Boo Business: Savannah Horror Fest spreads love, information about the paranormal

“Savannah being the most haunted city; why don’t we have anything like this?”

Patrick Welsh is no stranger to the spooky side of Savannah. He’s the founder of the Paranormal Society of Savannah, the Scare Master for the Alee Terror Plantation, and the owner of Haunted Grounds Coffeein Midway.

As he said, for a city with such a haunted reputation, it’s strange that Savannah doesn’t havemore paranormal conventions. Welsh hopes to change that with Savannah Horror Fest Presents A Paranormal Convention on Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Alee Shrine, 100 Eisenhower Drive.

“We wanted to do it last August,” said Welsh. Unfortunately, his work with the annual Terror Plantationat the Alee Shrine in October got in the way of planning the convention. Now he’s training someone tohelp take some of that responsibility in order to better grow projects like Savannah Horror Fest.

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Taking on a convention is not the easiest thing to do, but Welsh is confident that he has planned a solidfoundation. “We’ve got a lot of personal friends and people we’ve just known that were like, yeah, man,let’s do something.”

Even though this is a first-year convention, Welsh has been able to put together an impressive guestroster, including “Paranormal State” investigator Heather Taddy. “We talked to her about this time lastyear, and she said she’d love to come to Savannah. She’s never been.”

William Mark McCullough will also be there. While he was known first as an actor, he’s now known forhis haunted home on that he based the film “A Savannah Haunting." “He grew up with one of [theParanormal Society of Savannah] team members. We were lucky to investigate his house numeroustimes before the movie came out. He’s good friends with us now.”

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McCullough will be joined by another cast member, Jaelyn Buffkin, who plays Alice in the film. Welsh saidhe knew Buffkin and her mother through Haunted Grounds Coffee. “Little Jaelyn’s come out to thecoffee shop a few times.” They’ve set up a table for her there to sign autographs and take pictures.When Welsh reached out about the convention, he said her mother was excited to accept the offer.McCullough and Buffkin will have a panel discussion about “A Savannah Haunting” and the home it isbased on.

Another actor on the guest roster is Courtney Gains, who is probably most recognized for his role asMalachai in the original “Children of the Corn” film. Gains is another acquaintance of a ParanormalSociety of Savannah team member.

Of course, there will be plenty of paranormal investigators and authors.  “The other paranormal teamsthat are coming are ones that we’ve known or have worked with in the past. They’re really good friendsand a lot of them have interesting stories.” That includes Olde World Paranormal Society from FortWayne, Indiana, and Southern Heat Paranormal from Warner Robbins, Georgia.

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There will be also panels and workshops discussing paranormal investigations, equipment, and analyzingevidence. “That’s the fun part, too. Meeting somebody or asking questions so that you can further yourresearch and your knowledge of paranormal investigating.”

Welsh hopes to grow the Savannah Horror Fest and be able to attract bigger and more eclectic names infuture years. “We just want to share our experiences and share the love of paranormal investigating andghost hunting.”

If you’re interested in attending, tickets for Savannah Horror Fest start at $15 for the Saturdayconvention. Military members and children ages 12 and under are free. There are other packages thatinclude special events like a paranormal investigation at Graveface Museum with Heather Taddy.

For more information, go to SavannahScare.com.

IF YOU GO

What: Savannah Horror Fest

When: Saturday

Where: Alee Shrine, 100 Eisenhower Drive

Cost: Tickets start at $15

Info: SavannahScare.com

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah GA events: Savannah Horror Fest starts paranormal convention