Spooktacular Speaker Series
Join us for our Spooktacular Speaker Series, where history and mystery come alive! From chilling tales of witch hunts to eerie ghost stories and local legends, each night will take you deeper into the spooky side of our past. This series is in partnership with the Preston Historical Society.
Time: 6:00pm-7:30pm
Location: Long Society Meeting House
Ages: Open to all ages!
Fee: Free of charge!
Friday, October 3
Ghosts and Legends by Jeff Belanger
This ghostly multi-media program will take you on a journey through the haunts in your backyard, and around the world. Pulling from Jeff's 25 years of research for his books, podcasts, adventures, and the various television shows he’s worked on, join one of the nation's premiere storytellers for a trip through the unusual and the unexplained.
Friday, October 10
Local Spooky Stories by Carol Stearns
Carol is an experienced historical, cultural and educational storyteller enlivening imaginations through the ancient art of performance storytelling. Cultures, traditions and legends have been carried forth for thousands of years through the spoken word, and I am proud to continue this art form today. Every story carries with it characters, events, themes and conflicts that listeners of all ages can delve into and relate with. I craft each story to suit the audience and theme, creating a captivating atmosphere and thrilling event.
Friday, October 17
New England's Other Witch Hunt by Walt Woodward
Everyone knows about the witch hunt at Salem in 1692. But few people know that in the years before Salem, Connecticut was New England’s fiercest witch prosecutor. The first person hanged for witchcraft in New England came from Windsor, and every single person indicted for witchcraft in Connecticut in its early years was convicted and hanged. Walt Woodward brings this extraordinary and nearly forgotten story to life in a lecture that begins with the Protestant Reformation and traces its history all the way through the Hartford Witch hunt of the 1660’s. Along the way, he answers all those questions you’ve wondered about the early witch hunts, and explains why almost everyone in the 1600s believed that witchcraft was very real, and terribly dangerous.