The Summit Hill Heritage Center has announced its fall lecture series with a seasonal theme on ghosts, investigations and Halloween capped by a benefit magic show on October 23, 2010 at 7PM at the Center located at 1 W. Hazard St. in Summit Hill Borough.

"We hope to offer lecture series on a regular basis and this is our first one," said President Debra Ranck. Each series will have a theme or common element to it.The first lecture which begins at 7 p.m. on Friday Sept. 17, is presented by Blue Mountain Paranormal Society Founder Bob Schaeffer who will speak on the subject of Ghost Hunting and Paranormal Investigation. Schaeffer a long time paranormal investigator and founder of BMPS has been interested in the paranormal for most of his life. He will describe the tools and techniques of investigating ghosts and present several pieces of evidence which he and his team claim have no normal explanation. He will also answer questions during the presentation.On Friday Sept. 24, 2010 at 7 p.m. Eckley Miner's Village Board Chairman Bob Vybrenner will present the fascinating topic of "Death and Funeral Traditions in the Coal Regions During the Victorian Age". An avid historian, Vybrenner will discuss traditions of the 19th century, how funerals were handled, the ethnic traditions and approaches to funerals as well as the customs and folklore of the day. He will have a display with him of items and artifacts from this period as well."The History and Traditions of Halloween" will be offered by Heritage Center Vice President and local historian David A. Wargo on Friday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. Wargo who has presented this lecture at Eckley Miner's Village in the past will discuss the history of this controversial holiday as well as the origin of several of the traditions of the season.On Oct. 22nd, starting at 7 p.m. in a double feature, the public is invited to pull up a chair and turn the lights down as Wargo offers some local folklore in the presentation "Mysteries on the Mountain" in which he tells tales of local folklore about ghosts and scandal and things that go "bump" in the night. All of the stories offered have been collected from experiences of local residents and personal experiences of Wargo and fellow investigators he has worked with in the past 10 years. Afterward, the evening will conclude with karaoke night in the Good Times Lounge area of the heritage center.Finally on Oct. 23rd at 7 p.m., a magic show to benefit the building and restoration fund for the Heritage Center will be held featuring magic and illusions of local magicians. More information will be available in coming weeks.The Summit Hill Heritage Center is a nonprofit service organization whose mission is to enrich the lives and communities of the Panther Valley and surrounding areas through entertainment, educational and social events, with its funds going to maintain and administer the building to support organizations like the food pantry, Boy Scouts and Quilting Guild. All donations and memberships are tax deductible contributions.For more information, call (570) 645-9133 or (570) 657-0792 or e-mail at

info@summithillheritagecenter.com.