Paranormal Convention

You might be able to tell from all of the cemeteries I explore, but I love anything spooky! It’s no surprise that Halloween is my favorite holiday, and I try to do something fun each weekend in October. I am looking forward to haunted houses, yard displays, corn mazes, hayrides, and farm visits, but Julian and I kicked everything off with this year’s Paranormal Convention last weekend.

The convention featured multiple vendors selling spooky accessories, lectures from ghost and paranormal experts, palm readings, makeup tutorials, and even a meet and greet with Svengoolie.

When we got there, we saw a bunch of religious protesters outside, urging us not to go in. I just kind of laughed it off, but I don’t think they did enough research on the event itself, although I do understand certain religions are against fortune tellers. We also saw several parked hearses, which were all old but well-kept.

When we got inside, there was metal music blasting and several different rooms to venture into. I chose not to get my palm read, but lots of people were very into it! Ignorance is bliss, right? The basement area held all the vendors. We stopped by a booth where customers had a chance to make homemade masks.

Next, we made our way into the main room of the convention. It was inside a large gymnasium. Svengoolie was located in the track area, and the gym floor held all the vendors and the paranormal experts.

There was a small makeshift stage and a projector screen to show videos. It was kind of hilarious–we found out that the first four or five presenters didn’t have the microphone on at all! No clue how no one noticed, but I still got to see some pretty interesting videos!

One of the experts spoke about Bachelor’s Grove, one of the most famous haunted cemeteries in Illinois.

I actually went there last year on Halloween! I went during the day, so it was slightly less spooky, but it was a really beautiful cemetery. It’s incredibly small and only has a few tombstones, but they are all old and decrepit. There are multiple legends about this cemetery, one being that a woman in white sits on a headstone and cries. Behind the cemetery is a wooded trail that’s very pretty. When I went, I found a photograph of a man and a child cut right in half. It was definitely creepy!

After listening to some of the speakers, we started to make our way around the rest of the floor. The vendor set-up was very cool. Some had the perfect Halloween aesthetic!

There was jewelry, figurines, masks, clothing, and home decor. There were also several booths featuring information about local haunted houses and October events. If you are anything like me and enjoy listening to podcasts or watching murder mysteries, this is a good one to check out!

As we continued to walk around, I came across something that stopped me in my tracks. Has anyone ever had a dream that has stuck with them their whole lives? When I was a kid, I had a horrifying dream about the witch from Snow White and I’ve never been able to forget it. I looked down for one second, and the next, I was staring my nightmare in the face!

It’s fun to scare yourself sometimes–at least, that’s what I told myself as I walked right into another fear of mine! I have always hated clowns and creepy dolls, and I don’t think that will ever change. While these were definitely creepy, they were also very well-crafted.

It was hard to resist, but I only bought a few things. My mom loves things that are sparkly and purple, and she also loves bats. I found a beautiful crystal-studded bat pin, which I got her for her birthday. I also got a very cool old tomb decoration for the house.

One of the most famous speakers there was Ursula Bielski, ghost hunter, historian, author, parapsychologist, and founder of Chicago Hauntings, Inc. My mom has read and watched lectures by her since I was a kid, so she definitely knows her stuff. Everybody was on the edge of their seats during her readings. Even if you don’t believe in ghosts or the paranormal, it’s really interesting to listen to.

The whole event was so much fun and really interesting. They went all-out for the event–they even decorated the bathroom!

This convention was slightly on the small side, but I will definitely go again next year. This was the perfect way to kick off the Halloween season, and I can’t wait to see what else is in store!