Downtown in a ghostly light
In June, downtown Shreveport is going to host something new and different and – well – a little strange.
We’re calling it “Louisiana’s Weirder Side: Downtown Paranormal Fest.”
It will be held at multiple locations June 20-23 in downtown Shreveport and will feature speakers, ghost hunts, cemetery creeps and a big dollop of downtown history – both the history of the place as a whole and the history of individual buildings.
At last count, there were 11 ghost-hunting shows on television, everything from the popular “Ghost Hunters” on the Syfy Channel to “Ghost Adventures” on the Travel Channel to “Paranormal State” on the A&E network. Everyone is getting into the ghost-hunting act.
Downtown’s Municipal Memorial Auditorium plays a prominent role in the June 12 season premiere of Syfy’s “Ghost Hunters.” The auditorium, built in the 1920s, has long been associated with unusual happenings.
The list of shows devoted to the paranormal is lengthy and doesn’t even begin to touch the number of blogs, radio shows and podcasts devoted to the subject.
A radio program called “Coast to Coast AM” that deals with ghostly subjects is the most listened-to program in its overnight time slot and claims 3 million regular listeners.
I admit to being a skeptic. I believe all weird noises, cool breezes on a hot day, strange apparitions caught on lm and ying cutlery can be explained rationally, and I have never thought that spirits, ghosts or apparitions walk amongst us.
However, I have recently met many smart, savvy people, who – though skeptical – leave the door open for things they believe cannot be explained any other way. They study, they measure, they spend nights in buildings, and they compare notes. They tell me there is a LOT going on downtown. I would de nitely agree with that.
Downtown has many fascinating – and some grim – stories. In 1873, more than 700 yellow fever victims were interred in a giant communal grave in downtown’s Oakland Cemetery. The history books report the bodies were covered with broken shards of pottery and earth. Dig into the dirt around the roots of the oak tree that has grown on the site and you will nd small pieces of Victorian pottery, bone shards and the occasional tooth.
In many places downtown, two or three buildings stood on the site of where another building stands today.
The Caddo Parish Courthouse is the third structure to have stood at 500 Texas, and many tales are told about early justice meted out at the end of a hangman’s rope.
Downtown’s history is like an archeological site: The more you dig, the more you discover.
“This is the rst I have heard of a city using paranormal events for historical tourism and economic development,” said Deonna Kelli Sayed, author and paranormal investigator. “It’s innovative, a fresh way of looking at things.”
Sayed is the keynote speaker at the Downtown Shreveport Paranormal Fest and will lead investigations on both Friday and Saturday night in downtown buildings.
The goal of Louisiana’s Weirder Side is to attract people from outside Shreveport who will come to Shreveport, like what they see and decide this is a place that they would like to return … either for a vacation or to stay.
One thing is certain: No matter what your feelings about ghosts and the paranormal, the topics of the weekend will lead to discussion and debate, and, throughout it all, Shreveport’s downtown will be the star.
VIP tickets for a full weekend of Paranormal Fest events are available at: www.downtownshreveport.com.
Liz Swaine is the executive director of the Downtown Development Authority. She can be reached at [email protected].
