Local group searches for paranormal activity

Got ghosts? The Pennsylvania Valley Paranormal Alliance sets out to find the answer.

In 2008, David Conklin Jr. and his brother, Eric, of Nanticoke, set out on their first paranormal hunt at the Avondale Mine site.

The Avondale Mine Disaster in Luzerne County was an accident that claimed the lives of 110 miners and mine laborers in 1869. The site is reportedly very haunted and dangerous.

"I was actually very knowledgeable of the site since I grew up on Avondale Hill," Eric said. "So myself and my two other brothers went to the site and did our first 'official' investigation."

Besides the Conklin brothers, the members of the group include Heather May, Hughesville; Jimmy Johnson, Hazelton, Webmaster, writer and researcher; Brett May, investigator and EMF (Electro Magnetic Field) technician; Jason Sergaij, investigator, real-time EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) specialist; Mark Regulski, historian; John Blazes, Shavertown, investigator; and Ken Kudrat, Miners Mills, investigator.

"With the group I would have to say the Avondale Mine site was the most memorable and stressful experience I have had yet. I could hear a boy talking to me," Heather said. "I was being touched and poked at and the feeling there was very intense and scary. It is a place that I would never return to again after some of the experiences I had."

Conklin decided to start the group because he wanted to learn more about the paranormal experiences that have happened in his life. He was also into the ghost hunting shows for a while and that sparked his curiosity.

Conklin got his equipment from amazon.com. He also shops at ghostaugustine.com and digitaldowsing.com, really a combination of a lot of places, he said.

"I do not feel that anyone can start a group or team. It takes a lot for people to take what we do seriously," Conklin said. "I mean, we understand it's hard to trust strangers coming into your house."

Eric is the founder of the group and considers his expertise the KII meter, which picks up radio frequency signals, cell phone, CB and ham radio signals. He also studies EVPs and EMFs, which are electronically captured sounds that resemble speech, but are not the result of intentional voice recordings. Eric has written several blogs in relation to paranormal research. He also is head of the evidence team.

"I hold true to my open-minded approach to the paranormal. I believe the 'what if' factor is what attracts people to paranormal research," Eric said. "Asking questions and analysis is the key to learning about the paranormal."

During the group's visit, Eric said the team documented some unusual activity. The brothers went back to the site several times and began appreciating the science of ghost hunting.

"I began to realize that more people needed to experience this site," Eric said.

PVPA became a reality in September 2008. The group has done several investigations since that time and now has nine members. In February 2008, Hazleton Paranormal, another paranormal group, got together and visited the Avondale site.

"They were a very experienced group and I learned a lot from them," Eric said. "That particular night there really was not much activity, but I made some really great friends in the process."

Eric later was contacted by another group in February from Toms River, N.J., called the Society of Cryptic Anomaly Research. The groups researched the Avondale site on April 11, 2008. They later did another investigation at the Shanley Hotel in Napanoch, N.Y., on July 25, 2009.

There never is a charge and the group does not accept donations of any kind. Conklin said that no one should ever be charged for an investigation.

Conklin is based out of Luzerne (Nanticoke) but has case managers working in Lycoming and Lackawana counties.

"We wanted to branch out so we could make ourself more available to the eastern and central part of the state," Conklin said. "We do this because we enjoy it. So an hour or two drive is not that big of a deal. We just wanted to give ourself more opportunity to help people."

"I did this all in less than nine months of forming my group. I owe a lot to these people who have taken me under their wing," Eric said. "We go over procedures to properly understand the equipment. We research. We have to rule out every natural cause and use a protocol before calling something paranormal."

Eric said he wants people to know that most of the time what they believe to be paranormal is not.

"If it is paranormal, most of the time there is nothing to worry about. Most spirits are harmless," Eric said. "We currently do not use a psychic or medium. I would like to find one to get a different perspective, but we will only rely on our scientific evidence."

Eric said most skeptics don't understand his job.

"I am pretty laid back and I do understand that point of view because I was there at one point," Eric said.

Heather, however, said that her goal is to help people who are experiencing the paranormal and "be able to make them comfortable and help them understand what they are experiencing."

"I think people would like to know what's out there. I think they want to find the answers to the question 'what if,' " Eric said.

Heather agreed.

"We are passionate about what we do and would never disrespect someone for not believing. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. We are here for those who need help and have questions. We are here to educate," Heather said. "If more people would open up to it, they would see an exciting and amazing new part of their life unfold."

Conklin said that no one in this field is an expert since they are dealing with something no one really has an answer for. What they do is experimental.

"We really approach every investigation with an open mind. We listen to what they are telling us and then we base our research on what they tell us," Conklin said. "I consider what we do as common sense."

The group will be in town to host an equipment presentation and discussion from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 24 at Hughesville Public Library, 146 S. Fifth St.

Members also will host a private site investigation Saturday at a home in Milton. May is the acting case manager for the Williamsport-Hughesville areas.

For more information, visit www.site.pavalleyparanormal.com or www.myspace.com/pavalleyparanormal.