When: Oct. 13, 2017, doors open at 6, close at 9. Haunted Tours, 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 PM
Where: Patty and Friends, 1241 Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. St North. St. Petersburg.
Co-hosts: SPIRITS of St. Petersburg (www.spiritsofstpetersburg.com), contact Brandy Stark, PhD, tbspirits@netscape.net), Patty and Friends, contact name: Shari, 727/822-2106.
Come show us your spirit –and we’ll show you ours! This year is spectacular for spooks – October hosts a Friday the 13th two weeks before Halloween. Start the season of the dead with a free paranormal tour of Patty and Friends co-hosted by the SPIRITS of St. Petersburg. This year is extra special for the SPIRITS who are celebrating their 20th year as St. Pete’s local paranormal team.
What better place to celebrate the ghostly than at Patty and Friends, Florida’s oldest antiques mall, which is housed in a 100-year-old building. The spectral residents love the place and make themselves known. Reported phenomena from employees started when items were mysteriously moved at night, though the building was locked. Others heard the sounds of footsteps, rustlings, muffled conversations, and a few felt temperature shifts. Aromas of perfumes, flowers, and cigar smoke move through the area. The SPIRITS have identified three predominant personalities who linger on the property:
The Tinkerer is an older man who manifests through temperature shifts. He is sensed as an older gentleman in coveralls working, or tinkering, with electronics in one part of the store. Though he does not do much with standard ghost investigation equipment, he does drop the room temperature upon request – phenomena witnessed not only through multiple SPIRITS investigations but by employees and at least one tour group.
The Seamstress is a woman from the early half of the 20th century. She is soft spoken and sometimes complains of pain in her hands derived from hours of working. She is a weaker entity, but during the 2017 recheck she did produce two soft electronic voice recordings.
The Protector is an older gentleman sometimes seen near the stairwell. A couple of eye witness reports see him wearing a seersucker suit and a straw hat. He sometimes moves items, and his love of smoking cigars leaves a smoky smell when he’s around.
The event is free and open to the public. In order to keep the tours manageable, please contact Shari at Patty and Friends to sign up for a tour at 6:30, 7:30 or 8:30. Tours are approximately 30 minutes; they are fully inside the building. Patrons are encouraged to come 30 minutes before the scheduled tour to explore the area, shop for antiques, and ask questions to SPIRITS members who are present. Doors open at 6 PM. Patty and Friends is hosting a free door prize for those who attend; winners will be contacted after the event.