Paranormal investigators will present 16 years of evidence in South Surrey

South Surrey is getting a little spookier this October as Northern Paranormal Investigations (NPI) prepares to share some of its findings. The group will host A Night of Paranormal Oddities & Evidence on Oct. 3 at historic Camp Alexandra at Alex House in Crescent Beach. Tickets cost $10. NPI says attendees will get an inside look at how paranormal investigations are conducted, alongside stories, photographs, videos and audio recordings gathered by the team over the past 16 years.

Darryl Pearson, one of NPI’s founders, has been involved in paranormal investigation since 2008. He told Peace Arch News that NPI investigates reports from homes, businesses and historic sites, researching and evaluating what it finds while looking for logical explanations and ways to debunk claims. Pearson said the team aims to help people, whether by helping them live with or deal with what is happening, or by helping them realize it may not be what they think.

Mike Lutke, who has been involved in paranormal investigation for about a decade and with NPI for five years, said the team has investigated Camp Alexandra and Alex House for about five years. The Oct. 3 presentation will be its first event at the location. Lutke said the evening will have two parts. The first will introduce the camp’s history—he said it is about 110 years old—and explain the who, what, where, when, why and how of paranormal investigations. The second will focus on evidence NPI has collected over the years. Lutke, Pearson and fellow investigator Aimee Bucholtz reviewed 16 years of the team’s material in preparation. Some was collected at Camp Alexandra, Lutke said, while the presentation will also include evidence from other locations across B.C.

Lutke said reviewing evidence is like “a paranormal Christmas” because the team never knows what it will find. The group hopes the presentation will appeal to believers, skeptics and people who are simply curious. Lutke said there are many misconceptions about the paranormal, and the team will explain why it does not consider some commonly assumed paranormal events to be paranormal.

Bucholtz, who has been involved in paranormal investigation for about 20 years and with NPI for five, said the team’s range of perspectives helps keep its investigations grounded. It includes skeptics, believers and non-believers, she said, so members can approach evidence from different viewpoints while looking for logical explanations. The presentation will include audio, video and photographic evidence, followed by a roundtable question-and-answer period. Attendees can share their experiences and ask investigators questions. Bucholtz said the team is happy to listen and answer as best it can. Pearson said he enjoys engaging with the audience and the scare, adding that watching people react to the evidence is one of his favourite parts. Bucholtz said she looks forward to bringing people together to discuss a subject that can be difficult to talk about openly.

The event will also raise money for Alex House, a place-based, multi-service organization serving Surrey and White Rock. One hundred per cent of ticket sales will go to the organization. Pearson described the event as fun and informative. A Night of Paranormal Oddities & Evidence takes place Oct. 3 at Alex House in Crescent Beach. Tickets are $10. More information about NPI is available at northernparanormalinvestigations.ca.