Interactive Talks on Coastal Ghosts Given in Newport and Seaside

It’s a paranormal walk down the coast, covering just about every town from Astoria to Florence.

Andre’ Hagestedt

(NEWPORT) - Andre’ Hagestedt, editor of BeachConnection.net and all around coastal character and conspiracy theorist, will give two interactive talks on “Oregon Coast Ghosts and the Paranormal,” happening in two different ends of the coast.

The presentation will include spooky stories about lighthouses, the legends that are simply laughable, and a host of tales that defy category, covering ghosts, poltergeists, UFO’s, spiritual spots, conspiracy theories, sea monsters and myths that were debunked, as well as unusual historical tidbits and weird science that relate to the subject.

It’s a paranormal walk down the coast, covering just about every town from Astoria to Florence, filled with a lot of Hagestedt’s notorious oddball humor. He will give two talks at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport on October 28th, and then one talk at Beach Books in Seaside on October 30th.

Hagestedt has been covering the Oregon coast for various publications for ten years now, which includes his documenting every single beach access from Florence to Astoria – some 180 miles. In recent years, with the publication Beach Connection and its website, he’s documented every single bar, restaurant and lodging in that area as well. You can find much of this information on the website, especially in the virtual tour sections.

His favorite joke sums up his passion for the region: “I’m so obsessed with the Oregon coast that it’s ready to take a restraining order out on me.”

That obsession with any detail about the coast, along with a couple of strange personal experiences there, led him to intensely research sides of the region which aren’t touristy in the normal sense, such as the paranormal legends.

“I don’t necessarily believe in this stuff,” Hagestedt said. “But some people collect stamps or hubcaps – I collect paranormal stories about the coast.

Myths and legends will include:

- The “Wheeler Moment,” a north coast town where if you make a wish, it just may happen

- Haunted lighthouses – and the ghost tales about them that were debunked

- A ghost ship on the central coast

- Haunted hangouts in Wheeler, Astoria, Lincoln City, Seaside and more

- Does the Van Duzer Corridor have an Area 51?

- Weird science on the coast, such as glowing phytoplankton

Hagestedt is a former music and entertainment writer for the Statesman Journal, The Oregonian, The Rocket, Eugene Weekly, Willamette Week and Our Town, among others. He was a news writer for KXL radio, a business news writer for Valley Business Weekly, and has written on a variety of subjects for Barfly Magazine, Oregon Stater, Inkfish, Hipfish and a wide array of tourism publications.

BeachConnection.net publishes daily articles about coastal tourism, with a current battery of around 800 pages about the Oregon coast. Hagestedt also runs a small public relations business called PR Monster which promotes the coast and some Portland musicians.

At the Oregon Coast Aquarium, the Coastal Ghosts talks are part of the annual “Creatures of the Night” celebration on Saturday, October 28th, featuring numerous events, including a sort of haunted house. Hagestedt will speak at 7:30 PM and 8:30 PM Admission is substantially reduced for the event with Aquarium members entering free. Non-members who donate a new, unwrapped toy or 2 items of canned or packaged food for Lincoln County Food Share, will enter free also. All other adults pay $2 and kids $1. 2820 SE Ferry Slip Road, Newport, Oregon. (541) 867-3474.

In Seaside, the talk happens at Beach Books on Monday, October 30th at 5:00 PM The event is free and is part of Seaside's "Halloween Happenin.' " 37 N. Edgewood (next to Pizza Harbor), Seaside, Oregon. (503) 738-3500.