Jeff Belanger

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Jeff Belanger chats with Laurie Cabot, the Official Witch of Salem, Massachusetts.
News, Views, & Interviews, TV and Film

New England Legends Extra: Laurie Cabot – The Official Witch of Salem

In 2017, Jeff Belanger sat down with Laurie Cabot, the Official Witch of Salem, Massachusetts. Cabot discusses her life, her arrival in Salem in 1969, the history of witchcraft, Samhain and Halloween, and the role she played in turning the city of Salem into what it is today. Excerpts from this interview first aired in Episode 6 (Witchcraft: Uncovering the Hidden History of New England Witches) of the New England Legends television series on PBS.

News, Views, & Interviews

Belanger Talks About the Creepy Origins of Long Ago Christmases

Jeff Belanger, local author and explorer of the unexplained, broke down the Christmas holiday into its (creepy) origins during his virtual event on December 3rd, hosted by the Bellingham Public Library. Belanger’s program started by taking us back thousands of years to when winter solstice (Dec. 20 to Dec. 23) was a time of fear for survival. Not knowing then what we know now, people would wonder if the sun would return, if they’d have enough food without farming, and if their shelter would hold up. Preparation for the winter solstices led to the creation of festivals like Saturnalia (Rome) and Yule (Scandinavia). These festivals became times of merriment, celebration, and unity—all in preparation for the unknowing that would follow the winter solstice… Click here to read the rest of the article by Ashley Kazijian at the Bellingham Bulletin.

Zombie Prom
Blah Blah Blog, News, Views, & Interviews

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to Hold Zombie Prom in Bellingham to Support Their Climb 2 Cure Campaign

Jeff Belanger from Ghost Adventures and Dustin Pari from Ghost Hunters set to host Zombie Prom at Jalapeno’s Grill January 19, 2017 — BELLINGHAM, MASS. – Who needs a Valentine heart when you can have braaaaains? The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) New England Climb 2 Cure Team in Training is holding a Zombie Prom on Saturday, February 4, 2017, at 7:30 PM at Jalapeno’s Grill, 15 North Main Street, in Bellingham. Six individuals from Massachusetts and Connecticut are climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in March to raise money for LLS. To-date, the team has already raised over $36,000. All proceeds from the ticket sales and charity auction at the Zombie Prom will go toward LLS. “This may be the most un-Valentine’s Day event you can go to in February,” said Jeff Belanger, researcher and writer for the Ghost Adventures series on the Travel Channel, and co-host of the Zombie Prom. “The Zombie Prom is a chance for people to get together for a good time and a great cause. Attendees can also meet our team as we get ready to climb the tallest mountain in Africa in order to raise funds and awareness for LLS in their fight against blood cancers.” The Zombie Prom will include games, dancing, music provided by DJ Damont Batchelor, a charity auction, there will be volunteers available to help guests with their zombie makeup, and a photographer to take “Prom of the Dead” pictures. 101.3 MyFM radio is the official media sponsor. “This is one prom where you can bring a date, go solo, or just show up with friends,” said Dustin Pari, one of the stars of the Ghost Hunters show on Syfy and co-host of the Zombie Prom. “If people are wondering what to wear, you can come-as-you are, or hit the thrift shop, buy some old clothes, take them home and tear them up, mark them up with markers and paint, and then get your makeup done at our event and boom! You’re a zombie!” Both Belanger and Pari are part of the six-person team climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in March. Tickets cost $20 per person if purchased online from LLS here: http://events.lls.org/pages/ma/C2CZombieProm or $25 at the door. The ticket price is considered a tax-deductible donation, as LLS is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. The event is 21 and over only. About the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ® (LLS) is the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world, provides free information and support services, and is the voice for all blood cancer patients seeking access to quality, affordable, coordinated care. Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Rye Brook, NY, LLS has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org.

New England Legends, News, Views, & Interviews

To Weigh a Soul

In 1901, Dr. Duncan MacDougall of Haverhill, Massachusetts, believed he could prove humans have a soul. Working with six dying patients, MacDougall convinced them to perform an experiment at the moment of their death that could verify they do indeed have a soul, and it has weight.

Edith Wharton - The Mount in Lenox, Massachusetts
New England Legends, News, Views, & Interviews

Edith Wharton’s The Mount

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edith Wharton’s home, The Mount, in Lenox, Massachusetts is renowned for its beauty and majesty – but there’s also a sinister side to it. Marital infidelities, madness, and death are also a part of this gilded age mansion’s tale, and ghosts of the past are said to haunt it today. Legend Hunter Jeff Belanger turns a page in Wharton’s story to uncover some of The Mount’s deepest, darkest secrets.

The Pease Family on October Mountain with Jeff Belanger.
New England Legends, News, Views, & Interviews

Return to October Mountain

In 2012, I took the New England Legends audience to October Mountain in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. We were in search of the ghost of a little girl said to haunt an abandoned cemetery near the top. Through exploring that legend, we were able to find the cemetery and give that girl a name once again: Anna Pease. By telling that story, we were able to reunite a family. This was the most profound and touching legend I have ever chased.  

The Jack-o-lantern photo by Frank Grace
New England Legends, News, Views, & Interviews

New England Legends: Origins of Halloween

It’s that time of year again, when ghosts and goblins walk the earth and the veil between our world and the spirit world is said to be at its thinnest… A perfect time for legend chaser Jeff Belanger to examine the origins of Halloween, find out why we like being scared, and seek out some frights at DementedFX’s haunted funhouse attraction in Easthampton, Massachusetts!

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