Casper the Friendly Ghost turns 60

STATEN ISLAND, NY -- ALL SHORES -- In 1945, The National Telefilms Association launched a new cartoon called Casper the Friendly Ghost. The animated series, narrated by a male voice, revolved around the adventures of a cute baby ghost, who unlike his brothers and sisters, longed to be liked, not frightening, to those he met.

Casper's comic book debut came in 1949 and since then millions have come to recognize Casper as The Official Ambassador of Halloween. This year, creators are officially celebrating his 60th birthday.

There are plenty of fans to make note of the occasion. Casper has over 1 million "friends" on the social networking site, Facebook, alone.

But Casper's not the only friendly ghost around. On Staten Island, Dan Aliotta, along with his colleagues, Stella, Cheryl and Jennifer, started the group Staten Island Ghost Hunters (SIGHS), (www.sighosthunters.com,) in 2007.

"Our mission is to show people that ghosts and spirits were once people too and still deserve to be treated like them. They should not be feared, but understood," said Aliotta.

With the help of voice recorders, digital cameras, night vision cameras, EMF detectors (K2 meters), night vision surveillance cameras, motion sensors and other necessary equipment, the SIGHs have proven that there are ghost and non-paranormal explanations for the haunting activities some Islanders have experienced.

Aliotta had this to offer when it comes to "real" friendly ghosts: "Evidence seems to prove most ghosts are shy, misguided souls who have been unable to find their way to the other side. Most investigators, like us, believe it is because they have unfinished business on earth and/or are looking to find their loved ones and find closure."

How can you tell if you are being visited by a fun and friendly spirit from the other side?

"People have reported their name being called out when they are alone, being tapped on the shoulder when there is no one behind them, having their car keys moved from one room to another, and even witnessing a ghostly appearance. I suppose these can be considered friendly ghosts as they mean no harm to the living and maybe are just being a little mischievous and having some fun at the expense of the living," Aliotta said.

Some people have even referred to a ghost as a "guardian angel" that has prevented them from getting hurt or making a bad business deal.

Are you looking to celebrate Casper or find some other friendly ghosts this Halloween season? Check out these seasonal activities coming up on Staten Island:

* Historic Richmond Town, located 441 Clarke Ave. in Richmond on the East Shore will mark Halloween on Oct. 30 starting at 3 p.m. This event will feature activities like apple bobbing, trick-or-treating and pumpkin picking; but, don't forget to be open to the friendly spirits that are rumored to still live and frolic around the this historic restoration. For tickets, which must be purchased in advance, call 718-351-1611, ext. 281. Tickets are $8 per child, $3 per adult, and $7 for children who are members. Adult members are free.

* Enjoy Halloween with some of friendliest animals on Staten Island. The Staten Island Zoo's annual Spooktacular on the North Shore will be held Oct. 24, from 6 to 9:30 p.m., and Oct. 25, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Enjoy shows, crafts, activities, contests and refreshments. To learn more, visit the Staten Island Zoo's Web site at www.sizoo.org, or call 718- 442-3100. Tickets are $13 for Zoo members and $16 for non-members. Tickets sell out quickly for this popular event and must be purchased in advance. The Zoo is located at 614 Broadway in West Brighton.

* Would you like to pick a pack of perfect pumpkins? Meet some perky puppets? Or check out smiley sand art by Sandman Matt Long? Come to Willowbrook Park, on the West Shore, Oct. 10 (rain date is Sunday Oct. 11,) noon to 5 p.m. This annual Halloween celebration marks the end of the season for the Children's Carousel, so be sure to turn out for a few last spins on the merry-go-round. Casper might even surprise you with a visit. To learn more, visit www.sigreenbelt.org.

Shore Family Fun appears weekly in the Shore sections of the Advance. Sherrina Navani is a freelance reporter and can be reached through shores@siadvance.com.

Real-life 'ghostbusters' go hunting at Meucci Museum

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Do you believe in ghosts?

Those who met in the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum in Rosebank last month -- on Friday the 13th -- certainly do. And they set out to prove that communicating with the dead may not be such a long distance call.

Ever since Emily Gear started her job as museum director in 2002, she said, "Things have been getting progressively weirder."

The doorbell sometimes rings on its own, walls vibrate and the basement door is found open when no one is present, some visitors claim.

Ms. Gear is led to believe that the spirit of Antonio Meucci -- original inventor of the telephone who died in obscurity -- is present in the Rosebank farmhouse.

So, she asked Christopher Moon, senior editor of Haunted Times Magazine, to return to the museum for the second time this year, with his "telephone of the dead" -- technology first attempted by Thomas Edison to contact his deceased mother.

Following a brief seminar on "ghost hunting," Moon, along with nearly a dozen enrollees, attempted to contact spirits who could assist in finding lost patents Meucci may have hidden 150 years ago.

Ms. Gear admits the patents may or may not be in the house, but holds the event mainly to educate the public further on Meucci and his friend Giuseppe Garibaldi -- the exiled Italian war hero who also resided in the house.

"[Meucci] doesn't mind ghost hunters," Ms. Gear said, "as long as they respect him and get his story out."

Equipped with digital recorders, monitors and meters, Moon first led the ghostbusters onto the museum's pitch black property.

"We're not Hollywood," Moon said, sending a volunteer into the darkness of night with a white noise machine, which supposedly attracts spirit energy. "It works like a dinner bell."

Anticipation built as voices were heard over the static of Edison's "supernatural device," telling the group to go back into museum and into an "off limits" area on the second floor.

Once there, an interview was conducted with two voices who urged the group to search beneath the floorboards for the Meucci patents. The voices also advised the participants not to listen to another spirit, referred to as a French witch, who did not want the patents to be discovered.

Several hopefuls moved a table and a carpet, pried open a loose floorboard and searched earnestly for a box containing the missing patents -- but none were found.

Later that night, as eight guests were getting ready to leave, a loud bang from the second floor was heard, followed by a muffled female voice yelling down the stairwell toward the guests.

"We went up there and turned on all of the lights, but there was absolutely no one up there," Moon said.

Moon plans to return to the Garibaldi-Meucci museum in November, believing "the story is only half told at this point."

As for Ms. Gear, she continues as curator but approaches these events with some suspended disbelief, and hopes people look at it with open minds. "I'm trying to find all rational explanations."