I have been attending paranormal events for about 7 years now. I would usually try to go to at least one each year. However, in 2017, I was not able to attend one. Then I found out that both Dave Schrader and Jeff Belanger were going to be at MiParacon, this year. I immediately knew I had to attend. Dustin Pari had tried to talk me into going to this same event in 2017 but it was about 2-weeks notice. Therefore, the flights were over $1,000. This year, I had plenty of notice and grabbed a great price.
My flight, Thursday morning, was at 7 a.m. Anyone who knows me knows I do not do mornings. I decided to stay at a hotel by the airport, Wednesday night, so that I could just catch their 5 a.m. shuttle and give myself a little more time to sleep. The event is held in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. The connecting flight was through Detroit. I had a feeling there would be some familiar faces on the connecting flight, considering that there are only about two flights into the town each day. My intuition was correct. I walked up to the gate and immediately saw Chip Coffey and a few others. I sat a few rows back from everyone because I had never really talked to any of the people that were there. Then I saw Grant Wilson heading toward the gate. He was just about to walk up to the group, when he spotted me. He walked past everyone and came to say hi. He joked that he was confused about which convention he was attending now because I always see him in Minnesota. He really is an amazing individual. He went back and joined the group. I heard rumor that the Tennessee Wraith Chasers were going to be on the flight, as well, but I had not seen them.
Everyone was cutting up and having a good, loud time. When I was boarding the plane, the gate agent laughed and said we had all been keeping her very entertained. Then when I was on the plane, the lady next to me asked if we were all going to a family reunion. I told her it pretty much was. It is our parafamily reunion. Every row of the tiny plane pretty much had a paranormal celebrity. Everyone was yelling back and forth to each other. The flight attendant was giving her first introduction speech, then chuckled and said, "I don't think y'all are paying attention to me anyway." As the last few people boarded, I saw them, Chris and Mike from TWC. They did make it! They sat two rows in front of me. I just found out who they were a few weeks prior and was super excited to meet them.
We flew into the tiny town with the tiny airport. I mean, seriously, I thought Fargo had a small airport until I flew into this one. A shuttle picked our crazy bunch up and delivered us to the Kewadin Hotel and Casino, the site of the amazing weekend to come. The inside is really cool. It is hard to explain but feels almost outdoorsy. Rock floors, a waterfall, the way the hall or "trail" isn't a straight line but has natural-feeling turns.
I made my way to my room. It was in the East Wing, which I was informed was recently renovated. It was a nice room. I unpacked and messaged Dave to see if he arrived, yet. He was one of the few not on the paranormal party plane. He said that he had already met up with Jeff and they were about to grab lunch. I rushed downstairs and joined them. I met Dave's new wife, Winnie. She was super nice. One thing to note...Dave is a funny man, Jeff is a funny man...get those two together and you are in for a good time. After lunch, though, Dave needed to prepare for his lecture so we parted ways. If you ever get a chance to see Dave speak, do it! Jeff as well. They are amazing speakers. I, unfortunately, had to miss Jeff's lecture, this year, because his lecture was scheduled too early for my taste. After Dave's lecture, he, Winnie, and I hung out at the bar with two other people who happened to also be from Texas. We shared drinks and laughs. The perfect start to the weekend.
Friday began for me around 11:30. As I was walking into the main building, I saw Chris and Mike heading to the bar for a lunch break. I didn't want to bother them so I went upstairs and started making my rounds on the vendor floor. They placed Dave's booth front and center. The perfect place for him. The next familiar face I saw was Grant. I asked him for my usual event picture. I planned on taking pictures with everyone but they were all pretty busy. I feel like I barely took any photos with anyone. Moving along, I came across Dustin, then Mike Smith (who sells amazing photographs). Then I headed into the next room. Here is where the table was set up for Chris and Mike. They apparently were still at lunch so I went downstairs and started exploring the hotel. In the casino wing, they have Native artifacts on display.
As I returned to the bar, I saw Chris and Mike sitting there. I went up to another side of the bar, grabbed a water, and then went to a more open spot (away from smoke) to stand and drink it. My back was facing them but I was standing at a pony wall right by where they had to exit. I was looking at my phone when I caught them leaving the bar in my peripheral. When they got about 3 feet past me, they stopped, turned around, and then walked up to me. They introduced themselves. I was in shock that they were actually introducing themselves to me but I just chatted right along with them with a confidence that I'm not even sure I knew I had. Mike said, "You haven't been by to see us at our table." I said, "I tried but you weren't there. You were down here. How can I say hi if you aren't there?" They both laughed and said I had a point. They said they needed to get back upstairs and I told them I would be by to get a picture.
I went back to my room for a bit. After all, I mostly go just for hanging out with everyone at the bar at night. When I was entering the main building, later, I heard Dave call me from my right. I looked over and he and Jeff were sitting around several microphones. Dave was setting up to record his podcast "Beyond the Darkness". Jeff was going to be his guest. He then proceeded to tell me that he was going to have a parashare segment and asked me to share a story. It was awesome getting to witness Dave record his show live. Wearing the earphones and speaking into the microphone made me want to be on the radio more. I'm a natural...just kidding. You should definitely check out Dave's show. www.podcastone.com/beyond-the-darkness
For a small little area, it was very easy to not find anyone you are looking for. I eventually lost Dave and Jeff, didn't see Dustin, it was crazy. I did end up finding Chris and Mike. They then proceeded to pull me up to the stage for karaoke. They chose "Friends in Low Places". I told them I had never done karaoke before but they said it would be fun. Oh darn...there were only two mics. I breathed a sigh of relief and sang my part from the side. That is, until Mike grabbed me, pulled me over by him, and shoved his mic in my face. I sang half a verse then politely let him have his microphone back.
Saturday, when I woke up, I was super grateful that I had a bottle of water by my bed. The alcohol was flowing the night before and I was parched! I took it easy. I didn't have any plans until the scheduled dinner that night. I attended the cocktail hour, hosted by Nick Groff, before the dinner. They had a man named Voltaire filming live at the convention. He came up and interviewed me for a second. (I was on radio, the night before, now live streaming...where do I start signing autographs?) He was surprised to learn I was there by myself from Texas. I love how everyone is always shocked that I'm that independent. I never even think about it until I get people's reactions. Before dinner, I met back up with Chris and Mike. We saw an extremely long line and realized that was the wait to get into the dinner hall. They told me to stick with them. We then went up to the hall doors, Chris told the staff I was with them, and, just like that, I was in the hall. Woohoo! I got to skip the line! The dinner was good and they had a celebrity panel for a rendition of The Match Game. They had the audience in tears at some points. My favorite part was when Josh Gates got so "frustrated" that he grabbed a corked bottle of wine by him, pulled the cork out with his teeth, spit it into the audience, then chugged the wine from the bottle.
Alas, it was the last night. The weekend was going by way too fast. It was time to try to track everyone down for a "see ya later". I saw Josh Gates. I was just about to say "I know you don't remember me", but before I could say a word, he said, "Hey! I know you!" I must say, that made me smile. I was able to get a picture with Jeff. He told me to look like I had never seen a camera before. Then, upon review, Chris had photobombed us, so now it looks like we are confused about the weirdo in the background. :) Good times, good times.
Then, too soon, it was Sunday. Time for us to all pile into the shuttle and go back to the one-room airport. It was great seeing old friends and gaining a couple of new ones. i know one thing, I will not let another two years go by between events.
My flight, Thursday morning, was at 7 a.m. Anyone who knows me knows I do not do mornings. I decided to stay at a hotel by the airport, Wednesday night, so that I could just catch their 5 a.m. shuttle and give myself a little more time to sleep. The event is held in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. The connecting flight was through Detroit. I had a feeling there would be some familiar faces on the connecting flight, considering that there are only about two flights into the town each day. My intuition was correct. I walked up to the gate and immediately saw Chip Coffey and a few others. I sat a few rows back from everyone because I had never really talked to any of the people that were there. Then I saw Grant Wilson heading toward the gate. He was just about to walk up to the group, when he spotted me. He walked past everyone and came to say hi. He joked that he was confused about which convention he was attending now because I always see him in Minnesota. He really is an amazing individual. He went back and joined the group. I heard rumor that the Tennessee Wraith Chasers were going to be on the flight, as well, but I had not seen them.
Everyone was cutting up and having a good, loud time. When I was boarding the plane, the gate agent laughed and said we had all been keeping her very entertained. Then when I was on the plane, the lady next to me asked if we were all going to a family reunion. I told her it pretty much was. It is our parafamily reunion. Every row of the tiny plane pretty much had a paranormal celebrity. Everyone was yelling back and forth to each other. The flight attendant was giving her first introduction speech, then chuckled and said, "I don't think y'all are paying attention to me anyway." As the last few people boarded, I saw them, Chris and Mike from TWC. They did make it! They sat two rows in front of me. I just found out who they were a few weeks prior and was super excited to meet them.
We flew into the tiny town with the tiny airport. I mean, seriously, I thought Fargo had a small airport until I flew into this one. A shuttle picked our crazy bunch up and delivered us to the Kewadin Hotel and Casino, the site of the amazing weekend to come. The inside is really cool. It is hard to explain but feels almost outdoorsy. Rock floors, a waterfall, the way the hall or "trail" isn't a straight line but has natural-feeling turns.
I made my way to my room. It was in the East Wing, which I was informed was recently renovated. It was a nice room. I unpacked and messaged Dave to see if he arrived, yet. He was one of the few not on the paranormal party plane. He said that he had already met up with Jeff and they were about to grab lunch. I rushed downstairs and joined them. I met Dave's new wife, Winnie. She was super nice. One thing to note...Dave is a funny man, Jeff is a funny man...get those two together and you are in for a good time. After lunch, though, Dave needed to prepare for his lecture so we parted ways. If you ever get a chance to see Dave speak, do it! Jeff as well. They are amazing speakers. I, unfortunately, had to miss Jeff's lecture, this year, because his lecture was scheduled too early for my taste. After Dave's lecture, he, Winnie, and I hung out at the bar with two other people who happened to also be from Texas. We shared drinks and laughs. The perfect start to the weekend.
Friday began for me around 11:30. As I was walking into the main building, I saw Chris and Mike heading to the bar for a lunch break. I didn't want to bother them so I went upstairs and started making my rounds on the vendor floor. They placed Dave's booth front and center. The perfect place for him. The next familiar face I saw was Grant. I asked him for my usual event picture. I planned on taking pictures with everyone but they were all pretty busy. I feel like I barely took any photos with anyone. Moving along, I came across Dustin, then Mike Smith (who sells amazing photographs). Then I headed into the next room. Here is where the table was set up for Chris and Mike. They apparently were still at lunch so I went downstairs and started exploring the hotel. In the casino wing, they have Native artifacts on display.
As I returned to the bar, I saw Chris and Mike sitting there. I went up to another side of the bar, grabbed a water, and then went to a more open spot (away from smoke) to stand and drink it. My back was facing them but I was standing at a pony wall right by where they had to exit. I was looking at my phone when I caught them leaving the bar in my peripheral. When they got about 3 feet past me, they stopped, turned around, and then walked up to me. They introduced themselves. I was in shock that they were actually introducing themselves to me but I just chatted right along with them with a confidence that I'm not even sure I knew I had. Mike said, "You haven't been by to see us at our table." I said, "I tried but you weren't there. You were down here. How can I say hi if you aren't there?" They both laughed and said I had a point. They said they needed to get back upstairs and I told them I would be by to get a picture.
I went back to my room for a bit. After all, I mostly go just for hanging out with everyone at the bar at night. When I was entering the main building, later, I heard Dave call me from my right. I looked over and he and Jeff were sitting around several microphones. Dave was setting up to record his podcast "Beyond the Darkness". Jeff was going to be his guest. He then proceeded to tell me that he was going to have a parashare segment and asked me to share a story. It was awesome getting to witness Dave record his show live. Wearing the earphones and speaking into the microphone made me want to be on the radio more. I'm a natural...just kidding. You should definitely check out Dave's show. www.podcastone.com/beyond-the-darkness
For a small little area, it was very easy to not find anyone you are looking for. I eventually lost Dave and Jeff, didn't see Dustin, it was crazy. I did end up finding Chris and Mike. They then proceeded to pull me up to the stage for karaoke. They chose "Friends in Low Places". I told them I had never done karaoke before but they said it would be fun. Oh darn...there were only two mics. I breathed a sigh of relief and sang my part from the side. That is, until Mike grabbed me, pulled me over by him, and shoved his mic in my face. I sang half a verse then politely let him have his microphone back.
Saturday, when I woke up, I was super grateful that I had a bottle of water by my bed. The alcohol was flowing the night before and I was parched! I took it easy. I didn't have any plans until the scheduled dinner that night. I attended the cocktail hour, hosted by Nick Groff, before the dinner. They had a man named Voltaire filming live at the convention. He came up and interviewed me for a second. (I was on radio, the night before, now live streaming...where do I start signing autographs?) He was surprised to learn I was there by myself from Texas. I love how everyone is always shocked that I'm that independent. I never even think about it until I get people's reactions. Before dinner, I met back up with Chris and Mike. We saw an extremely long line and realized that was the wait to get into the dinner hall. They told me to stick with them. We then went up to the hall doors, Chris told the staff I was with them, and, just like that, I was in the hall. Woohoo! I got to skip the line! The dinner was good and they had a celebrity panel for a rendition of The Match Game. They had the audience in tears at some points. My favorite part was when Josh Gates got so "frustrated" that he grabbed a corked bottle of wine by him, pulled the cork out with his teeth, spit it into the audience, then chugged the wine from the bottle.
Alas, it was the last night. The weekend was going by way too fast. It was time to try to track everyone down for a "see ya later". I saw Josh Gates. I was just about to say "I know you don't remember me", but before I could say a word, he said, "Hey! I know you!" I must say, that made me smile. I was able to get a picture with Jeff. He told me to look like I had never seen a camera before. Then, upon review, Chris had photobombed us, so now it looks like we are confused about the weirdo in the background. :) Good times, good times.
Then, too soon, it was Sunday. Time for us to all pile into the shuttle and go back to the one-room airport. It was great seeing old friends and gaining a couple of new ones. i know one thing, I will not let another two years go by between events.
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