Local author pens book on ghost hunting

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October 30, 2009

By CHRIS HARRIS, Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Fri Oct 30, 2009, 08:35 PM EDT

Somerset — You can’t spell “book” without the word “boo.” It’s appropriate, then, that Pulaski County has churned out so much literature on the controversial art of ghost hunting. Commonwealth Journal readers may remember features on a work by local supernatural enthusiast Bill Scott called “There’s the Book ... Volume 1 in the Ghost Hunter Series,” back in 2003 and 2004.

Now the area can claim yet another book devoted to the topic of searching out the inscrutable, this one penned by Zach Bales — local filmmaker, spirit-world investigator, and now author.

“The Amateur’s Guide to Ghost Hunting” will be released within the next couple of weeks most likely, said Bales, who self-published the book. Unlike many collections of favorite Kentucky ghost stories you find on bookshelves, particularly around this spooky time of year, Bales says his book is more for folks who want to try a little ghostbusting themselves.

“The book isn't just a collection of anecdotes,” said Bales. “It offers a great deal of information about the process of ghost hunting. Not only have I debunked many common ghost stories, I've debunked many of the common ghost hunting tools.”

On Halloween 2007, the Commonwealth Journal spoke to Bales about a group he operated called PICK — Paranormal Investigators of Central Kentucky. In that conversation, Bales said that he started out as a skeptic, but ended up running into “unexplainable things that left us kind of shaken up and wanting more and more and more.”

Nevertheless, Bales retains his skeptical mindset, so don’t get any ideas about the book running off on any flight of frightful fancy. The book will tell of Bales’ adventures chasing down those who supposedly didn’t quite make it to the Great Beyond.

“For the last four years, I've tried to debunk many of Kentucky’s haunting ghost stories,” said Bales. He said he traveled to Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, one of the country’s most infamous “haunted” locations, as well as local haunts Soule's Chapel and the Mill Springs Battlefield.

“I've tried to discredit the hair-raising legends of Clara Morrow, Short Creek, and the Keno Monster,” said Bales, invoking the favorites subjects of local storytellers. “It has been a wild ride!”

So yes, the book provides you with the tools to tell whether or not your haunting is for real — most likely not, in Bales’ view. Still, he even he admits there’s a lot out there that we can’t explain.

“Originally, I thought that ghost hunting would be a way to find a lot of answers — I would be able to put to rest many of Kentucky's ghost stories,” said Bales. “Unfortunately, I didn't find answers. I just found more questions!”

Bales said he’s very impressed with how the book has turned out, and credited illustrator Bryon Vaught and my editor Jon Large for its completion. “The book would not have been possible without them.”

Self-publishing is something new for the multi-talented Bales, but “it's a process we've been looking into for a long time,” he said, and hopes to do more, with plans for a mystery novel in the works.

“We were able to do the vast majority of the work on our own computers,” he said. “In 2010, we are considering expanding our film production company, Iridescent Pictures, into a full-fledged media production company, offering a variety of unique services like videography, photography, graphic design, and manuscript formatting. We've learned a lot with ‘The Amateur's Guide to Ghost Hunting,’ and we hope to build upon this success in the future.”

Anyone interested in pre-ordering a copy of the book can do so at www.iridescentpictures.com.

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Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

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