10/05/2024
We can't wait to see you!
I'm heading down the West Virginia Turnpike for the Appalachian Paranormal Arts & Culture Collective this weekend. I typically avoid the turnpike for the high fees, but I'm driving the route this time. It's not just that I'm excited about the event. But as I travel along a particular stretch between Mossy and Beckley, I can't help but wonder about the ghostly tales that have been passed down. In the early 1970s, there were stories of a hitchhiking ghost who, after accepting a ride and settling into a car, would say, "Jesus is coming," then, as the car gained speed, he disappeared. A state trooper allegedly picked up a man for hitchhiking along the roadway, handcuffed him, and placed him in the backseat. But as the cruiser drove off, only the cuffs remained in the seat- the hitchhiker had vanished.
If it weren't for the multiple accounts of people personally divulging to me that they witnessed a spectral figure dressed in '70s hippie attire, complete with bell-bottom jeans and a paisley shirt, hitchhiking along the Beckley turnpike, I would have dismissed it as a hoax created by the West Virginia Parkways Authority to attract more supernatural enthusiasts like myself and make more money. Nobody knows who this ghost or ghosts are. Still, many reckon it could be someone killed along the highway or some poor soul left behind when they dug up cemeteries along the path the turnpike was built.
That said, I hope to get my money's worth on the turnpike by seeing that hitchhiking ghost. If not, there are a few where I am headed. Imagine yourself in the former Sir Walter's Tavern, a building with a rich history dating back to 1922. Initially, this space was the discount retail store of Silver Brand Clothes. Now, it's the perfect setting for a paranormal exploration at the Appalachian Paranormal Arts & Culture Collective. I'll be in the tavern with my haunted Appalachia and West Virginia books along with many other WV vendors. I will also set up my ghost-hunting equipment for the curious who wish to try out some tools to see if anything lingers in the building! I have heard through a good source that the building is haunted!
The Appalachian Paranormal Arts & Culture Collective, brought to you by by Charleston Ghost Tour Company along with Haunted Beckley, is on Saturday, May 11, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the historic Raleigh Playhouse and Theater (403 Neville Street, Beckley). It features artists, vendors, and paranormal and high-strangeness exhibitors.
By the way, general admission is $10; children under 10 are admitted free. These stories are just a taste of the supernatural experiences you can expect at the Appalachian Paranormal Arts & Culture Collective! Haunted Beckley will offer a Ghost Tour and Paranormal Investigation later in the evening for an additional charge.
This is not just an event; it's a gathering of like-minded individuals featuring artists, vendors, and exhibitors of the paranormal and high strangeness kind. And, oh my gosh, Theresa with Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State will be there, ready to share her ghost stories! If you go, you gotta ask her about her own ghost story along the turnpike. (Pffft, but you didn't hear that part from me.)
