In the 13 years that I have lived in Ohio, I’ve given presentations and talks at locations ranging from elementary schools to nursing homes and everywhere in between. And yet, on May 4th through the 6th of this year, I will be speaking at a somewhat unique venue for me; a paranormal convention.
That’s right, a paranormal convention. The Great Appalachian Spook Show, to be exact. You’d think that since I have been wandering through the land of the dead for so long, paranormal conventions would be one of the main places I’m asked to speak at. Well, you’d be wrong. In fact, while every year I receive lots of requests to come and speak at libraries, schools, and a wide assortment of social gatherings and functions, invites to speak at paranormal conventions are few and far between.
Not sure why that is, especially since I’ve spent over 26 years actively conducting ghost research. Several people have told me that there’s a bit of a preconceived notion that my presentations are “out there” (one person even said they were “wacky”) and that it’s hard to know what to expect. If that’s the case, I couldn’t be happier.
You see, I don’t care if the topic is ghosts, the paranormal, or how to make a million dollars flipping houses. If I’m sitting in the audience, I want to feel something. Anything. Make me laugh, cry, or clench my fists in anger. Just make me feel. And if I don’t have any idea what’s coming next, all the better. Keeps me on my toes and interested.
And that’s really all I’m looking to do whenever I give a presentation: keep people interested. Usually, that entails me downing gallons of Monster Energy Drink and then wandering through the audience spouting off anecdotes about headless motorcycle ghosts, playing Beatles’ records backwards to see if Paul McCartney is really dead, and the dangers of riding homemade roller coasters. But at the end of the day, if I see people leaving my presentation with smiles on their faces, I know I’ve done my job.
So if you find yourself in McConnelsville, Ohio, the weekend of May 4th and you’re dying to know what the fuss is all about, swing by the McConnelsville Opera House and check out my presentation on weird stuff in Ohio. I promise I’ll do my best to keep you entertained.
