Introducing new organizers for Bay Area Ghost Hunters

Under threat of the MeetUp group, Bay Area Ghost Hunters, being dissolved after losing its second organizer that I'm aware of, I decided to take a shot at managing it. With 227 members already signed up at the time, it would have been a shame to let it go to waste. It will now be centered around San Jose, California. I created the Gather group, Bay Area Ghost Hunt, to give members the opportunity to post their stories, pictures and videos of their experiences.

I should introduce myself. I've had a life-long interest in ghosts and the paranormal. My hobby is reviewing haunted hotels, destinations, and restaurants, as well as books, movies, and documentaries on the subject. For anyone wanting to read my reviews, please go to my Epinions profile page to see my complete catalog.  I have also been thinking about writing a book on local ghost folklore for the longest time, so if anyone knows of any hauntings in Santa Clara County, please pass them along. I formed an on-line group on Gather, NorCal Ghost Stories, to encourage folks to tell their stories. If you'd rather do it privately, please email me directly.

I would also like to introduce Monique Morales, who will be helping me organize Bay Area Ghost Hunters. Without her encouragement, I doubt I would have taken on this challenge. We have currently planned a general meetup in the San Jose area to give everyone a chance to meet BAGH's new organizers. I am also monitoring the e-mail list to ensure all messages are on topic and not spam, so she'll probably be helping out with that too. She may also be organizing meetups when I can't. In addition, she hosts the San Francisco Bay Area Live Music Meetup Group, so if you're into music as well, please check that out.

I realize most of the folks out there who join this group want to investigate haunted sites, but the bad news is—although I've spent time in the haunted rooms of several hotels—I have had no experience in serious paranormal investigations. All I know about that is what I've learned from Ghost Hunters and Most Haunted. I would like to thank the experienced people who volunteered their services to show us the ropes. I hope we'll be taking advantage of their offers in the not-too-distant future.  I imagine that the number of folks participating in investigations will be limited, since ghosts are like cats. They don't like big noises and crowds of people. There is also no reason why we can't do other things. I am likely to set up ghost tours and there are a few offered in San Francisco I haven't tried yet, as well as the one in Murphys, California, currently posted on the BAGH home page.

In the meantime, it is my goal to meet up at least once a month—even if it is just for drinks or a meal at a haunted pub or restaurant.  Please go to Bay Area Ghost Hunters home page for the details of our upcoming meetups.  At the time I took over this MeetUp group, I was already planning a trip to go on a ghost walk of downtown Murphys. I know Calaveras County is quite a field trip for San Francisco Bay Area folks, but I'm sure California Haunts, who is hosting the ghost walk, would appreciate a good turnout.

Please note I removed the dues requirement for BAGH. I understand that has been deterrent for some folks, but there are some expenses required to maintain this listing at MeetUp.com. From time to time, I may charge fees for some events to cover expenses or ensure attendance. I may even ask for donations. At this point, I have credit cards to pay off and really can't afford the additional bill, so I hope some of you who are willing and able will find this group worth helping out from time to time. The Murphys ghost walk has a fee, but none of that money is going to BAGH. It's a fundraiser for California Haunts.

One of our long-time members has given me a little background on this group, since I have yet to participate in any of its events myself. The impression that I took is that there was a conflict in expectations and some members splintered off BAGH to form another group that required a tough screening process to be accepted into to their fold. I don't know if it was a matter of personality clashes or some folks taking the paranormal investigations more seriously than others. I intend to fully support the hard core investigators of the group and would even be willing to help out on some investigations, but I must remind folks that the highlights they see on Ghost Hunters or Most Haunted are just that, highlights. Frequently, it can be quite boring sitting around in the dark at the sites waiting for something to happen (and not always bearing fruit) and then having to watch and listen to every minute of the tapes generated to find anything unusual. And I'm talking about hours and hours of sitting around or watching boring tapes. If you don't have the patience to do that, please don't volunteer for serious investigations.

Apparently, another past problem with BAGH is that people were agreeing to come to meetups and then not showing up. It seems with 225 current members, we should be able to see some people show up. Monique and I are both taking on this challenge for a few months to see how it goes. If the results are disappointing, we will reconsider the time we're putting into this.

Adrienne Foster
BAGH Organizer