GHOULA meets for cocktails in haunted places on the 13th of each month. “SPIRITS with SPIRITS” is a casual gathering of regional ghost hunters and those that just like ghost stories. Open to all, from the curious skeptic to the passionate phantom pursuer. Make friends, and toast a ghost! Let's put the “Boo!” back into “booze.” All those who attend will receive a free G.H.O.U.L.A. button. If you already have one, please wear it so others can find you.
THE DATE: August 13th, 2010 (Friday the 13th!)
THE PLACE: The Bar Room @ The Derby Restaurant
(233 East Huntington Dr., Arcadia) Map
THE TIME: 8:00pm to 11:00pm (closing time)
THE GHOST(S):
It is hard to imagine now what a little horse named Seabiscuit meant to the American public during the depression. This unlikely beaten-down equine hero showed the world what he was made of when given a second chance (he won race after race), and thus became a symbol of the untapped potential we all have inside us. It was an ideal that the poor, unemployed masses grasped a hold of to get them through our country's worst economic time. When Seabiscuit was finally granted permission to race (one on one) War Admiral, the "best" horse in the nation, it was an event that everyone listened to on radio. Not only did all business stop in America for the length of the race, the gears of government also came to a halt, as President Roosevelt joined the millions of listeners. If Seabiscuit's jockey, George Woolf, felt the pressure, you would have never known it to look at him. Because of this trait, Woolf, the greatest jockey at that time, was said to have ice water in his veins, and was nick-named the "Iceman."
The same year that Seabiscuit won that historic race (1938), George Woolf purchased a gambler's hang-out called "Proctor Tavern" (also know as "Proctor Chicken House"), and turned it into "The Derby Restaurant," a gathering place for local jockeys and race fans. Sadly, in less than a decade of that purchase, Woolf died from a fatal brain injury caused by a fall from a horse at nearby Santa Anita Race Track (its said that the accident was the only time in his career when he wasn't using his "lucky" saddle). Over 1,500 people attended the funeral, where Gene Autry sang "Empty Saddle" to the mourners.
George Woolf may have died in 1946, but his spirit seems to have never left this Arcadian neighborhood. Stories of George's ghost haunting the Derby go back at least to the 1960's when a reporter for the L.A. Times mentioned it in an article. In addition, this ghost might be the only athletic apparition to be featured in the pages of Sports Illustrated. Although, never seen outright, his spirit makes his presence known by moving the oil paintings of famous horses, as well as turning the lights on and off, including the chandelier that legend has it came from "Lucky" Baldwin's (haunted) home a few miles away. There is even a portrait of George Woolf that past employees have claimed has piercing eyes that follow you as you walk around the room. Although most witnesses can shrug off the eyes as an optical illusion caused by the artist's skill, the distinct patter of horse hoofs racing past the front of the building (and coming from the direction of Santa Anita Race Track) late at night is more difficult for them to explain, especially since that same phenomena occurs a couple of blocks away (or 7 furlongs) at the historic race track, itself, where Woolf died. Is it possible that the investment George hoped would provide security in his retirement years has in fact become a place where he feels secure in his after-life? Come to the world famous Derby in Arcadia and find out for yourself.
http://www.thederbyarcadia.com/
(to see last month's location...)
THE DATE: August 13th, 2010 (Friday the 13th!)
THE PLACE: The Bar Room @ The Derby Restaurant
(233 East Huntington Dr., Arcadia) Map
THE TIME: 8:00pm to 11:00pm (closing time)
THE GHOST(S):
It is hard to imagine now what a little horse named Seabiscuit meant to the American public during the depression. This unlikely beaten-down equine hero showed the world what he was made of when given a second chance (he won race after race), and thus became a symbol of the untapped potential we all have inside us. It was an ideal that the poor, unemployed masses grasped a hold of to get them through our country's worst economic time. When Seabiscuit was finally granted permission to race (one on one) War Admiral, the "best" horse in the nation, it was an event that everyone listened to on radio. Not only did all business stop in America for the length of the race, the gears of government also came to a halt, as President Roosevelt joined the millions of listeners. If Seabiscuit's jockey, George Woolf, felt the pressure, you would have never known it to look at him. Because of this trait, Woolf, the greatest jockey at that time, was said to have ice water in his veins, and was nick-named the "Iceman."
The same year that Seabiscuit won that historic race (1938), George Woolf purchased a gambler's hang-out called "Proctor Tavern" (also know as "Proctor Chicken House"), and turned it into "The Derby Restaurant," a gathering place for local jockeys and race fans. Sadly, in less than a decade of that purchase, Woolf died from a fatal brain injury caused by a fall from a horse at nearby Santa Anita Race Track (its said that the accident was the only time in his career when he wasn't using his "lucky" saddle). Over 1,500 people attended the funeral, where Gene Autry sang "Empty Saddle" to the mourners.
George Woolf may have died in 1946, but his spirit seems to have never left this Arcadian neighborhood. Stories of George's ghost haunting the Derby go back at least to the 1960's when a reporter for the L.A. Times mentioned it in an article. In addition, this ghost might be the only athletic apparition to be featured in the pages of Sports Illustrated. Although, never seen outright, his spirit makes his presence known by moving the oil paintings of famous horses, as well as turning the lights on and off, including the chandelier that legend has it came from "Lucky" Baldwin's (haunted) home a few miles away. There is even a portrait of George Woolf that past employees have claimed has piercing eyes that follow you as you walk around the room. Although most witnesses can shrug off the eyes as an optical illusion caused by the artist's skill, the distinct patter of horse hoofs racing past the front of the building (and coming from the direction of Santa Anita Race Track) late at night is more difficult for them to explain, especially since that same phenomena occurs a couple of blocks away (or 7 furlongs) at the historic race track, itself, where Woolf died. Is it possible that the investment George hoped would provide security in his retirement years has in fact become a place where he feels secure in his after-life? Come to the world famous Derby in Arcadia and find out for yourself.
http://www.thederbyarcadia.com/(to see last month's location...)
