Exploring Our Curious & Paranormal Past
We invite you to join Cortland Curiosities for a frighteningly fun evening unearthing our curious and paranormal past on October 26 at the Center for the Arts of Homer. This free event will leave you spellbound and ready for your next misadventure on the Cortland Curiosity Trail. So pack your rucksack, all you curious travelers. In the words of the great Vincent Price, we’re “going to give the people what they want- sensation, horror and shock. Send them out in the street to tell their friends how wonderful it is to be scared to death!
SENSATION
The cabinet creeks open at 5pm for a creep-tastic cocktail hour. We’ll be serving up the Cortland Curiosities’ signature cocktail, the Sweet Feed. Named for the tragic (accidental?) murder of Mr. Seeber in his Marathon feed mill, this cocktail was so devilishly delicious it was his last! Made with local spirits by Dragonfyer Distillery, you can collect your complimentary drink ticket for a tasting at the Cortland Curiosities booth. Cash bar hosted by Center for the Arts.
Cocktail in hand, saunter through the lounge where you can mingle with local historians, shop oddities and art, and discover what your future holds. Shop the curious creations of Fancifuls, Inc. and new merchandise from your favorite strange and forgotten history trail. Sample premier whiskeys and bourbons from Dragonfyre Distillery and bring home a souvenir from a local historical society! Drop into Vibes by Hannah for a reading and wonderfully weird wares.
SHOCK
At 7pm, the evening events move into the historic theater, where its more than 130-year-old hallowed halls will host a viewing premier of our Curious Shorts, followed by storytelling and Q&A with our Professors of the Peculiar.
The night begins with a giant-sized hoax orchestrated by none other than a Homer horse trader. A larger-than-life phenomenon, it caused onlooker to question their very beliefs and whether or not it should be wearing some very large briefs.
The tales continue to enthrall you as the adventures of four ordinary men, unbeknownst to them, become a national sensation, forever cementing their trans-centennial legend in Cortland County history. This wild journey will leave you on the edge of your seat with death-defying details and nail-biting catastrophes.
If your heart wasn’t already racing, Cortland’s most famous haunted house takes center stage. Hear accounts of supernatural encounters, ghostly shadows and groaning floors. Could a simple home remodel be what stirred these spirits, leaving them restless for all eternity? And who is it that haunts this Victorian Castle?
HORROR
The door to the cabinet swings wide open at 8:30 p.m. for a paranormal investigation with Dream Seekers Paranormal. Discover whose souls roam the historic church, utilizing cutting-edge paranormal technology. Built in 1893, this grand building served as the First Baptist Church for 100 years before becoming the Center for the Arts. A cornerstone of Homer, its halls are filled with whispered and forgotten stories.
Open to a public paranormal investigation for the first time in over a decade; attendance is limited to just 16 guests. Reservation deadline has passed and participants will be announced on Tuesday, October 24.
And remember, “It’s as much fun to scare as to be scared.” Vincent Price