Is it just me, or are the Phenomenology events just getting better and better every year? This year there was a zombie prom, extremely late nights, amazing guests and attendees, junior ghost hunt... another great time to be had by all. Would I be overstepping my bounds to say this is turning into my favorite event of the year?
So, I have decided to share as much as I could with you that I remember. Like I mentioned, the days were long. I believe I received about 7 hours of sleep the entire weekend. So, I will do my best to recall as much as I possibly can.
It's hard to find a good place to start sharing my experiences from Phenom 105. I guess I can start with the fire that started the night before I headed to Gettysburg. At 3am, one of my neighbors houses caught fire and the fire trucks came roaring in at around 3am. Needless to say, I had slept for 5 hours that night. A very strange start to the long weekend that followed.
The fire...
I rode down with our awesome videographer, Gary. I was pretty excited for Gettysburg, so I talked his ear off the entire trip down. Too much coffee + excitement will do that to you sometimes.
Gary and I.
We pulled into Gettysburg after about 3 hours on the road and proceeded to check in. We checked into the Eisenhower Hotel at around 3pm. Loading in the equipment was easy and quick. As soon as we walked in the door, we ran into so many awesome friends from events past. I wish I could list everyone, but I do not have enough time to do so.
First night, we went to General Lee's Headquarters to lead an investigation with about 15 people or so. The activity in my group seemed pretty minimal at first, but after review, the group received some pretty good EVPs. All in all, a knowledgeable group that were very professional.
We rolled back in a bit after 2am and ran into everyone in the lobby. Of course, the guitars were out and the drinks flowing. I had brought my acoustic guitar, so I joined in on the jam circle. I believe I got to bed at around 7am that morning. Good times... good times.
About 2 hours later, I was up and showered to tackle the vendor room. We had decided to go to the Lincoln Diner in town that morning. If you have never gone there, DO SO. I love that place. They have great coffee and the food is awesome as well. We loaded up quickly and headed back to the vendor room.
The vendor room seemed bigger this time around. I think they had added another row for vendors. It had a great selection of everything paranormal.
It was at time I ran into most of the friends I made over the past few years. I should not call them friends. Cause they are much more than that at this time. They are family in my book.
Drama is non-existent at this event. I have a feeling if drama ever showed it's ugly face at this event, everyone in the place would sense it and it would be removed quickly and efficiently. Phenom events are para-drama free zones and that is one of the beautiful things that make it so special.
At night, the guitars always came out again and jammin' went till about 6am or so. Sleep was overrated this weekend. I am still feeling the aftermath and sleep deprivation.
Photo by Melissa Leeper
We took so many photos and had a million conversations the entire weekend. This goes hands down as THE best paranormal event I have ever attended to date. Dana Wingerd, Chris Wingerd, and entire NEPI crew run a tight event. No hiccups. Just purely an amazing time. I am confident that next year will be just as amazing.
I should note, that about 2 months or so ago, I had an idea. I knew that the zombie prom was happening at Phenom this year, so I knew we had to put something together for filming. Once I had the initial idea, I pulled in Gary and Ricky(Our videographers) to tighten up the concept. They always come up with the most hilarious and creative ideas. Here is that video for your viewing enjoyment:
So, let's run up some more photos!
