Paranormal investigator Matthew Jackson will lead paranormal tours of The Crump Theatre this weekend.
One need hardly wait for the actual day of Halloween for things to get creepy.
The Crump Theatre, long associated with misty figures and ghostly tales, will host the inaugural Tales From The Crump Paracon 2024 Friday through Sunday at the venue at 425 Third St. in d0wntown Columbus. The gathering of the paranormal is expected to attract maybe 500 people over two days, according to organizers.
This will be the first Paracon to be presented in Indiana since 2008.
And in keeping with the season, Jessica Schnepp, the Crump’s project manager, also has booked the following (these events are part of the venue’s anniversary celebration):
- Oct. 19: A surprise Halloween flick to be shown.
- Oct. 26: A concert with the popular Graveyard Stompers.
- Oct. 27: A joint Halloween concert with the Columbus Mandolin Orchestra and the Louisville Mandolin Orchestra, including the presentation of a tune written by a former Crump owner.
Plus, the Crump will be part of a new Bartholomew County Historical Society self-guided seven-location tour — Haunted History: Downtown’s Paranormal Past — on Nov. 1. Haunted History actors will portray, in first person, stories from their lives and the locations where they once lived.
With the coming Paracon weekend event, attendees and presenters are expected from several states. But Schnepp believes the schedule that includes paranormal Crump presentations led by paranormal investigator Matthew Jackson will attract people right here.
“I’m hoping to see a lot of local people,” Schnepp said. “There are a lot of good stories behind our local history.”
That includes the filmy lady in black that some people over the years say they have seen inexplicably appear near the Crump balcony. Storytellers say she is believed to be the spirit of Mae Dema Keith Hill, the Crump owner’s wife who died tragically in New York City. Some through the years also say they have seen a child ghost.
Promotional material for the event also highlights Crump tours on Friday and Saturday night by a duo known as The Ghost Brothers.
“Let’s see what you discover,” the event registration site says, “in areas left untouched for almost 135 years.”
And if one still needs more to bring him to the event? There also are plans for a discussion of the Mill Race Monster.
