In a survey by OnePoll done in 2021, 63 percent of 2,000 respondents believed that paranormal activity exists, and 44 percent said they had a personal experience with paranormal presence, whether classified as ghosts, extraterrestrials or cryptids.

In Acadiana, we’ve grown fond of the slightly strange and unusual life – there’s an abundance of old, stately houses we live in, accepting the occasional cold draft and odd creak in the night, getting comfortable with spirits, aliens and other worldly concepts – after all, who doesn’t relish a good frisson brought on by a local ghost story?

That’s why it just makes sense that Louisiana Spirits is bringing the first-ever Cajun Country ParaCon to downtown New Iberia on March 23. Cajun Country ParaCon has something for every flavor of the paranormal – there will be celebrities from the ghost-hunting world, along with UFO experts and Bigfoot hunters.

The event will be held at the Sliman Theatre and Bayou Teche Museum, sites that have had their share of paranormal-seeming incidents investigated by Louisiana Spirits. Sponsors include the City of New Iberia, Bayou Teche Museum, the Iberia Parish Convention & Visitors Bureau, Macaroni Kid New Iberia, Albania Plantation and the Centerville Inn. Donations from the sale of tickets will be made to Angel Paws Adoption Center of New Iberia.

Louisiana Spirits State Director Marci Lee said, “We’ve been talking about having a ParaCon for several years. At an Acadiana chapter meeting last summer, the subject came up again, and we said, ‘it’s time, let’s do it.’ So the wheels were set in motion, and we’re excited to have our first event in downtown New Iberia. After this first event, our plan is to move the Cajun Country ParaCon to a different Acadiana location, and to make a donation to a different charity each year.”

Cajun Country ParaCon will feature photo opportunities and meet-and-greets with prominent figures in the paranormal realm. VIP attendees (sorry, folks, those tickets are sold out as of this printing) will have early access to featured celebrities, and participate in a ghost hunt at the Sliman and Bayou Teche Museum following the ParaCon. Master of Ceremonies will be Dave Schrader, of the Holzer Files, Discovery Channel and Travel Channel.

Shane Pittman and Josh Purvis, from the Searchers and 28 Days Haunted will also be there, along with a host of other para-celebrities including Sarah Lemos and Jereme Leonard from Ghosts of Morgan City, Ghost Hunting Housewives, Daniel Allen Jones, UFO expert and host of the Vortex YouTube Channel, representatives from Southern Heat Paranormal Investigations and more.

There will be vendors including Ethereal Voices Creative, Ghost Walk Farms, Feu Follet Candles. Angelic Path Spirit Guides, the Art of Magdalen Romero, Tavern of Wonder, and medium Kayla Materne. Food trucks will also be stationed in the Sliman’s parking lot, including Morvant’s Grill and RocStar. Cajun Country ParaCon is scheduled 9 a.m.–4 p.m.. Tickets will be $30 and are available on EventBrite. They will also be available for purchase at the door.

Founded in 2005 by Brad Duplechien & Brandon Thomas, Louisiana Spirits is the first Louisiana-based paranormal investigation group, and as their website proclaims, they are a serious group of professional and analytical individuals dedicated to investigating and researching paranormal activity. There are five chapters of this non-profit organization, North, Central, West, Acadiana and East Louisiana. They have conducted investigations in historic locations, plantations, businesses and private homes. An impressive list of sites in all categories can be found on their website, along with reports and follow-ups on many.

State Director Marci Lee puts their mission this way: “We are a group of data-driven people. We will make every attempt to debunk any seemingly paranormal occurrences. The vast majority of these occurrences can be debunked. We want those involved to feel better about their situation, so for any instances that cannot be debunked and seem to be legitimately paranormal, we also have access to experts – priests, other clergy, mediums – who can resolve these situations to everyone’s satisfaction.”

“We are dedicated to educating the public on the real mechanics of a ghost hunt – the equipment we use, the equipment we will NOT use, and what really happens on a ghost hunt,” said Lee. “On TV, you only see the edited results and evidence from what may have been four or five nights of an investigation, while we may only have four or five hours to be at a particular site, so we may not have as much evidence and it may not be as dramatic as on the show. We also want to emphasize that the paranormal is not wicked or evil as some may believe. Again, most of the incidents can be debunked, and our investigators are using methods based in science.”

Lee invites all interested parties to attend the Cajun Country ParaCon and find out more about the reality of paranormal investigation. “We’d like to make a substantial donation to Angel Paws, and we know many people have curiosity about the paranormal world. We’re here to educate and to illuminate you about the paranormal and give you a chance to meet and talk with respected investigators and experts in the field.”

BREAKOUT

Cajun Country ParaCon, Main Street, New Iberia.

Tickets are $30, now available on EventBrite – search Cajun Country ParaCon – or at the door all day March 23, 2024.

Sidebar:

Not Your Usual Suspects: Some Out of the Ordinary FUN Events

Krewe de Canailles Walking Parade Feb/ 2, 7 p.m, Downtown Lafayette. Quirky and fun, this year’s theme is Into the Shadowverse. Groups design and make their own costumes and throws.

Wildcat Brothers Rum School: log on to wildcatbrothers.com to schedule this two-hour educational and fascinating class! Learn about Wildcat Brothers’ rum distilling and taste the fruits of their labor.

Lundi Gras Bar-A-Thon Feb. 12, 5:30 p.m. Run 4.8 miles (or not, there’s a party bus making the route) from Café 20.3 on the Bayou, to various locations for ‘adult hydration’. Registration bags you free drinks at each stop, food at the end of the run, prizes for costumes and a Finisher’s Prize!

Mia Moore Presents Say Please, Feb. 17., 8 PM doors, Feed N Seed, Lafayette. One of the premier names in Lafayette burlesque presents a scintillating burlesque show sure to raise more than your spirits. Tickets $12-35, available at miamooreburlesque.com

Leap Day: Two diverse musical events to pick from:

Blake Shelton in concert at the Cajundome, and Jesus Christ Superstar at the Heymann Center.

Azalea Trail Trolley Tour – see Lafayette in bloom, March 2 & 9, $10 per person. More information available on Facebook.

Hamfest, Rayne Civic Center, March 9. If you love salty preserved pork, no. But if you enjoy talking to other operators all over the world with personal radio equipment, then yes, Hamfest is for you.