In case you missed it, the conference began on Thursday April 29th with an overnight stay aboard the Haunted USS Hornet, the decommissioned aircraft carrier famous for its distinguished service in the World War II and the flawless recovery of the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 astronauts. While the night was filled with socializing, story telling, and for some people in the spirit circle, it wasn’t until the lights went out at 12:00 am that things livened up. Several of the guests reported their cots shaking uncontrollably beneath them, others heard footsteps racing through the ship’s narrow passageways and more than one guest reported hearing a large boom resonate throughout the ship.

The next morning was a free day. The guests checked into the Tuscan Inn, a European Style Hotel (pictured above) located in the heart of Fisherman’s wharf. Those who had the fortune (or misfortune depending on your perspective) of sleeping the night before, headed out to experience San Francisco. Some shopped, some went sight seeing while others took the opportunity to drop by Wondercon, the large comic and pop culture event being held that same weekend. Friday was punctuated by a hosted cocktail party complete with an over abundance of hors devours, pizza, beer and wine.

For an all too short ninety minutes, Mr. Hauck mesmerized the audience with personal experiences and second hand accounts, beginning with a hair-raising tale of the goings on at the Vineyard House in Coloma California; a place filled with such evil that it drove the original owner mad to the point where his wife was compelled to chain him to a post outside the home. His tales culminated with his own personal accounts of the Black Forest Hauntings. In between he described various poltergeists, apparitions and one spirit who believed that just because you are dead doesn’t mean you can’t be a ladies man.

After lunch Laurie Jacobson, stepped up to the plate. Ms. Jacobson is a recognized Hollywood Historian and the author of Hollywood Haunted and Dishing Hollywood. Basically, Laurie digs up the Hollywood dirt then talks about who is buried beneath it. Whether it was the story of Ozzie Nelson’s fast hands, the gun toting apparition of George Reeves, or Fritz the ghost of Grauman’s Chinese Theater that nobody wants to talk about, Laurie had the inside skinny on Hollywood’s Celebrity Dead. So, Laurie, it begs the question, what’s the scoop on Keith Richards? Dead? Undead? Inquiring minds want to know.

Next was Lloyd Auerbach, consulting editor for Fate Magazine, adjunct professor at JFK University and author of Ghost Hunting - How to Investigate the Paranormal and like all good cleanup hitters, Mr. Auerbach did what all good cleanup hitters do: he drove home all that came before him. Combining the tools of multi-media and a natural stage presence Mr. Auerbach’s discussions regarding psychokinesis, poltergeists and emotional imprints served to reinforce and expand upon all the experiences that had been presented throughout the day. In addition, his account of Lois (the spirit with a strong sense of humor and a personality) demonstrated that sometimes ghosts inhabit the earth not because they are bound to the world of the living due too unfinished business, but rather because they choose to hang around of their own free will.

Between sessions, all lecturers were accessible to the conference goers to autograph books, buy t-shirts or just talk about the paranormal. In addition Tamara Thorne dropped by to sign her vast array of books including her Sorority Trilogy and talk about her new book Thunder Road.

The conference concluded the only way it could, with a Vampire Tour of San Francisco. Those that dared to participate got a first hand account of the Legend and Lore that surrounds the vampires that live and breed in the hills by the Bay.