Historic Hopewell Foundation: 'Paranormal' presentation at Lunch & Learn Lecture Series
HOPEWELL — The Historic Hopewell Foundation's Lunch & Learn Lecture Series topic this week may haunt you. Local reporter and podcaster Chaiyatath "Chai" Gallahun, a U.S. Air Force veteran, will share paranormal occurrences in the Tri-Cities and stories relayed to him by people during his time in the military as well as a couple of personal experiences.
"The Tri-Cities area of Central Virginia has been the setting for many historic occasions," Gallahun said. "It is clearly evidenced by the presence of the numerous historical mile markers throughout this area how richly steeped in history this land is."
Gallahun pointed out that Blandford Cemetery in Petersburg serves as a reminder of just a sample of the blood spilt on soil in the Tri-Cities.
'Blood and history are often inseparable companions. And, needless to say, there is a lot of history in the Tri-Cities and surrounding counties," Gallahun said. "Because of this, it is not much of a surprise that so many people have reported encounters with the paranormal here."
Paranormal, as explained by Gallahun, is a broad umbrella term under which falls many different kinds of phenomena, from cryptozoological creatures that science hasn’t categorized or officially recognized like Sasquatch aka Bigfoot and river monsters, to sightings of unidentified flying objects [UFOs] in the sky traveling at impossible speeds and conducting strange maneuvers.
"Most commonly in the Tri-Cities, the paranormal includes encounters with ghostly apparitions and things that go bump in the night," Gallahun said. "Pretty much anything would be considered 'paranormal' if it cannot be explained by our current understanding of science. A lack of explanation leads many people to curiosity. Because of this innate love of mysteries, many people seek out the paranormal especially after having witnessed something unexplained."
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Gallahun, a Hopewell native, plans to share with Lunch & Learn attendees how he was nudged into the mysterious world of high strangeness.
"I’ll share a few encounters and incidents that some military professionals shared with me personally, as well as documented events and personal sightings at a base or two where I was stationed," Gallahun said.
As a newspaper reporter, Gallahun was invited by Tri-City Paranormal, a local paranormal investigative group, to tag along during their investigation of Violet Bank in Colonial Heights. He will tell the tales during Lunch & Learn.
Petersburg: Centre Hill Mansion Ghost Watch
In January 2020, Gallahun and I covered Centre Hill Mansion’s annual Ghost Watch event together. Little did we know that he would capture video evidence of what appeared to be anomalous paranormal activity. Or, was it dust?
"It was a lot of fun. I had covered Centre Hill's Ghost Watch about five times previously, but it was the first time I took video during the event," Gallahun said. "I was not even thinking about getting orbs on video when it happened."
Who is Chai Gallahun?
Gallahun grew up in Hopewell since the age of four and graduated from Hopewell High School. He served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force with backgrounds in public affairs, visual information, intelligence analysis and special operations as well as newsprint and radio journalism, editing, hosting and producing. He worked as a reporter and editor at the Hopewell News, News-Patriot, Herald-Post and Progress-Index. He also hosted a daily radio talk show at WHAP 96.9 FM / 1340 AM. He holds both Bachelors and Masters degrees from the University of Phoenix.
Besides delving into and attempting to document strange happenings, Gallahun covers local stories and events for the Petersburg-based LNN USA media company. If you have a paranormal experience to share, reach out to Chai Gallahun via Facebook Messenger. He may include the experience in the lecture on Wednesday, August 9.
Hopewell: Historic Hopewell Foundation
The Historic Hopewell Foundation office is located at Weston Manor, an 18th century home rumored to be inhabited by spirits.
The Lunch & Learn program offers a variety of events throughout the year which features talks by expert historians, archaeologists and cultural leaders as well as tours of historic sites and exhibits. The lectures are free and open to the public. Guests may bring a bag lunch or order food from the American Legion. A beverage and dessert are provided.
Lunch & Learns are on Wednesdays from noon – 1 p.m. through August 30 at the American Legion Post 146 at 217 E. City Point Rd. in Hopewell. Visit historichopewell.org for the 2023 schedule and more information. Historic Hopewell Foundation's Lunch & Learn schedule states, "Please note that opinions expressed by presenters do not necessarily reflect those of HHF."
To watch Gallahun's video footage at Centre Hill Mansion, read this story online at Progress-Index.com.
Rumored to be inhabited by spirits Hopewell: Tour historic Weston Manor along Appomattox River, view 40-image gallery
'The spirits are willing' Petersburg: Centre Hill Mansion Ghost Watch
— Kristi K. Higgins aka The Social Butterfly, an award-winning columnist, is the trending topics and food Q&A reporter at The Progress-Index voted the 2022 Tri-Cities Best of the Best Social Media Personality. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Contact Kristi (she, her) at khiggins@progress-index.com, follow @KHiggins_PI on Twitter @socialbutterflykristi on Instagram.
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This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Hopewell: Lunch & Learn Lecture Series, free 'Paranormal' presentation
