After a three year investigation into what goes bump in the night at the five Western Development Museum (WDM) locations, it’s now ready to share its findings with the public.
On Oct. 25, at 5:30 p.m. the community is invited to view actual footage as well as participate in a question and answer session with the investigators who staked out the museums to gather information for a new book entitled: You Are Not Alone: Investigating Paranormal Activity at the Western Development Museum.
“There seems to be an ever-expanding interest in the paranormal in popular culture,” Joan Champ, WDM executive director states. “Whether it's on movie screens, television, magazine and book stands, or radio paranormal investigations seem to be everywhere. The Western Development Museum is just one of the many museums throughout the world which have hosted paranormal investigations. Interest in the paranormal and the past are complimentary subjects which can allow museums to raise public awareness about history.”
WDM was approached by the Saskatchewan Ghost Hunters Association in Saskatoon, which initiated the three year project.
“It led to interesting results and hundreds of hours were spent at all five locations,” project coordinator Jan Olsen told the Times-Herald. “The investigations involved eight investigators and staff,who would stay from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. to investigate.”
Olsen said a big draw to the project are the historical and factual information that is brought up with the paranormal research.
“In addition to collecting and preserving historical artifacts,” Champ said, “the Western Development Museum tells stories about the objects in its care. The paranormal project has given the museum a unique opportunity to tell stories in a different way. The WDM aims not only to educate but to entertain the public it serves. Be prepared to experience some chills and thrills as you explore the pages of You Are Not Alone.”
“People wonder what happens when we leave this world, and such investigations have taken place at other museums in Canada... every artifact has a story and a link to history,” Olsen said.
For more on this story pck up the next issue of the Times-Herald.
