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GODFREY - The supernatural, the paranormal, the sensational — the Haunted America Conference had it all this weekend with their 26th annual event at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey.
“It’s a chance for people to be, as I like to say, around people who are as weird as they are. We all get to be weird together one weekend a year,” Troy Taylor said.
Taylor is the founder of the Haunted America Conference, which he also calls “paranormal summer camp.” This year’s conference sponsored a vendor fair and “paranormal mixer” as well as several ghost tours and presentations, including presentations by Heather Moser about headless ghosts and Amanda R. Woomer about Victorian mourning customs. The full schedule can be found here.
Taylor explained that while the conference has traveled throughout the U.S., it usually takes place in the Alton area. This year, the expanding event moved to Lewis and Clark Community College to accommodate more guests. Taylor said that Alton serves as a central location for visitors from across the country, but more importantly, the local ghosts make for a spooky experience.
“Alton is our hometown. It’s also considered to be one of the most haunted small towns in America,” Taylor said.
For the people at the conference, this is a big plus. Matthew Jackson, who documents spirit communications at his website Paraholics.com, tells the story of a ghost who used to follow him everywhere. Jennifer Page hosts the “I Talk to Ghosts” podcast, where she tells stories and performs readings as a professional medium.
Jackson and Page agree that the conference is a great chance to engage with attendees like them who are interested in the paranormal.
“I just love meeting new people,” Melissa Russell, who sells voodoo dolls through her business Witch & Moan, said. “Every single convention I’ve gone to through the years, I always walk away with Facebook friends, phone numbers, contacts. And these are just people that I continue to meet over the years. It’s my favorite thing about being here.”
The Haunted America Conference boasts that it is “America’s Original Ghost Conference.” While this year’s event has passed (no pun intended), Taylor said that they’ve already started planning for next year. It’s a major feat to organize the growing conference, but organizers and attendees are looking forward to another haunted weekend.
“I have a great team of people who work with me on this, and I couldn’t do it without them,” Taylor said. “It’s always worth it. It’s worth it to get here, see all the people, and get to hang out with all of the people who have the same kind of interests that you do. It’s great.”
To learn more about the Haunted America Conference, visit their website.
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