Friday, October 2, 2026 7:00 p.m. - Midnight
Legends After Dark Where the Wild Meets The Cosmos
Join us for the official kickoff of the Rock Island Roadhouse Esoteric Expo as we gather beneath the night sky at Black Hawk Forest for an unforgettable evening of conversation, exploration, and discovery.
All ticket sales go directly to the Rock Island Roadhouse for the preservation of the historic landmark.
AFTER HOURS EVENTS
VIP INVESTIGATION
MIDNIGHT BLINDFOLD SEANCE
MIDNIGHT BLINDFOLD SEANCE
When the Expo Ends...The Night Begins
When the lights go out at the Rock Island Roadhouse, the public experience comes to an end.
For just 30 investigators, it marks the beginning of something extraordinary.
Hosted by PARAFlixx Paranormal+, this exclusive investigation will be led by Shannon Michele Collins—known throughout the paranormal community as The Queen of Darkness and The Hostess with the Ghostess.
From 8:00 PM until 2:00 AM, you'll investigate one of the Midwest's most intriguing paranormal locations while attempting to uncover the enduring mysteries surrounding John Looney, Al Capone, and the mysterious Helen VanDale.
What happens after the lights go out?
That's a secret.
The details of this investigation are intentionally being kept under wraps, ensuring that every participant experiences the night exactly as it unfolds—with no spoilers, no expectations, and no preconceived ideas.
What we can reveal is that this is not a standard public ghost hunt. Every aspect of the investigation has been created exclusively for the Rock Island Roadhouse Esoteric Expo, making this unlike anything ever offered at an Expo or Paracon.
Adding to the excitement, the entire investigation will be professionally filmed by Larry Eissler III of The Black Lantern Company. Following the event, the investigation will be produced into a special episode that will premiere exclusively on PARAFlixx Global, allowing viewers around the world to experience a glimpse of what took place that unforgettable night.
This isn't simply an opportunity to investigate one of the Midwest's most intriguing haunted locations. It's your opportunity to become part of its story.
As a VIP investigator, you'll also receive an exclusive commemorative VIP Investigation T-shirt, created only for participants of this event. This shirt will never be offered for public sale and will serve as a lasting reminder that you were among the select few who took part in this one-of-a-kind investigation.
Your VIP Investigation Includes
👻 Exclusive 6-hour investigation (8:00 PM – 2:00 AM)
🎙️ Led by Shannon Michele Collins
The Queen of Darkness • The Hostess with the Ghostess
🎥 Professionally filmed by Larry Eissler III & The Black Lantern Company
📺 Featured in a future premiere on PARAFlixx Global
👕 Exclusive VIP Investigation commemorative T-shirt (available only to ticket holders)
🎟️ Strictly limited to 30 investigators
MIDNIGHT BLINDFOLD SEANCE
MIDNIGHT BLINDFOLD SEANCE
MIDNIGHT BLINDFOLD SEANCE
The Blindfold Séance
With Evidential Psychic Medium Bianca Rose
Some voices are heard...Others are felt.
Step into one of the most unique and immersive experiences of the Rock Island Roadhouse Esoteric Expo as evidential psychic medium Bianca Rose guides participants through a controlled blindfold séance unlike a traditional gallery reading.
Blindfolded and wearing noise-canceling headphones to eliminate outside influence, Bianca enters a deeply receptive state, allowing the communication to unfold naturally and without distraction. As participants gather in a circle, they become part of the collective energy while Bianca engages in automatic writing, speaking aloud every impression, message, and communication as it is received—in real time.
Unlike a traditional mediumship session focused primarily on connecting with loved ones, this experience allows the consciousness of the location itself to lead.
The history of the Rock Island Roadhouse...
The energy embedded within its walls...
The land beneath it...
The stories that have yet to be told.
While loved ones may come forward, the true purpose of this séance is to explore the layered consciousness of the building and whatever chooses to communicate.
There is no script.
No expectations.
No predetermined outcome.
Only the experience.
The atmosphere may deepen.
The unexpected may occur.
Every séance is unique.
Every message is its own.
Enter with respect.
Sit in stillness.
Witness what reveals itself.
MUSEUMS
ABI EXPERIENCE
ABI EXPERIENCE
ABI EXPERIENCE
Beyond the Legend...Of Robert The Doll
Step inside one of the nation's most intriguing collections of reportedly haunted artifacts.
If you know Robert the Doll, then you know David L. Sloan.
As the foremost historian and author behind Robert the Doll's incredible story, David has spent more than three decades investigating haunted locations, collecting extraordinary artifacts, and documenting some of the world's most fascinating paranormal legends.
Now, for the first time at the Rock Island Roadhouse Esoteric Expo, David is bringing a specially curated collection from David L. Sloan's Museum of Haunted Objects™ to Illinois.
Normally available only to guests attending the exclusive VIP Robert the Doll Experience in Key West, Florida, this exhibit gives you the rare opportunity to experience a collection of reportedly haunted, cursed, and mysterious artifacts without traveling hundreds of miles.
Every object has a history.
Every object has a story.
Some have legends that span generations.
Others continue to leave visitors asking questions long after they've walked away.
Explore the collection.
Hear the stories behind the artifacts.
Decide for yourself what you believe.
Your Museum Experience Includes
🏛️ Admission to David L. Sloan's Museum of Haunted Objects™
📸 A photo opportunity with David L. Sloan and Abi
🤝 Hold Abi during your photo if you choose.
📖 BONUS!
Purchase your ticket between March 1 and May 31 and receive a FREE copy of Robert the Doll: The True Biography of Key West's Haunted Doll.oll
NOTE: ROBERT THE DOLL WILL NOT BE PRESENT
IRONGATE
ABI EXPERIENCE
ABI EXPERIENCE
The Irongate Haunted Experience
Step Beyond the Gate...
Spend a few unforgettable moments with the unexplained.
The Irongate Haunted Experience offers a unique opportunity to sit in the presence of reportedly haunted artifacts from the renowned Irongate Archive during a private 10-minute experience unlike anything else at the Rock Island Roadhouse Esoteric Expo.
Enter with a small group and decide for yourself.
Ask questions.
Take photographs.
Stream your experience live.
Or simply sit in silence and observe what unfolds.
Each session features a rotating collection of artifacts from the Irongate collection, ensuring that every experience offers something different. Whether you're hoping to capture unexplained activity, sense the energy surrounding the objects, or simply satisfy your curiosity, the experience is yours to define.
Every session also includes a dedicated photo opportunity, allowing you to document your visit with some of the archive's most intriguing artifacts.
Whether you arrive as a believer, a skeptic, an investigator, or simply someone fascinated by the unknown, The Irongate Haunted Experience invites you to spend a few quiet moments where history, mystery, and personal experience meet.
The question isn't whether the artifacts are haunted...
The question is...
What will you experience?
GALLERY READINGS
RICK HAYES
BIANCA ROSE PERRICONE
BIANCA ROSE PERRICONE
The Connections Gallery
with Psychic Medium Rick Hayes
Some connections never fade.
Join internationally recognized Psychic Medium Rick Hayes for an unforgettable live gallery experience where messages of hope, healing, and validation remind us that love continues long after physical life ends.
Recognized as one of the Top 25 Psychic Mediums in the United States and honored as Psychic Medium of the Year, Rick has spent more than two decades helping people discover comfort through evidential spirit communication. His compassionate approach and remarkable ability to connect with loved ones in spirit have touched thousands across the country through live events, television appearances, bestselling books, and national speaking engagements.
During this intimate gallery experience, Rick brings forward meaningful evidence, personal memories, recognizable personality traits, and heartfelt messages from those in spirit. Every connection serves as a reminder that the bonds we share with those we love do not end—they simply continue in a different way.
Whether you receive a personal message or witness the remarkable connections taking place around you, you'll experience an afternoon filled with laughter, healing, inspiration, and moments that remind us the spirit of those we love is never truly gone.
Come with an open heart.
Leave with renewed hope.
You may discover that the connection you've been searching for has been there all along.
Recognized as one of the Top 25 Psychic Mediums in America, Rick Hayes has spent more than 20 years inspiring audiences through evidential mediumship, life coaching, and motivational speaking. A two-time Psychic Medium of the Year, Rick is also a bestselling author, podcast host of BElieve with Rick Hayes, and has appeared on the SYFY Network, Travel Channel, Destination America, CBS Radio, SiriusXM, and numerous national media outlets.
Beyond his work as a psychic medium, Rick is passionate about helping people rediscover purpose, balance, and hope through his BElieve To Be A Better You program. Whether speaking to audiences, writing, or delivering messages from loved ones in spirit, Rick's mission remains the same—to inspire others to embrace life, healing, and the enduring power of human connection.
BIANCA ROSE PERRICONE
BIANCA ROSE PERRICONE
BIANCA ROSE PERRICONE
What if love truly never ends?
Join evidential psychic medium Bianca Rose for a moving live gallery reading where spirit communication becomes more than belief—it becomes evidence.
Bianca's work centers on evidential mediumship, bringing forward specific validations from loved ones in spirit through names, memories, personality traits, shared experiences, and meaningful details that demonstrate the continuity of consciousness beyond physical death. Her goal isn't simply to deliver messages, but to provide compelling evidence that those we love continue to exist, remain connected, and are often far closer than we realize.
As connections unfold in real time, you'll witness heartfelt moments of recognition, healing, and hope as members of the audience receive messages intended specifically for them. Every reading is unique, every connection deeply personal, and every experience serves as a reminder that love transcends the boundaries of this life.
Whether you receive a personal message or simply witness the connections taking place around you, Bianca believes the greatest gift mediumship offers is the realization that our loved ones are never truly gone.
Come experience an unforgettable demonstration of evidential mediumship...
And discover what may be waiting just beyond the veil.
KRISTINA BLOOM
COLTON SNIDER & NATALIE JONES
COLTON SNIDER & NATALIE JONES
For more than twenty years, Kristina Bloom has served as a trusted psychic medium, spiritual mentor, and intuitive teacher, helping individuals strengthen their connection to Spirit while discovering greater clarity, purpose, and confidence in their own lives.
Known for her compassionate nature and deeply personal readings, Kristina acts as a conduit for Divine guidance, bringing forward messages from loved ones in spirit and Spirit Guides with warmth, accuracy, and authenticity. Her work encourages people to view life's challenges from a higher perspective while empowering them to make choices aligned with their highest good.
Believing that intuition is a gift available to everyone, Kristina founded Intuitive You!, a psychic development program dedicated to helping others discover and strengthen their own unique intuitive abilities. Rather than teaching a one-size-fits-all approach, Kristina encourages students to embrace the path that feels most natural to them, creating an environment where confidence and spiritual growth flourish.
Whether working one-on-one, leading gallery readings, or teaching intuitive development, Kristina's mission remains the same—to help others reconnect with themselves, strengthen their relationship with Spirit, and move through life with greater peace, understanding, and joy.
WORKSHOPS
TEA LEAF READING
GHOST HUNTING 001
GHOST HUNTING 001
Unlock the Secrets of Tea Leaf Reading
with Rachel Ravensveil
Every cup tells a story...
What will yours reveal?
Step into the quiet magic of tasseography, the centuries-old art of reading the symbols left behind by loose tea leaves. In this immersive, hands-on workshop, Rachel Ravensveil will guide you through the fascinating traditions, techniques, and intuitive practices that have captivated seekers for generations.
Designed for beginners and experienced intuitives alike, this workshop will teach you how to prepare a traditional divination cup, properly swirl and empty the tea, and interpret the shapes, patterns, and placements that emerge within the leaves.
During this workshop you'll discover:
🍃 The fascinating history of tea leaf reading—from its origins in ancient China to its rise during the Spiritualist movement.
☕ How intention, intuition, and observation work together to reveal meaningful messages.
🔮 The symbolism behind common tea leaf formations and how to confidently interpret what you see.
✨ Practical techniques to strengthen your intuition and develop your own unique reading style.
The experience doesn't end with the demonstration.
Each participant will prepare their own tea cup, create a personal reading, and practice interpreting the messages revealed within the leaves under Rachel's guidance.
You'll leave with:
✔️ The confidence to perform your own tea leaf readings.
✔️ A working knowledge of common symbols and their meanings.
✔️ A deeper understanding of how intuition shapes interpretation.
✔️ A beautiful personal ritual you can continue at home for reflection, guidance, and spiritual exploration.
Whether you're simply curious, beginning your intuitive journey, or looking to expand your divination practice, this workshop offers a peaceful and engaging introduction to one of the world's oldest forms of symbolic reading.
Sometimes...
The answers we're seeking have been waiting quietly at the bottom of the cup all along.
GHOST HUNTING 001
GHOST HUNTING 001
GHOST HUNTING 001
Ghost Hunting 001: Foundations and Fundamentals
Aaron G. Thompson & Kat Grace Thompson
Ready to go beyond simply asking, “Is anyone here?”
Join Aaron G. Thompson, featured on Netflix's 28 Days Haunted, and Kat Grace Thompson for a 60-minute exploration of the foundations and fundamentals behind paranormal investigation.
Designed to give both newcomers and curious enthusiasts a stronger understanding of the field, this workshop travels from the history of ghost hunting to the equipment, theories, and investigative techniques being used today.
What You'll Explore
- From Séances to Modern Investigations — Trace the evolution of ghost hunting from Victorian-era practices to today's paranormal methodologies, terminology, and approaches.
- Tools of the Trade — Explore equipment ranging from EMF meters and digital recorders to spirit boxes, thermal cameras, and other investigative tools.
- Science & Theory — Examine scientific concepts connected to paranormal research, including the Downward Flowing Aether Theory, and how investigators apply theory when considering unexplained phenomena.
- Inside an Investigation — Learn protocols, safety considerations, data-collection techniques, and methods used to evaluate and interpret potential paranormal activity.
- Cases & Conversation — Explore real investigative experiences and join Aaron and Kat for an interactive Q&A where curiosity, skepticism, science, and the paranormal can meet.
Whether you're preparing for your first investigation or simply want to better understand what paranormal investigators actually do, Ghost Hunting 001 provides a foundation for approaching the unexplained with curiosity, critical thinking, and an open mind.
Beyond Yes & No Dowsing Rods with Andrea Westendorf
Beyond Yes & No Dowsing Rods with Andrea Westendorf
Beyond Yes & No Dowsing Rods with Andrea Westendorf
Beyond Yes & No: Dowsing Rods
Dowsing rods can do far more than answer a simple yes or no.
In this hands-on presentation, Andrea Westendorf introduces participants to the way she has developed her own relationship with dowsing rods—beginning with the fundamentals and then moving beyond yes and no into the remarkable range of information they can provide.
Andrea will demonstrate how to establish a clear yes-and-no response, how to phrase questions properly for greater clarity, and how to build confidence and consistency when working with the rods. Once that foundation is established, she’ll show how dowsing can expand into areas such as letters, words, numbers, dates, times, seasons, and more.
Participants will have the opportunity to work with the rods themselves and begin discovering how their own communication develops.
For Andrea, dowsing isn't simply about getting an answer—it's about developing a language.
Coming Soon
Beyond Yes & No Dowsing Rods with Andrea Westendorf
Beyond Yes & No Dowsing Rods with Andrea Westendorf
Workshop Announcement Coming Soon
Experiences
Mirror Scrying
Deaf Investigator Experience
Deaf Investigator Experience
Three Locations • One Powerful Experience
What might appear when you stop looking at the mirror—and begin looking through it?
Throughout the Expo, guests are invited to experience the ancient practice of mirror scrying, a form of divination that uses reflective surfaces, focused attention, and altered perception to explore images, impressions, symbols, and intuitive messages that may emerge.
Three separate scrying locations will be available inside the Rock Island Roadhouse, each offering its own atmosphere:
By the Stairway — Private Scrying Booth
Step away from the activity of the Expo and experience scrying in a more private, enclosed setting.
Mirror Room
Surrounded by the unique atmosphere of one of the Roadhouse’s most intriguing rooms, settle in before the mirror and see what begins to take shape.
Pool Room
Experience mirror scrying within another distinct area of the historic Roadhouse, where the environment creates an entirely different setting for quiet observation and reflection.
There is no scheduled session and no presentation to attend. Visit one—or experience all three—at your leisure throughout Expo hours. Take your time, quiet your mind, soften your gaze, and allow the experience to unfold naturally.
You may see something. You may feel something. You may simply discover how differently a mirror can look when you stop expecting to see only your own reflection.
THREE LOCATIONS. ONE POWERFUL EXPERIENCE.
Deaf Investigator Experience
Deaf Investigator Experience
Deaf Investigator Experience
Deaf Investigator Experience
with Josey Roberts of Silent Explorers
Back by popular demand!
What happens when you take sound—and spoken communication—out of a paranormal investigation?
Join Josey Roberts of Silent Explorers for the return of the Deaf Investigator Experience, an immersive opportunity to experience paranormal investigating from a completely different perspective.
Each participant will be given a pair of earplugs, and there will be no talking during the experience. Without conversation or the ability to rely on the sounds investigators so often listen for, participants will be challenged to shift their attention to what they can see, feel, observe, and sense in the environment around them.
Led by Josey, participants will gain a firsthand glimpse into how a Deaf paranormal investigator approaches an investigation while discovering just how much we may overlook when we're focused on what we can hear.
It isn't about pretending to understand the Deaf experience. It's an opportunity to change the way you investigate, become more aware of your surroundings, and experience the paranormal through a different lens.
NO TALKING.
NO RELYING ON SOUND.
JUST YOU, YOUR OTHER SENSES & THE UNKNOWN.
Two opportunities during the Expo:
11:30 AM & 3:30 PM
Josey Roberts • Silent Explorers
Historical Tours
Historical Tours
Historical Tours
Details coming soon
Historical Tours
Historical Tours
Photo Op~Ecto-1
Who You Gonna Call?
One of the most iconic paranormal vehicles of all time is rolling into the Rock Island Roadhouse Esoteric Expo—and this is your chance to grab a photo with Ecto-1.
Step up, strike your best Ghostbuster pose, gather your paranormal investigation crew, and snap a photo with the legendary-style vehicle that has become synonymous with chasing things that go bump in the night.
Whether you grew up dreaming of strapping on a proton pack or simply know a perfect paranormal photo opportunity when you see one, Ecto-1 is ready for its close-up—and so are you.
Bring your phone or camera, have some fun, and make sure you capture the moment before heading back inside to continue exploring the Expo.
ANSWER THE CALL.
STRIKE A POSE.
BUST SOME GHOSTS.
Available throughout Expo hours.
Photo Op~White Hearse
Because Every Expo Needs a Killer Photo Op
Looking for the perfect photo to prove you survived the Rock Island Roadhouse Esoteric Expo?
Throughout the day, stop by Jamie’s White Hearse and grab a photo with one of the most appropriately unusual rides at the Expo. Whether you strike your best spooky pose or gather your paranormal crew you definitely won’t get at your average convention, this is one photo opportunity you won’t want to miss.
Bring your phone or camera, make it creepy, make it funny, make it completely your own—and don’t forget to share your photos from the day.
ONE HEARSE.
ENDLESS PHOTO POSSIBILITIES.
ZERO ORDINARY SELFIES.
Led by Josey, participants will gain a firsthand glimpse into how a Deaf paranormal investigator approaches an investigation while discovering just how much we may overlook when we're focused on what we can hear.
It isn't about pretending to understand the Deaf experience. It's an opportunity to change the way you investigate, become more aware of your surroundings, and experience the paranormal through a different lens.
NO TALKING.
NO RELYING ON SOUND.
JUST YOU, YOUR OTHER SENSES & THE UNKNOWN.
Two opportunities during the Expo:
11:30 AM & 3:30 PM
Josey Roberts • Silent Explorers
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