November 13th Spirits with Spirits at the Mixville Bar in Silverlake

GHOULA meets for cocktails in haunted places on the 13th of each month. “SPIRITS with SPIRITS” is a casual gathering of regional ghost hunters. Open to all, from the curious skeptic to the passionate phantom pursuer. Make friends, find ghosts! Come see the “hot spots” with “cold spots.”

All those who attend will receive a free G.H.O.U.L.A. button. If you have already received your button, please wear it so others can find you. Also, G.H.O.U.L.A t-shirts will be available for sale. ($10.00 each)

The largest earthquake drill in U.S. history is scheduled to take place on November 13th at 10:00 am. So, in the spirit of earthquake safety, this month’s “SPIRITS with SPIRITS” will take place in a historic fire station haunted by former rescue workers.

THE DATE: November 13th, 2008 (Thursday)

THE PLACE: Mixville Bar @ The Edendale Grill (2838 Rowena Ave.) map
THE TIME: 8pm to the Witching Hour

THE GHOST(S):

“Mixville” was a 12 acre movie set (complete with a frontier town, an Indian village, a simulated desert, and a range of plaster mountains) in the Silverlake district of Los Angeles where a series of popular silent-era westerns featuring matinee-idol Tom Mix were filmed. Mixville was where Tom Mix buried his beloved horse “Old Blue,” and where John Wayne got his first job in the movie industry. Sadly, Mixville no longer exists, and in its place stands a strip mall with a Ralph’s Supermarket.

The Mixville Bar, on the other hand, can be found a couple of blocks away from its namesake’s former location. While the establishment’s name pays homage to the celluliod heroes of the past, the actual building is a monument to the memory of another kind of hero. The Mixville bar is located inside Historic Fire Station No. 56. Specifically, the bar sits in what was once the station’s fire-truck bay. Built in 1924, many of the buildings original features are still intact and lovingly preserved. The current owners, and the community, are proud of the building’s unique history.

However, in addition to fine food and cocktails, old Fire Station #56 is also home to some paranormal activity. If you ask the wait-staff or the hostess about ghosts, they will tell you that the place is not haunted. But, GHOULA recently spoke to one of the busboys, who swore that it is indeed very haunted!

Apparently, at the end of their shifts, when the employees clean up for the night, it is not uncommon to encounter “shadow people” on the walls of the fire station. These black forms are said to always be male, and to always vanish after a moment. The workers believe that they are the spirits of fallen firefighters that use to live and work at this site.

It has also been reported that the lady who cleans the restrooms (when the restaurant is closed) believes the restless spirits, on more than one occasion, have slammed the doors when she finished her duties. Perhaps, these ghostly acts are a reaction to the presence of a woman in what was once a male-dominated environment. Then again, maybe they’re just playful fire-house pranks. Either way, these spirits appear to be benign.

So, go to The Mixville Bar, and toast the brave men and women of the LAFD, who not only protect us from disaster (natural and otherwise), but even in death watch over us.

(to read about more SPIRITS at this location...)(to see last month's SPIRITS with SPIRITS location...)

July SPIRITS WITH SPIRITS Summary: El Compadre

Although, El Compadre was bustling with human activity, the ghosts were not as active on the night we went. Unfortunately, the only spirits seen were the kind that comes in a glass with ice and flames on top. However, the historic restaurant’s atmosphere did not disappoint. The dimly lit rooms and colored lighting provided the perfect background for those attending to share ghost stories and other tales of personal encounters and adventures exploring the hidden haunted places in Los Angeles.

Haunted mirror report: This mirror is definitely strange. It is perhaps the ugliest and most garish mirror in all of Hollywood, and is worth a visit just on that level. Despite the psycadelic nature of the frame however, the mirror itself did not yield anything visually unusual on this night.

In conclusion, the rumors of ghosts are either overstated, or out-dated, or just untrue.

But then again, maybe we just picked the wrong night. Perhaps next month we will have better luck.

Stay tuned for information regarding August’s “Spirits with Spirits.” Remember, all attendees receive a complimentary limited edition GHOULA button!

(to read about the SPIRITS of this location...)

June Spirits with Spirits Event Summary: Hotel Roosevelt

Here are some of the breaking headlines from last Friday nights “Spirits with Spirits” at the famous Roosevelt Hotel…

THE MARILYN MONROE MIRROR IS GONE!

Perhaps the most famous “haunted” mirror in the world has been removed from its usual location in the lobby of the Roosevelt Hotel.

Tourists and “Marilynites” are now greeted by an empty wall, where once hung the mirror that was used in Marilyn Monroe’s private poolside suite.

Not too long ago, one could stare into the same mirror that Marilyn would gaze into, and possibly see Marilyn, herself, staring back in the reflection.

A representative of the hotel has assured GHOULA that the famous mirror will return to its proper location once the hotel has finished remodeling the lobby. In the meantime, it has been safely stored with other items from the hotel’s art collection.

NEW GHOST DISCOVERED IN HOTEL’S BASEMENT

While wandering around the Roosevelt Hotels public spaces, Psychic Lee Barron picked up a lot of unusual but unfocused energy like orbs and a blue cloud in the Ballroom. Then, he came upon an empty hallway directly below the famous haunted lobby, and in that darkened space, the energy intensified revealing a new ghost. Psychic Lee Barron reports that it was an apparition of a man wearing a janitor-like uniform and holding a mop.

Although, Psychic Lee Barron sensed the male spirit toiled for many years in the hotel, its energy was contended as if, in life, this janitor enjoyed his job, and his role in keeping this historic hotel looking beautiful. Perhaps, this ghost lingers to keep a watchful eye on his fellow staff as they maintain the hotel’s high standards.

Note the ghost orbs in the foreground to the left side of the old service hallway beneath the glowing red light. Using flash photography with a standard digital camera, three orbs are clearly visible. Below is the same point of view photographed without flash.

NEW GHOST THEORY REVEALED

Mrs. Carradine discussed her new “Energy-Transference Theory” that answers the question that has troubled Ghost-hunters for the last two-hundred years.

“Why do ghost wear clothes?”

More specifically, how can the spirit realm be inhabited by inanimate objects, or in other words, how can you have ghosts of things that had no “life force” to begin with? How are things like ghost ships or phantom carriages possible? This question was first asked by Frederic W.H. Myers in Phantasms of the Living (1886) and to this day, debate rages on. Until now?

Mrs. Carradine’s solution is very simple and straight forward. All objects, no matter how “inanimate,” are made of energy. At their core, they still have electrons swirling around (and perhaps even vibrating strings at the sub-sub-sub atomic level). Since energy can neither be created nor destroyed, and it can only be transferred, it is therefore possible that “inanimate” objects can “absorb” some of that “life force” from humans (i.e. the uniform and sword of a soldier will also carry that same emotional residue of that tormented the soldier, himself.)

NEXT HAUNTED LOCATION
FOR “SPIRITS WITH SPIRTS” ANNOUNCED!

July 13, 2008
El Compadre Restaurant
7408 W. Sunset Blvd.
Full event info to be posted on July 1st.

Thanks to everyone who attended a wonderful event. The handmade Victorian-era scrying tool pictured above will soon be available exclusively in the GHOULA online store. See you soon!

(to read about the SPIRITS of this location...)

Join us for Miniature Ghoulf:13 Holes from Hell

Meet the GHOULA gang at the Sherman Oaks Castle Park Miniature "Ghoulf" Course at 7:00pm on Saturday, October 27th in full zombie attire for bloodthirsty putting. Not a PMGA sanctioned event, this will be an exhibition game only. NO WAGERS.

For park information, visit http://www.laparks.org