The legendary Count Smokula (the vaudevillian vampire) sang soulful songs of his homeland, Smokeslyvania (with his accordion of death), while standing in front of the San Fernando Valley's most famous Gothic castle. His Svengali-like powers were strong that night as the crowd of 40 sang along and clapped into the night. Then, as the gathered phantom fans hushed, the ghost stories of this local landmark were told. Afterward, the movie Haunted Castle was screened in front of an actual haunted castle.Castle Park may be a place for family fun during the daytime, but late at night, after the park closes, golfers of another kind appear. According to the night shift, most of the paranormal activity occurs along the northern border of the property, parallel with the southern bank of the Los Angeles River. One encounter involved a giggling little boy, playfully hiding and peeking up from behind the bushes (next to the miniature castle) who vanished when told that the park was closed. Other sightings of this mischievous lad have occurred in the Castle's arcade and the restrooms. Also, a woman dressed in black with her head down has been seen near the fake "haunted house" on the 6th hole of course #3 walking along the fence. She then disappears when a flashlight is shined on her. The origin of these ghosts (as past down through the decades) is that one night, while playing a round of mini-golf, a mother and her child met with an unfortunate end (apparently without any of the staff noticing). The next morning, both were found at the bottom of the central pond with head injuries. Whether these deaths were the result of a tragic accident or foul play is still a mystery. Although no one has ever verified this story, the legend still persists to this day. It is also interesting to note that this tale is not unlike the legend of "La Llorona" ("The Weeping Woman"), the ghost of a crying Mexican mother (dressed in black), who wanders the banks of rivers and other bodies of water in the South-Western United States and Mexico, grieving for her own drowned children. Could there be a connection?
For more info about Count Smokula
(or to buy his CD) go to
http://www.countsmokula.com/
(photos by Kristin Bedford)
Ghostswanted: Putt-Putt Poltergeist
(more info on this haunted location)
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