Have you ever entered a room and experienced the uncanny feeling that you are being watched by an unseen presence?

Have you seen shadows on the wall when there is nothing nearby to physically cast those shadows? Have you been touched by someone, or heard a voice, when no one is physically present?

Many local people apparently have, because it was standing room only Saturday at the Sayre Library to attend a presentation on paranormal phenomena given by NEPA Paranormal. Director Susan DePumpo-Robinson said that 58 people attended the presentation, and they could have had 150 people if the library had the room to hold them.

The presentation included recordings of paranormal phenomena made by members of NEPA Paranormal. The group was founded two years ago by Katie Christopher of Wilkes-Barre, who, along with her father Bob Christopher, and cousin Chantel Mangat, investigate sightings of ghosts and other supernatural things in various locations throughout northeast Pennsylvania.

Katie Christopher explained that the lecture is basically a "Paranormal 101," lecture, where the group goes over what they do in the field, what equipment they use, and what they experience. After the lecture, the group took questions from the audience.

"We feature some of our best evidence," Katie Christopher explained.

During the presentation, Katie Christopher pointed out many of the strange voices and weird sounds they recorded with a variety of devices at various sites that are reputed to be haunted. Among the devices they use, Katie Christopher said, include the "ovilus," what was developed by a paranormal investigator to record such things as electric disturbances and changes in the atmosphere. Katie Christopher said the idea behind the ovilus is that spirits manipulate such things, in an attempt to communicate with them, and the devices allows them to record those manipulations. Other items used by NEPA Paranormal during its investigations include video cameras, digital voice recorders, digital thermometers, and a device to measure electromagnetic field detection.

During the presentation, Katie, Bob and Chantel pointed out times when they recorded such things as people speaking that could not be attributed to anyone in the room; doors closing unexpectedly; dramatic changes in temperature that could not be explained, and times when they were touched by something that was not physically present.

"We're trying to get the word out about what we're doing," Katie Christopher explained after the presentation. "It's great to be able to do so."

Katie Christopher said that the group maintains a Web site at www.nepaparanormal.com, and they've had 23,000 people visit it since it went up and running.

"We are a group of paranormal investigators from Wilkes-Barre area that covers northeast Pennsylvania and surrounding area," according to the Web site. "We take a scientific approach to the paranormal. We come into a home or business and investigate with professional equipment. We carry the mindset that the place is not haunted, and will not deem a place haunted without concrete evidence. We will also try to recreate all claims of paranormal activity to find logical and human explanations, also known as 'debunking.' We guarantee that any and all evidence found in an investigation, is authentic, and was not altered in any way. We also guarantee complete confidentiality to all of our clients. We will not share any of your information without your written consent."

DePumpo-Robinson said afterward that she was very pleased with the turnout, and hopes the group can come back again in a few months.

C.J. Marshall can be reached at (570) 265-1630; e-mail: cjmarshall@thedailyreview.com.

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