By Molly Snyder Senior Writer Published Oct 14, 2016 at 3:04 PM

Just in time for the spookiest holiday of the year, the Milwaukee Paranormal Conference takes place this weekend, Oct. 15-16, in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s student union. 

This is the second year of the conference. The first happened in June 2015 at the Irish Cultural & Heritage Center.

Milwaukee author Tea Krulos organized the event after writing a non-fiction book, "Monster Hunters," and wanted to showcase the people and subject matter in his book.

"The conference idea quickly snowballed and became an event with an enthusiastic support base. It immediately became clear that a year two event could be built into an even larger conference," says Krulos.

Special guests will be flown in from around the country, including Loren Coleman, the world’s leading cryptozoologist (cryptozoology is the study of mystery animals like Bigfoot) and Katrina Weidman, the star of the ghost hunting reality shows "Paranormal State" and "Paranormal Lockdown."

The conference will also include local speakers, such as Allison Jornlin who will discuss weird moments in Wisconsin history.

"I guarantee you are going to hear local stories about ghosts, demonic possession and UFOs you've never heard before. You'll also learn about some lesser-known aspects of Milwaukee history," says Jornlin.

Jornlin runs the Milwaukee Ghosts website and founded the first ghost walk in Milwaukee called the Third Ward Haunted History Tours in 2008.

"I’ve been interested in the paranormal since I was child, but I’ve only been actively involved in ghost hunting since the late ‘90s," says Jornlin.

Jornlin says she has had many "unusual experiences," but there is one in particular that stands out.

"In 2001, I witnessed something that seemed unexplainable at a local restaurant with a history of ghostly reports spanning at least 20 years," says Jornlin. "A tray of glasses that I had observed earlier sitting undisturbed suddenly flew off a high shelf."

Jornlin says most of the wait staff seemed freaked out by it and one employee told her such things happened all the time.

"Unfortunately, I wasn’t looking directly at the tray of glasses at that moment. The tray fell farther than one might expect if it had simply slid off an unlevel surface," she says. "However, since I didn’t have the presence of mind to take measurements at the time I have no way to prove that. Today I carry a measuring tape in my bag just in case such an opportunity presents itself again."

Although Jornlin calls herself a skeptic, she also believes in the paranormal.

"I am a skeptic, but people who just dismiss the paranormal as impossible without investigating are unscientific cynics," she says. "For them there's never going to be enough proof. However, if you're open-minded and you really start digging into the details of a case once in awhile you find to your surprise that there's really something to it."

For tickets to the Milwaukee Paranormal Conference go here


Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.

Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.