ANSONIA — Folks looking for a frighteningly good time this weekend should make a stop in the Valley.
The Connecticut Paranormal Convention will be held July 24-25 at the Ansonia Armory, with a schedule full of spooky events.
Doors will open at 11 a.m. each day at the Armory, located at 10 N. State St., organizers said in a release, and the event is geared toward casual fans of the supernatural as well as experienced paranormal investigators.
Events will include special guests, seminars, panel discussions, vendors, exhibits and more, according to the release.
The convention — ParaConn — is the “brainstorm” of paranormal enthusiast Nick Grossmann, and is presented by him along with Charles F. Rosenay.
Grossman’s organization, Ghost Storm, has done multiple events throughout the Valley, and considers the Armory to be a haunted site, the release said.
Rosenay is founder and owner of Fright Haven in Stratford, and organizes Dracula Tours in Romania as well as annual GHOSTours to Europe, presented by his travel company Tours of Terror, the release said.
According to organizers, other special guests will include:
— Sean Austin, demonologist and psychic clairvoyant. Austin has appeared on television’s “Demon Files” and the Travel Network show “Ghost Loop,” according to the release.
— Bill Hall, author of “The World’s Most Haunted House,” about a Lindsley Street house in Bridgeport.
— Christine and Daniel Peer, a science-based paranormal research team who travel the country for investigations, including The Shanley Hotel in New York.
— Barry Pirro of ConnecticutGhostHunter.com, who has been involved with the subject for more than 10 years, and has consulted on shows including “Ghost Adventures” and “Kindred Spirits.”
— Kathy Churuszcz, a psychic medium who does psychic readings and paranormal investigations.
— Eric Conner, a paranormal equipment engineer who has produced paranormal films and is in the documentary “Malefice.”
— Johnes Ruta, author of “Fires Eternal Morning,” who has studied metaphysics and the paranormal and currently isan art curator.
— Ralph Levesque, an artist who has painted representations of his experiences being abducted by extraterrestrials. Levesque is said to have a telepathic connection with the extraterrestrials.
— Paul Ferrante, author of “Curse of the Fairfield Witch and “Last Ghost of Gettysburg.”
— Tim McLaughlin, author of the supernatural fiction series “Tall Tales,” who is a ministry student preparing for ministry work in Ireland.
Also at the convention will be the Connecticut Paranormal and Supernatural Tracking Society, based in Seymour and led by Jeffory Gerry; East Coast Paranormal Photography, headed by Anthony Mullin, a group involved with the restoration of the Ansonia Opera House; and the Frankenstein Twins, visual artists who will hold their “Oddities Bazaar” at the Armory in October.
The event will feature a marketplace with 60 vendors from around the country, the release said, and will include “paranormal groups, haunt artists and businesses, horror and sci-fi genre booths, authors, publishers, clothing costumes & make-up specialists, cryptozoology, wizardry, authors, psychics/mediums/readers, occult artifacts, artisans, crafters, jewelers, monster memorabilia, sci-fi collectibles, hand-made items and related merchandise.”
Hours are from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. Attendees under age 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Advance general admission is $14.99, or $20 day of show. Advance VIP tickets are available for $19.99, which will include early admission at 10 a.m., a souvenir gift and other benefits, organizers said. Parking is free and food trucks and refreshments will be available. For advance tickets, visit https://paraconn.ticketleap.com/paraconn.
For information, visit www.ParaConn.org, call 203-795-4737 or email CTParaConn@gmail.com.
