Celebrating the spooky: 10th annual Old Mill ParaFest set for Saturday

DUNDEE — Television personalities, a VIP party and a 10-year look-back are on tap for the 10th anniversary of the Dundee Old Mill ParaFest, set for 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at the Old Mill Museum, 242 Toledo St.

Speakers will begin at 10 a.m. The VIP event will follow.

ParFest is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Old Mill. Admission is $40 for general admission tickets and $65 for VIP tickets. Tickets are available at oldmillparafest.com and at the door. Vendor items, raffle tickets and refreshments also will be sold.

“The paranormal community loves to support historic locations, and the Old Mill Museum is no different,” said Tim Rehahn, one of the festival organizers and a member of Spirit World Paranormal Investigations. SWPI and Erie Shores Paranormal are ParaFest's hosts.

New for the 10th anniversary is a history of ParaFest.

“The biggest thing is we're doing a joint history on the Old Mill ParaFest. Those of us who have hosted it will discuss our experiences over the years with the event and stories. This is a must-see. We'll also have it be interactive with guests, who can tell their stories," Rehahn said.

A VIP event will again replace the traditional ghost hunts and group investigations. The VIP event will include music, karaoke and games.

“Our volunteers and speakers were always quite tired during the ghost hunts, after all, at that point, it was 15 or more hours depending on when they got there in the morning. We decided to try a VIP party. Those who attended really loved it and have requested we continue doing them," Rehahn said.

Several speakers will attend this year.

"John Zaffis is the most well-known. He was at two of our events way back. John is often referred to as the 'Godfather of the Paranormal.' He's mentored many others on TV and off. He had his own TV show on SyFy, 'The Haunted Collector,'" Rehahn said. "John is also related to John and Lorraine Warren, who are famous for some popular investigations many years ago, including one that the 'Conjuring' was made from."

Taylor Bushman of Nevada will channel extra-terrestrials live, Rehahn said.

Adam Weislekhas, Ray “Gooz” Goosby and Tim Maile also are returning from previous ParaFests.

Wcislek from the Toledo area is a psychic medium, dream interpreter, paranormal investigator and musician. Goosby of Ohio is co-host of "The Cryptic Paranormal Show" on the RU MediaNetwork. He's returning for a second ParaFest and will offer an interactive presentation. Maile of Wisconsin is an author and part of “Paranormal Witness” on the SyFy Channel. He founded Pawtographs For Pooches after his dog saved him from suicide.

Local author Jeri Holland will debut her book, "Haunted Monroe County, Michigan," which came out this year.

“She’ll discuss some haunted location throughout Monroe County, the Old Mill Museum being one of those locations,” Rehahn said.

Holland's book also covers the River Raisin Massacre of 1813, Angelo’s Northwood Villa, the Frog Leg Inn and Lake Monroe. The author will be at Nov. 12’s Writers on the River event at the Ellis Library & Reference Center.

Old Mill ParaFest has been held every year since 2013.

"The Old Mill is one of the things people love. They often refer to it as a family reunion of sorts.  (They say) our guests, both the paranormal groups volunteering and museum volunteers, make them feel at home. That's the greatest comment we could ever receive," Rehahn said. "The convention is held in a working museum, which is unique in itself."

In 2020, ParaFest was held online.

“It wasn't as popular that year, not as many people saw it, and we really missed the interaction with the guests,” Rehahn said.

Attendance varies. Rehhan is expecting 150 to 200 this year.

“It has grown over the years,” he said. “Since COVID, almost all paranormal events seem to struggle more than years past. It also doesn't help there are many other events in Michigan and Ohio than there were 10 years ago. We have a very dedicated core following, who show up each year, though."

In addition to ParaFest, the Old Mill Museums offers guided and self-guided museum tours and paranormal investigations.

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"We do have other events we do throughout the year for the museum, the biggest is our public and private paranormal investigations. We offer them year-round. Our group volunteers to host them. We never charge the museum anything.  The investigations are $42 per person. We've hosted them since 2011," Rehahn said. "Those vary each year too. Before COVID, we did 37 weeks in the year."

ParaFest host group Spirit World Paranormal Investigations searches for scientific proof for the paranormal. It conducts free investigations in several areas, including southeast Michigan. Host group Erie Shores Paranormal is a nonprofit paranormal investigation and research team based in southeast Michigan. It also conducts free investigations.

"Our group, SWPI, dedicates itself to hosting these events. SWPI has been with the museum since 2011, and it has become our second home. For the convention, we have Erie Shores Paranormal.  The paranormal community in Michigan is like a big family," Rehahn said.

For more information, visit oldmillparafest.com.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: 10th annual Old Mill ParaFest set for Saturday