Why This Ghost Hunter from East L.A. Talks to The Dead
Victor Huesca’s been visiting hotbeds of the supernatural for the last fifteen years. As a teenager, he bought paranormal investigation gear online and jumped into the field, looking for otherworldly action. Now he's got his own YouTube channel that chronicles his adventures. But Huesca's hobby isn’t just some frivolous thrill ride. He's hooked on something bigger than fear.
A Lighthouse So Beautiful, Ghosts Come Back to Haunt It
The view from Point Sur Lighthouse is breathtaking. It’s perched up on a huge rock and surrounded by water on three sides. It’s utterly isolated, far away from the road on a craggy stretch of coastline just north of Big Sur. The lighthouse was built in 1889, and over the years, keepers and their families lived next to it. So it makes sense, docent Julie Nunes says, that the residents who once lived here have come back. As ghosts.
California Songs: Chuck Prophet's 'Castro Halloween'
For over 50 years, San Francisco's Castro neighborhood hosted Halloween gatherings. It started in the 1940s as a children’s Halloween parade, and then, as the Castro became home to a vibrant LGBTQ community, it became a joyful, over-the-top party. Until 2006, when gunfire erupted and nine people were shot. That violence put an end to the celebration. But it inspired Chuck Prophet, a longtime neighborhood resident, to write a song about it for his album, Temple Beautiful. In 2012 he joined to talk about “Castro Halloween” for our series California Songs.
A Day of the Dead Tradition Blooms in the Central Valley
In some California communities with roots in Latin America, especially Mexico, the last days of October are spent getting ready for Day of the Dead. That means making altars for loved ones and covering them with marigolds. With their flashy color and strong perfume, marigolds help spirits find their way back to their families. At least that’s one theory about why they’re the flor de muerto -- the flower of the dead. These bright orange blooms aren’t always easy to find, and Central Valley farmer Antonio Chavez is trying to change that. He's growing them for people like him, who are longing for a piece of home.