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Cris Johnson's Spooky Library Programs
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Adult & YA/Teen Library Program · 60 Minutes · Local History
A Halloween show that’s also local history.
- Adults & teens
- 60 minutes
- I bring my own tables
True hauntings from New York’s own past — Shea’s, Fort William Henry, the Utica Lunatic Asylum, the Red Coach Inn, Amityville — told through the artifacts connected to them.
Some of which will not stay still.
Check my October dates See the places we go
Or call me directly — (716) 940-8963
Who it’s for
Built for adults. Booked just as often for teens.
Let me settle this one up front, because librarians ask.
This program was built for an adult audience — adults are one of the hardest groups for a library to reach. They’re too mature for your children’s programming and not interested in most of what appeals to older kids. Many presenters simply don’t know how to reach them.
But it plays every bit as well for teens and YA, and a good share of my bookings are exactly that. It’s history and real places, so nothing in it needs softening for a younger room — and teens who won’t sit still for a local-history talk will sit perfectly still for this one.
Booking it for a mixed room, a historical society, or a teen night all work. Just tell me which when you book.
Why this one earns its slot
Every ghost walk I went on was dry as dirt. There had to be a better way.
I’ve always been fascinated by hauntings and ghosts. I devoured every non-fiction book on the subject I could find, and over the years I managed to attend a few live lectures whenever I could find them.
Usually those lectures were dry as dirt.
A few years ago my wife and I attended some ghost walks around Western New York. The combination of spooky stories with actually standing in front of the places was a real step in the right direction. But I wanted to go further than that.
So I built the version I’d been looking for and never found: the stories, the real locations — and the objects.
What I bring with me
The objects
Over the years I’ve collected an eclectic series of artifacts, each one linked to a haunting your patrons will hear about.
There’s a dusty wooden box containing an artifact that allows communication with the spirits of Fort William Henry.
A rusted padlock holds the secrets of the Old Ulster County Jail.
A wooden jewelry box with strange carvings supposedly once belonged to the Fox Sisters — the two young women from upstate New York who started the entire Spiritualism movement.
A small wooden jailhouse reveals the true horrors of the Amityville murders.
And there’s a good deal more than that.
People walk into this program expecting a lecture. What they get is something else entirely. I won’t spoil it — but let’s just say strange things happen at every show, and they happen to these objects.
The places we go
Real locations, taken from non-fiction accounts.
“New York Spirits” is a 60-minute collection of stories and legends taken from non-fiction accounts of ghostly investigations and hauntings across the state:
- Shea’s Performing Arts Center, Buffalo
- Fort William Henry Museum
- The Utica Lunatic Asylum
- The Red Coach Inn, Niagara Falls
- The Fox Sisters, and the New York farmhouse where Spiritualism began
- The truth about the Amityville Horror house
…and many more. I bring photographs of every location, so your guests see the places, not just hear about them.
And then it stops being a lecture
Six questions your guests will want answered
- Does a wooden toy box hold the spirit of a young girl who died violently?
- Can a child return from the dead through a bell?
- Will a murdered British soldier leave a written message for the living?
- Can a mysterious lock guide spectators to the correct key?
- Does the spirit of a murdered bride possess a wooden box?
- What is the truth behind an old artifact belonging to a self-described spirit medium?
Your guests will hear the stories and see the displays — but they’ll be involved, too.
Some may be too frightened to participate.
Attendance exceeded our expectations.
Donna-Jo Webster, Library Director · Eden, NY
Why this one
The one that’s closest to home
Of all the programs I’ve created, this one required the most research — and because of my lifelong interest in the paranormal, it’s the library program nearest and dearest to my heart.
It’s also become my most popular adult program by far. Look at the comments below from libraries across the state: this program doesn’t just draw a big group of adults, it holds them from beginning to end.
And it has something none of my other shows have: real local appeal.
These aren’t castles in Europe. They’re places your patrons have driven past.
Proof
What librarians and media specialists say about New York Spirits
“There are typically two types of programs — ones that are interesting and ones that are fun. ‘New York Spirits’ was that rare experience of being both. With your retelling of New York’s interesting history paired with the surprising spooks, everyone left engaged and happy.”
Patrick MontanaroLibrary Director
Ogden Farmers’ Library, Spencerport, NY
“WOW! Thank you SO MUCH for the fantastic, incredible performance you gave with your New York Spirits program at the Eden Library on Halloween night. Attendance exceeded our expectations and your rapport with the audience kept everyone on the edge of their seats!”
Donna-Jo WebsterLibrary Director
Eden Library, Eden, NY
“Teens and adults loved the Spirits program. They jumped when the spooky artifacts moved on their own. They leaned forward in their chairs during the stories and demonstrations. Cris is great to work with — he helped arrange tables, talked at length with the teens afterward, and was very engaging.”
Doris Jean MetzgerTeen Librarian
Steele Memorial Library, Elmira, NY
“Cris Johnson was awesome performing the NY Spirits program for my Historical Group. They loved all his facts about local NY spooky houses and places. With his twists of magic and some interactive fun — it was fantastic!”
Nancy BaileyLibrary Director
Byron-Bergen Public Library, Bergen, NY
“I loved your program — it was a great mix of spooky and fascinating and informational. The patrons loved it, too! The props were amazing! I was thinking about them all weekend. Your online forms were very helpful and you always responded very promptly to emails.”
Amy HendersonAdult Services Librarian
Irondequoit Public Library, Rochester, NY
“This is a perfect program to get in the ‘spirit’ of the Halloween season. The way the ‘artifacts’ come to life is amazing! Cris is a joy to work with. I can’t wait to host one of his programs again.”
Glenice PeelLibrary Supervisor
Big Flats Library, Big Flats, NY
“Cris Johnson does an excellent job captivating and entertaining the audience. His storytelling is superb. It’s clear he knows his material well and does a wonderful job educating while entertaining. I jumped in my seat more than once.”
Tina DaltonYouth Services Coordinator
Cuba Circulating Library, Cuba, NY
“Fascinating history of sites, regardless of whether you believe in ghosts or not! Great thrills and scares!”
Theresa StrebLibrary Director
Lyons Public Library, Lyons, NY
“It was mind-boggling — I don’t know how you did what you did! It was awesome, I loved it!”
Stacy WicksallLibrary Director
Macedon Public Library, Macedon, NY
“Cris was a very self-sufficient and flexible performer. The audience was very engaged and entertained, with several true shocks and surprises. Great mix of history, surprises, and the supernatural.”
Kirstra OttoLibrarian
Greece Public Library, Greece, NY
“Here are some of the comments from our patrons: ‘Very entertaining,’ ‘Clever way to tell stories — loved the artifacts,’ ‘It was a fun hour — great time of year for the subject matter.’”
Melissa LindbergLibrarian
Clifton Springs Library, Clifton Springs, NY
“It was a great performance! He kept me wondering what was next! Cris was very knowledgeable. I thought it was very interesting and informative.”
Nancy RaymondLibrary Director
Genesee Public Library, Little Genesee, NY
“I enjoyed putting the props with the stories, it made it seem more real that way!” · “The doll in the cage scared the **** outta me!” · “I loved everything he said!” · “When is he coming again?”
Patron commentscollected by Heide Robinson, Library Director
Wimodaughsian Library, Canisteo, NY
Drag or swipe — thirteen libraries, all for this show
Easy to host
The easiest adult program you’ll book this year.
- I bring my own tables — you don’t have to find or set up anything for the display.
- I bring spooky music to set the mood, the location photographs, and every artifact.
- The only thing I need from your library is a place to present.
- Designed to fit the coziest of meeting rooms — no stage or platform needed.
- Works for any size audience, from a dozen people to a full hall.
- Poster and a customized press release to publicize the event.
- No deposits. Ever.
The no-risk part
If you don’t feel I delivered an amazing evening of chilling entertainment, I return your check — and I donate $500 to your library.
In over 20 years of full-time professional work, performing 200+ shows a year, not a single client has ever taken me up on it.
Book it
October always sells out.
That’s when most clients want “New York Spirits” — and this is my most-booked adult program, so October fills earlier than any of my others.
Call me at (716) 940-8963 — that’s my cell number — or email [email protected] right away to lock in your preferred date.