Shannon Byers, the Paranormal Genealogist
Dalton Ghost Tours' December Pub Crawl is set to embark from Hamilton's Pizzeria Friday at 8 p.m. with special guests David and Shannon Byers of Timeless Paranormal Investigations out of Atlanta. The husband and wife duo are regular speakers at supernatural and horror conventions around the southeastern United States. On Friday they'll share some of their spooky supernatural experiences with pub crawlers.
Ms. Byers is known as the Paranormal Genealogist. When approached with a case, one of the first things she does is research the site extensively. She estimates that by the end of an investigation, she’ll put in weeks and sometimes even months of genealogical and historical research on the site and the city it’s located in to learn about any traumatic events that may have taken place.
“Some investigators like to go in, as they say, ‘cold’," said Mr. Byers. 'They don’t want to know any history; they just want to see what they can get. We want to find out as much as we can.”
Having knowledge about the site helps the couple prepare questions for the spirits, decipher the responses, and familiarize themselves with the terminology used during different periods of history.
David works for a firm that specializes in shielding radio frequencies, so he serves as the tech guy. The two utilize an array of equipment during an investigation, including Sony video cameras, a voice recorder, a Nikon SLR 7000 camera, EVP recorder, infrared and ultraviolet lights, a laser grid and l-shaped dowsing rods, often used to locate ground water or buried metals. They also use a SB7 spirit box, which sweeps AM and FM radio frequencies at a high speed producing white noise that can be used to communicate.
After a belly dance performance by Jamie Gray of Blue Sun Fusion Belly Dance, guests will learn about Dalton's haunted past and present from Connie Hall-Scott, the author of "Haunted Dalton, Georgia" and the operator of Dalton Ghost Tours; while chatting and mingling with Mr. and Ms. Byers.
Tickets go on sale inside Hamilton's Pizzeria, at 243 N. Hamilton St. in historic downtown Dalton, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Ticket price is $12 person or two tickets for $20. Cash only. A one-purchase minimum is required at each of the three stops. Pub Crawl begins at 8 p.m.
For more information call 706.275-4416 and leave a message. Calls will be returned. Reservations are not required.