Guests at a recent Paranormal Dinner at the Heritage Center experienced an evening of delicious dining mixed with “hair-raising fun-raising” to benefit Vero Heritage Inc., the nonprofit that manages the Heritage Center and its adjacent Indian River Citrus Museum.
In addition to stories from the past, guests supped on an appropriately citrus-themed, five-course, gourmet dinner prepared by Edgewood Eatery’s Chef Zachariah Campione, paired with Orchid Island Brewery’s star ruby grapefruit beer.
The iconic location was the perfect setting to learn about and search for paranormal activity, as the building and its environs are ripe with historical happenings. Throughout its 87-year history, the facility has served, among other things, as a community center, servicemen’s club and teen center.
“We like to say the Heritage Center is the town’s original community building that’s still building community,” said Heather Stapleton, Vero Heritage executive director.
Stapleton shared her “zest” for the Heritage Center and Indian River Citrus Museum, giving an insightful talk about the history of the building and Millie Bunnell’s fight to save the facility in 1990. That led to the creation of Vero Heritage, Inc., which is tasked with stewarding and operating the conjoined facilities, while promoting and preserving Vero’s heritage.
“We’ve been able to honor Millie’s legacy and do even more than I think she might have ever imagined,” said Stapleton, noting that Bunnell’s spirit is still felt.
“You can’t understand or appreciate the paranormal unless you have a love for history,” said Larry Lawson, owner/operator of Indian River Hauntings.
He proceeded to regale the crowd with a bit of local history, starting in the 1840s as settlers began to arrive, before highlighting numerous Vero-centric accounts, including Waldo Sexton’s influence on the area, the reign of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the gruesome tale of Barbecue Charlie.
Between courses, guests broke into groups to learn about the tools that Lawson and his crew use during their paranormal investigations. Lawson retired after 40 years in law enforcement and now uses his investigative skills to seek out unexplained phenomena.
Stapleton, previously a sceptic, recalled walking through the property with the Hauntings crew and, despite no discernible answer when the crew asked whether anyone had died on the property, when the recording was played back later, there was an audible response. “Alice.”
Unbeknownst to Lawson and his crew, Alice was a bear that had lived and died in the zoo adjacent to the building in today’s Pocahontas Park.
As guests walked about with Lawson and his team, energy readings were picked up in the Citrus Museum, most notably near the smudge pots on display. Inquiring minds were left wondering what the story was behind these tools, used to heat citrus groves when the weather turns dangerously cold, asking what could have left such strong residual energy behind.
Stapleton said they have been conducting private tours of the Citrus Museum and have opened up usage of the building for events outside their typical private rentals, such as celebrating National Citrus month, participating in Downtown Fridays, hosting an “Orange” Friday, and opening up to a Dabble in Color painting event.
“As COVID continues, we have now lost $112,000 in canceled contracts, a big portion of our revenue stream,” said Stapleton, noting that event proceeds will support the general operating budget.
“We’re looking at ways that we can still get people using the building that might not be a private rental. What are the other ways that we can make use of this building?”
For more information, visit veroheritage.org or indianriverhauntings.com.
Photos by Kaila Jones
