[BCMA] NEWS RELEASE: Vernon's Caetani Centre Hosts Haunted Halloween Tours/Paranormal Investigation

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv]

Dear media and communications teams,

Please accept the following news release from the Caetani Centre in Vernon,
BC in regard to our special Halloween tours and paranormal investigation
presentation taking place Oct. 26 to 29, 2022.

We would appreciate any attention you can provide to our events and thank
you in advance for your consideration.

Please feel free to reach out if you require any more information or wish
to book a visit or interview.

Sincerely,
-- 
Kristin Froneman (she/her)
Communication and Tours Coordinator
Caetani Centre Society
3401 Pleasant Valley Road
Vernon, British Columbia V1T 4L4
Phone: (250) 275-1525
Email: programs at caetani.org

*I respectfully acknowledge that my workplace is within the ancestral,
traditional, and unceded territory of the Syilx Nation.*

3401 Pleasant Valley Rd. Vernon BC, 250-275-1525, www.caetani.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oct. 11, 2022

Enter… If You Dare: Caetani Centre Hosts Spooky Halloween Events

Vernon’s notorious Halloween house is opening its doors for three nights of
Haunted Halloween Tours, Oct. 26-28, and a special paranormal investigation
presentation on Oct. 29.

VERNON, BC — Once known as the Halloween house, the Caetani Centre is
living up to its legendary status by hosting two different events for those
who believe in things that go bump in the night.

Said to be haunted, the Caetani house on Pleasant Valley Road opens for
three nights of ghostly tours, Oct. 26-28, before the Canadian Paranormal
Foundation (CPF) presents a paranormal investigation of the house on Oct.
29.

“This will be the second year we’ve hosted Halloween tours inside our
1895-built heritage home. What’s different is that this year’s event will
be hosted by local actors embodying the parts of the Caetani family,” said
Kristin Froneman, Caetani Centre tours and communications coordinator. “We
are also excited to welcome the CPF who will reveal some of the
unexplainable things their team uncovered when investigating the house
earlier this year.”

On the tour, ticket holders will learn about the Duke of Sermoneta Leone
Caetani, his partner Ofelia, and their daughter Sveva who escaped the rise
of fascism in Italy and arrived in Vernon in 1921. When Leone died in 1935,
the women secluded themselves from the world.

“Ofelia basically went into a paranoid state and never left the house again
until her death 25 years later. She unfortunately brought her daughter
Sveva and the family’s private secretary Miss Jüül into this lonely life
with her,” said Froneman.

As time went on, the only time the gate to the normally closed-off mansion
opened was on Halloween.

“Halloween was one of Sveva’s favourite times of year. She and Miss Jüül
would greet neighbourhood kids lined up outside their door and hand out
these imported European treats encased in beautifully decorated loot bags
designed by Sveva herself.”

The tour captures some of that history as well as the ghost stories and
haunted happenings that both residents, staff and visitors have experienced
in the house over the years.

Telling these tall tales will be professional actors Harrison Coe as Leone,
Amelia Sirianni as Ofelia, and special guests. The tour also includes a
rare peek upstairs, an area normally closed off to the general public.

Following the tours is the paranormal investigation, which will be hosted
by CPF founders Peter Renn and Jason Hewlett. They will reveal their
methodology of paranormal investigating, including evidence captured from
various heritage sites in BC and the Caetani house.


“In one instance when they were recording in Ofelia’s bedroom upstairs,
they captured a voice telling them to leave. You’ll have to hear it to
believe it,” said Froneman.

Proceeds from the presentation will go towards the maintenance and upkeep
of the Caetani Centre and its facilities and programs.

Tickets for the Haunted Halloween Tours, which take place Oct. 26, 27 and
28 at 6 and 8 p.m. are $25/adult and $15/youth 18 and under, available at
the Ticket Seller, 250-549-SHOW (7469) or online at www.ticketseller.ca.
Tours take approximately an hour and are not recommended for children 12
and under or for those sensitive to frightening content. Mobility issues
should be taken into consideration as guests will be required to climb
stairs.

Tickets for the CPF Paranormal Investigation presentation, Oct. 29 at 3
p.m. in the Caetani Gallery, are $25 per person (for ages 16 and up
only), and are also available at the Ticket Seller
<https://www.ticketseller.ca/tickets/event/paranormal-investigation-of-the-caetani-house>
.

The Caetani Centre is located at 3401 Pleasant Valley Rd. Vernon. For more
information, visit caetani.org <https://www.caetani.org/> or call
250-275-1525.

-30-

Media contact:

Kristin Froneman,

Tours and Communications Coordinator

Caetani Centre, Vernon, BC

programs at caetani.org, 250-275-1525

Link to news release:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gj86WznXDdwj72CmYCrWAXg3mlmVjaR8/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=109563779497480060554&rtpof=true&sd=true

Link to photos, logo, poster:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ShrMA6DMgW923szdXMugZGOhTN-5FotP?usp=sharing

About the Caetani Family:

Duke of Sermoneta Leone Caetani, his partner Ofelia and their daughter
Sveva Caetani arrived in Vernon, British Columbia in 1921. They lived a
life of wealth, privilege, travel, and luxury throughout the Roaring
Twenties until the economic crash of 1929 decimated their fortunes.

Following the death of Leone in 1935, Ofelia and Sveva went into
self-imposed exile. During this time, mother and daughter rarely left the
house, and Sveva was not allowed to pursue her love of art. It was not
until her mother's death in 1960 that Sveva, now in her early 40s, started
painting again.

Her economic circumstances dictated that she find work for the first time
in her life. She took on teaching positions at St. James Elementary and
Charles Bloom Secondary. Around this time, Sveva began work on her
Recapitulation series, featuring 47 large-scale vibrant watercolour
paintings, documenting her story and journey through life.

In the mid-1980s, due to several mitigating circumstances, Sveva donated
the complete Recapitulation series to the Alberta Foundation for the Arts
(AFA). The works left the province of British Columbia for 35 years. The
AFA provided access to the collection through exhibition loans and an
online database.

Now, after more than 30 years since the first painting travelled to
Edmonton, Sveva's Recapitulation has returned home to Vernon permanently
and is now part of an extensive collection held by the Caetani Cultural
Centre Society and on display at Sveva's former home, which is now the
Caetani Centre museum in Vernon, BC.
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