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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2017
CONTACT US
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IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON
IS THAT YOU, BIGFOOT
COME BACK JIMMY DEAN
TUNNELING FOR GHOSTS
F
J
ust in time for Halloween: A Bigfoot sighting. It was near
Avocado Lake in Fresno County, California. Jeffrey Gon-
zalez of Paranormal Central (www.paranormalcentral.net) told
KMPH that a farmer near the lake reported seeing a family of
bigfoots (bigfeet?) running on his property.
“One of them, which was extremely tall, had a pig over its
shoulder,” Gonzalez said. “And the five scattered, and the one
with the pig was running so fast it didn’t see an irrigation pipe
and it tripped, with the pig flying over” (http://tinyurl.com/avo-
cadoBF). The Bigfoot photo shown is courtesy of Paranormal
Central.
There have been three sightings in the last five years around
this same area. “What are the odds,” Gonzalez asks, “of three
people, three different families, who don’t know each other,
within a radius of 2 to 3 miles, come and tell me what they wit-
ness, and it matches up?”
By the way, email Gonzalez at SangerParanormal@aol.com
if you happen to see a Bigfoot in this neck of the woods, or any-
where else. Inquiring minds want to know.
HORROR SHOWS
F
un rerun (Oct. 25, 2013): Halloween would not be
complete without mention of Astoria’s very own glam-
our ghoul, Vampira, aka Maila Nurmi, who wrote “The
Ghost Of James Dean” in 1964 for Borderline Mag-
azine, “which dares the unknown” (http://tinyurl.com/
mailadean). A section of the magazine’s cover is shown.
“I have always been interested in psychic phenomena,”
she revealed, so it wasn’t a big surprise when Dean, who
was a close friend, made his presence known to her several
times after his death in 1955.
The events mainly involve his communicating with
Vampira via a cut-up photograph of himself which he had
pinned to her wall with a small dagger five weeks before
his death.
In one incident, the photo fluttered off the wall and
landed on actor Tony Perkins’ midsection. Vampira imme-
diately pinned it back up. Twenty-five minutes later, she
received the phone call informing her that James Dean had
died at 6:10 p.m., the exact time his photo fell.
Shortly after his death, mediums contacted her to tell
her that James Dean was in great pain because he was
earthbound. So, she asked the photo on her wall if it was
true. “The top part of the ear wiggled,” she reported, “…
and at the same time from my radio came the song, ‘Dig
Me A Hole and Bury Me Deep and I Will Lie in Peace.’”
And the story gets stranger from there, moving on to
a consultation with famed astrologer Sydney Omarr, a
chilling seance and incendiary ashtrays. “The word spread
— fast — word of the ‘haunted’ house on Larrabee Street
in Hollywood,” she wrote.
No doubt about it, Vampira spins a good spooky yarn.
un rerun (May 11, 2012): Many Astoria houses and buildings are
believed to be rife with the restless spirits of the dead, so Portlander
Roger Clooten (formerly of Seaside) of NW Ghost Recon (www.
facebook.com/nwghostrecon) went searching for Astoria’s Ghosts in
the tunnels under the city.
The paranormal investigators use electronic voice phenomena,
using video, sound and full spectrum photography equipment to docu-
ment their findings. A psychic is on staff, and they consult with a para-
normal scientist and an electronic engineer, as well.
“I do this because I want people to know the paranormal is real,”
Roger asserted. “It’s not a joke.” He would like people to look at the
paranormal scientifically.
Roger’s first reaction to Astoria’s underground, not surprisingly,
was “it’s disgusting down there.” He took a camera, and went in from
the basement at Godfather’s Books and headed south, to 11th and
Exchange streets.
And yes, he believes it’s haunted. He looked up and down each
tunnel, and something caught his eye. It looked like a woman standing
there, “a shadow person,” he said. He saw other apparitions, too. One
of his photos is shown.
Are there really ghosts in the tunnels? Since it’s commonly believed
that several houses and buildings around town are haunted, why not?
THE MEDIUM HAS THE MESSAGE
GHOSTLY HANGOUTS
F
H
alloween often equals settling in with a huge bowl of pop-
corn and watching really bad B-movies of the horror/creepy/
science fiction genre. With that in mind, the Ear went online to
find some freebies to watch.
For a collection of horror movies you’ve never heard of, like
“Tomb of Torture,” check out http://tinyurl.com/hallohorror1.
Then there’s Archive.org, which has a plethora of pithy titles,
like “Bloody Pit Of Horror” and “The Screaming Skull”
(a blood-curdling gem the Ear recalls from when she was but
an Earlet). Bonus bonbon: The Archive movies can either be
watched online (not great quality), or downloaded.
Want to see Astoria’s Vampira’s (Maila Nurmi) very worst
movie — and, arguably, the worst horror movie ever made —
1959s “Plan 9 From Outer Space,” also starring Bela Lugosi of
Dracula fame? Go to http://tinyurl.com/ughplan9 to punish your-
self. A screen shot of Vampira from the film is shown.
Speaking of Bela Lugosi, how about watching 1940s “The
Devil Bat” (http://tinyurl.com/battybela)? He plays a doctor who
creates giant bats to murder those who have done him wrong.
Have a flapping good time.
ONE LAST TWEET
T
witter posts have taken a macabre twist with the Tweet Here-
after website (http://thetweethereafter.com), a compilation
of the last Twitter tweets by “notable, newsworthy, famous or
infamous people.”
Some posts can be downright creepy, such as that of software
engineer Kate Von Roeder, who said, “Adios folks. Good luck
y’all,” in 2014, and even tweeted a link to a suicide note on her
Facebook page (Note: It’s still there).
Others are poignant, such as surfing filmmaker Sonny Mill-
er’s tweet, “I get by with a little help from my friends! Live to
Love! Love to Live! Love You Live!” He died of a heart attack
at noon the next day.
What will your last words be?
I
f the home-grown local Astoria ghosts have become too
familiar, and only evoke a ho-hum instead of chills, the
Ear has just the solution for you: A list of ghostly hangouts
that are all within around 100 miles of Astoria, found at
www.hauntedplaces.org).
Did you know about Fort Stevens’ spook? The web-
site says: “... Battery Russell has a bike path said to be
haunted by a man in his twenties who holds a flashlight
and searches for enemy soldiers. Unexplained sounds also
have been reported, as well as cold spots and the apparition
of a man in fatigues carrying a long knife.”
And then there’s the Old Wheeler Hotel, in Wheeler,
where ghostly apparitions appear “in reflections or from
the corner of their eyes, and spirit orbs have appeared in
photographs.”
The Tokeland (Washington) Hotel sounds positively
creepy: “A ghost called Charley haunts this hotel, said to
be an illegal immigrant from China who died in the hotel in
the 1930s. He has been seen in the hallways and has been
known to cause dinner plates at the restaurant to fly up or
spin around. A ghost cat also wanders around the place.
The most haunted room in the hotel is Room 7, rumored to
have been the site of a long-ago murder.”
And then there’s Billy’s Bar and Grill Restaurant in
Aberdeen, Washington: “Formerly the union building for
sailors arriving from the nearby port, this restaurant was
the scene of many murders by a bartender, who befriended
weary sailors before shooting them and pushing their bod-
ies into the river running adjacent to where the building
now stands.”
Many have seen the homicidal bartender with the
icy glare, standing behind the bar, who disappears when
approached. Shot glasses do tricks, ghostly voices have
been heard, cold spots abound, and apparitions of a sailor
and ladies of the night have been spotted, as well. It’s likely
not an ideal spot for a nice, relaxing drink.
However, if you’re a ghost hunter or enthusiast, this list
should be right up your long, dark alley.
rom the Sunday, Oct. 31, 1897, edition of The Daily Morn-
ing Astorian: Dr. Loyd Cooke , the celebrated “psychological
enigma” … will give an entertainment at the opera house this evening
… (http://tinyurl.com/DrLCooke).
Dr. Cooke’s program is not carried out in the shadow of a dimly
lighted stage, but with the lights on full throughout the whole the-
ater, and the things which he does are thereby open to the closest
observation.
In fact, the doctor is so sure of his position when he undertakes to
make a table float in the air, some spirit hand to pass around bouquets,
or calls upon an ancient grandmother of someone in the audience to
write a few lines on the slate for the benefit of her posterity, that he
invites a committee from the audience to occupy seats upon the plat-
form, and gives them all reasonable leeway in their efforts to find out
how ’tis done.
During the séance announced for the evening, Dr. Cooke will fully
demonstrate the methods employed by renowned spirit mediums
… whose manifestations have at one time or another electrified the
believers in spiritualism. The prices for this evening will be popular.
LISTENING ON THE WIND
taru Sasaki’s cousin died in 2010, and to deal with his loss, he
built a glass-sided phone booth in his hilltop garden, pictured in a
story on AtlasObscura.com. Inside he put a rotary phone — not con-
nected to anything, mind you — so he could just pick up the phone
and speak to his cousin whenever he wanted to.
In 2011, when the devastating earthquake and tsunami struck
Japan, his town was hit with a 30-foot wave, the National Post
reports (http://tinyurl.com/windfone), and 10 percent of Sasaki’s fel-
low townspeople died or vanished in the disaster. He offered the use
of his “wind phone” to the community to help them heal, and soon
the word spread. Now it has been visited by 25,000 people.
There is a notebook beside the phone, where people can leave
written messages for their dearly departed, such as “Please watch
over us from heaven.” So far, four notebooks have been filled.
“… People feel like their lost loved ones are there listening on the
other end of the line,” Sasaki told the Post. “I want people to resume
their lives as soon as possible by expressing their feelings.”
I
COMMUNITY NOTES
SATURDAY
Sit & Stitch — 11 a.m. to 1
p.m., Homespun Quilts & Yarn, 108
10th St. Bring knitting, crochet or
other needlework projects to this
community stitching time. All skill
levels welcome.
Columbia Northwestern Mod-
el Railroading Club — 1 p.m., in
Hammond. Group runs trains on
HO-scale layout. For information,
call Don Carter at 503-325-0757.
Spinning Circle — 1 to 3 p.m.,
Astoria Fiber Arts Academy, 1296
Duane St. Bring a spinning wheel.
For information, call 503-325-5598
or go to http://astoriafiberarts.com
Karaoke — 7 to 8 p.m.,
Seaside Lodge and Interna-
tional Hostel, 930 N. Holladay
Drive, Seaside. Free session,
all ages, for those who love
to sing karaoke. Refreshments
served. For information, call
503-738-7911.
SUNDAY
MONDAY
Line Dancing — 5:30 to 8 p.m.,
Seaside American Legion, 1315
Broadway. For information, call
503-738-5111. No cost; suggested
$5 tip to the instructor.
Chair Exercises for Seniors
— 9 to 9:45 a.m., Astoria Senior
Center, 1111 Exchange St. For in-
formation, call 503-325-3231.
Seekers Group — 6 to 7:30
p.m., Pioneer Presbyterian Church,
33324 Patriot Way, Warrenton.
Group discusses issues facing re-
ligious faith in the modern secular
world. All are welcome. For informa-
tion, call 503-861-2421.
Scandinavian Workshop —
10 a.m., First Lutheran Church, 725
33rd St. Needlework, hardanger,
knitting, crocheting, embroidery
and quilting. All are welcome. For
information, call 503-325-1364 or
503-325-7960.
Senior Lunch — 11:30 a.m.,
Bob Chisholm Senior Center, 1225
Avenue A, Seaside. Suggested do-
nation $3 for those older than 60;
$6.75 for those younger than 60.
For information, call Michelle Lew-
is at 503-861-4200.
gram — noon, Warrenton Commu-
nity Center, 170 S.W. Third St. Sug-
gested donation of $5 for seniors
and $7 for those younger than 60.
For information, or to volunteer, call
503-861-3502 Monday or Thursday.
Columbia Senior Diners —
11:30 a.m., 1111 Exchange St. Cost
is $6. For information, or to have a
meal delivered, call 503-325-9693.
Astoria Rotary Club — noon,
second floor of the Astoria Elks
Lodge, 453 11th St. Guests always
welcome. For information, go to
www.AstoriaRotary.org
Warrenton Senior Lunch Pro-
See NOTES, Page 2B