There is a hunger in New Brunswick for all things Fortean.
It’s something Carla (Kat) Sheppard noticed when she sold all 260 tickets to the April 11 Fredericton UFO Conference and Holistic Fair. Admittedly, she said she kept the ticket prices low.
Now, she’s hosting a second event on November 7 and 8.
“It was a test to see if people were interested,” she admitted during an October Zoom conversation. “I didn’t know how many speakers I would have.”
Originally expecting three speakers for the April event, the list ballooned to six, including UFO researchers Jim Lawrence and Chris Styles, retired army intelligence officer Major Harold Skaarup, paranormal investigator Elliott Van Dusen and psychic medium Jodi Russell.
For the November conference, Sheppard is bringing 10 guests and splitting the fair into conference lectures and workshops. Skaarup, Styles and Lawrence all return, with the addition of Manitoba-based educator and communicator Chris Rutkowski. Rutkowski is known for his work on the Canadian UFO Report, as well as his most recent book, Canada’s UFO Secrets: Disclosing Government Files.
“He’s going to do two talks, actually, because he’s also interested in astronomy,” the quantum hypnosis practitioner said, adding he’ll host a speaker’s lunch for guests.
Although she said she’s more focused on the metaphysical side of the UFO and UAP conversation, she likes his approach to the topic.
“What I really appreciate about Chris Rutkowski is that in his books he asks a lot of questions and puts it out there to the professional community, whether it’s psychiatrists or psychologists working with abductee cases,” she said. “Or the government, and how they document or track or do anything with these files.”
Sheppard is letting others step in and help coordinate this one more — something she said she learned from the first conference, which was hosted at the Maritime Forestry Complex Theatre. The November conference will be at the Wu Conference Centre at the University of New Brunswick.
Rutkowski keeps the focus on Canadian content, and Sheppard is drawing from the local community with Lawrence and Skaarup. Skaarup will be representing the Fredericton Region Museum, which has featured the work of ufologist Stanton Friedman.
“Hal has found that people leave notes in the museum where they say, ‘I saw something,’ you know, and he realized that display was providing a deeper service that he didn’t expect,” Sheppard said.
The return to the UFO conversation is something Sheppard holds near, as she has had a deep interest in the journey after life since 2010. That’s when she picked up a book on near-death accounts, as well as learned about the work of Dolores Cannon.
She wants to bring people who are like-minded and afraid to come forward with those existential questions.
“That is why I do the whole thing, so that people can look around and say, ‘Oh, I’m not the only person that has this sort of experience or questions, or whatever stage they’re at in their journey,’” Sheppard said. “That’s my motivation to say, ‘Look, Fredericton, it’s okay to be yourself.’”
The Fredericton UFO and Metaphysical Conference runs November 7 to 8 at the UNB Wu Conference Centre. Tickets are available through Eventbrite.
Photo of Elliott Van Dusen’s April lecture courtesy of Carla Sheppard.