Area author uncovers Sarasota spirits in ‘Ghost Stories’
Added October 18th, 2003
By DAN MEARNS, Englewood Editor
Reprinted from the Charlotte Sun
Ready to curl up with a juicy ghost story? There’s no time like the present, with Halloween less than two weeks
away.
There are thousands of ghost stories out there from
which to choose, ranging from the fanciful to the
far-fetched to the downright terrifying. But among the most
intriguing are those drawn from real life, involving real
people and places.
Venice Gondolier Sun features editor Kim Cool has
become an expert in uncovering and exploring such
stories. Her first book on the subject, “Ghost Stories of
Venice,” dealt with supernatural goings-on from Spanish
Point to Englewood.
In her most recent effort,”Ghost Stories of Sarasota: The
Heart of the Cultural Coast,” traces metaphysical
happenings at many Sarasota landmarks, including the
Ringling Museum, Players Theatre, Sarasota Opera
House, Pelican Man Bird Sanctuary, Lido Key and Anna
Maria Island.
The book is divided into eight chapters based on where
the spirits do their haunting. Cool visits Sarasota’s historic
theaters, its neighborhoods, educational institutions and,
of course, graveyards. Therein roam the ghosts of actors
and actresses, circus performers, animals, American
Indians and others.
“In Sarasota, it seemed as though every single theater
was haunted by at least one spirit,” Cool writes in telling
the tale of Theater Works “Warm and Fuzzy,” the tragic
Lauren Melville of Players Theatre, the dog who haunts
the Golden Apple Dinner Theater, and others.
The ghosts of Sarasota aren’t intent on mayhem or
murder, Cool notes. The most damage they do is likely to
be a scratch, a cold touch, a chill on the skin, a strange
crack in a floor, some pots and pans flying across a kitchen or a
falling object “accidentally” striking someone.
These Casperesque spirits enjoy playing the piano or
enjoying a cigarette while rocking in a rocking chair. Many
of them are “searching for a friend” who will help them
cross over into the light.
Cool also provides a healthy dose of Sarasota history
with her ghostly tales, tracing the evolution of Sarasota
through its cultural heritage. There are also numerous
photos in the book, some of them
containing mysterious orbs, shadows and lights that prove
ghosts can be photographed.
Like any good writer, Cool saves the best for last, taking
readers on an exclusive look inside the world of the late
John and Mable Ringling, who established a winter home
in Sarasota in the 1920s and helped make the city an
international center of art and society.
Cool makes the Ringling estate seem like Dana Barrett’s
townhouse in “Ghostbusters”—spook central. The
ghosts of John and Mable are on hand, of course, as are
those of famed showman Flo Zeigfeld, legendary
humorist Will Rogers and countless other folks both
famous and otherwise.
In the final chapters, Cool visits Ca d’Zan, the Ringlings’
restored mansion on Sarasota Bay, accompanied by a
pair of mediums and two television news people. They
were allowed access to the most private areas of the
massive house, areas off limits to tourists.
You’ll have to the read the book to find out what Cool
discovered. One sentence might give you an idea: “It was
almost as though we were each having the beginnings of
a heart attack.”
An award-winning journalist, Cool approaches her
stories as a reporter, but also a participant—and an
unapologetic believer. There’s no attempt to explain away
the mysterious happenings with science or logic. To Cool
and the real-life characters in her book, the spirits exist.
So, sit back, turn up your reading lamp—and turn out the
rest of the lights in the house—and prepare to be
educated, enlightened, amused and, yes, scared.
Priced at $12.95, “Ghost Stories of Sarasota” is 178 pages, with photos. It
is available at Barnes & Noble, Sarasota News & Books, Circle Books,
The Book Shop in Venice, Venice Stationers, Serenity Gardens, Ringling
Museum and on amazon.com.
You can e-mail Dan Mearns at dmearns@sun-herald.com
Topics: News & Reviews
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