For years there have been ghost sightings, and ghost hunters. Certain states in the U.S. have been acknowledged as being very “haunted.” Connecticut is certainly among the most haunted states, and, over the past few years, interest in the paranormal has been growing. One of the reasons is the proliferation of paranormal conventions in the state. Another reason is the release of the book, “True Ghost Stories of Connecticut.”
In 2021, Nicholas Grossmann and Charles F. Rosenay!!! produced Connecticut’s very first paranormal convention, ParaConn, and they have announced that the third annual event will be returning to the Ansonia Armory on May 13-14. The haunted weekend event will feature special guests, seminars, panels, vendors, exhibits and much more. It is open to all ages and will feature a plethora of fun and ghost-filled activities for all ages, of interest to the most experienced of paranormal investigators as well as the most casual fan or student of the occult and all things spooky.
However, the spooky happenings don’t stop there. Grossmann and Rosenay!!!, known as “The Shaman and The Showman,” are branching out to present many more events that revolve around the supernatural.
From February 16-19, the duo will be teaming up with psychic Sean Austin for a weekend billed as “28 Days Haunted…Revisited,” where guests will investigate Preston, CT’s Captain’s Grant Inn as featured in the wildly popular Netflix series. On March 10-11, they are producing “Pop-Up Paranormal” at NewSylum in Newtown, wherein participants will enjoy dinner, a hands-on paranormal equipment class, a guided walk along the campus of Fairfield Hills Asylum, and a haunted artifacts museum. A Psychic Fairfest is on the docket for March 31-April at Bad Dog Brewing Co. as part of a “Terror in Torrington” promotion, with a similar event planned for August 18-19 at Two Roads Brewery in Stratford, which will also include a visit to the Goody Bassett grave and other area activities.
All these events are much smaller in scale than ParaConn III, which is a spooky smorgasbord of paranormal guests, psychic readers, horror elements, and 80 vendors. Initial Special Guests already announced include Lauren and Danny Perez, a paranormal couple called “The Radicals.” They will be bringing along their collection of haunted artifacts to complement Grossman’s artifacts museum, which will also be on display. Other initial guests include authors Sam Baltrusis and Leanna Renee Hibler, Netflix’s Sean Austin, and TV personality/demonologist Carl Johnson. Of course, The Shaman and The Showman are also special guests, with Grossmann being the director of “Ghost Storm Investigations,” and Rosenay being the author of “True Ghost Stories of Connecticut,” which will be on sale at all the events (and through Amazon).
The promoters explain that they are not just paranormal investigators and producers, but they are also entertainers. Grossmann says “Part of our job is to make people forget the mundane for a couple hours and have a great time. Let’s face it – paranormal is in no way a boring subject.”
Outside of Connecticut, The Shaman and the Showman are producing the first-ever “Amityville Horror and Paranormal Convention” in Long Island, NY in July and are also scheduling their second annual “Salem Paranormal and Horror Convention” in Salem, MA November 11-12.
Connecticut’s ParaConn III takes place Saturday and Sunday, May 13-14 from 11am-6pm at the Ansonia Armory, 10 N. State Street, Ansonia, CT. Past shows have sold out. Advance tickets are now on sale for only $19.99 from paraconn.ticketleap.com/paraconn3.
Parking is free. Food trucks/refreshments will be available. The supernatural extravaganza is presented in association with the City of Ansonia under the auspices of the Mayor’s Office.
The website for Connecticut’s original Paranormal Convention is www.ParaConn.org.
May the spirits be with you.
