentation featured a slide show of some of the most interesting photos taken at haunted locations around Central New York and at Gettysburg. She also related the group’s unnerving experience at Sach’s Bridge at Gettysburg, where it seemed they were actually surrounded by the spirits of that bloody battleground.
Susan Bove founded South Jersey Paranormal Research (SJPR) in 2001 and it has grown into one of the most professional and respected groups in the area. Susan’s group, which investigates a lot of haunted private residences, has a knack for capturing great EVPs (electronic voice phenomena). Her presentation played a number of their best EVPs, which are some of the clearest, highest quality I’ve ever heard. (Many can be found on their website.) After the conference, our Central New York Ghost Hunters group was invited to join Susan and SJPR members in a very interesting ghost hunt in Stratford.
After a break for lunch, I was privileged to present some of the best photos from our own Paranormal Gallery.
Diane Bajorinas is the Assistant Director and Agent in Charge of the Ghost Division for SGRA. Diane presented a fascinating talk and slide show on funerary sculptures (art and statues of cemetery headstones) and the symbolism behind them. But the audience particularly responded to her collection of wonderful gravestone epitaphs, which were hilarious, sad, moving and sometimes puzzling.
Rod C. Davis, a self-described “experiencer,” has had many strange encounters over the years, with both the spirit world and UFOs.
Rod recounted one of his most dramatic experiences: a slide down a steep, gravely slope that should have resulted in his death or at least grave injury; instead, he believes divine intervention altered his course and saved his life. Rod also gave his insightful take on the nature of the supernatural and even how we can communicate with our spirit guides. Rod is the author of Communicating with the Other Side.
Nicholas Roesler is the Agent in Charge of the SGRA UFO Investigation Division. In his slide show presentation, Nick focused on the history of modern UFO investigation, beginning with the work of J. Allen Hynek and Project Blue Book. Especially interesting was the information on alien abductions, the mystery of screen memories, alien implants, and the disturbing cases of pregnant women who, after an abduction, discovered to their shock that they were no longer pregnant.
Although he did not present at the conference, radio host Dr. Jimmy was in attendance. Dr. Jimmy is the host of Alabama ParaSpiritual Research Radio (APSR), a nightly radio program on various paranormal topics, where he has interviewed many of the conference speakers.
My thanks again to Jon Nowinski and the entire SGRA staff for a well-run, entertaining and informative conference. I look forward to next year’s.