DEERFIELD — “I’m here so people have the opportunity to talk to spirits,” said Karen Tatro, spirit medium and organizer of Saturday’s Psychic and Wellness Fair at the Deerfield Inn.
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the fair provided residents and visitors to the area with an opportunity to experience the power of psychics and healers. Nine vendors were present, providing a range of expertise. From metaphysical tools, such as crystals and oils, to tarot and aura readings, guests paid a $5 admission fee and subsequent prices for individual services.
The four-hour fair occurred before the dinner and spirit investigation Saturday night, also led by Tatro. Claire Carlson, education program coordinator and director of archaeology at Historic Deerfield, said the Deerfield Inn has seen tremendous interest from people who were intrigued by stories of the inn’s purportedly paranormal history.
Tatro was drawn to Deerfield for the first time on Saturday because she had heard from others that the town — and the inn, specifically — would be a great place to hold her event. She holds paranormal and psychic events across New England, usually in places where people have reported seeing spirits.
“I’m here to document and communicate what spirits are here and to connect them with the town,” Tatro explained. She cited experiences in the field with greats, such as Steve Gonsalves of the SyFy series “Ghost Hunters” and Amy Bruni of the Travel Channel’s paranormal series, “Kindred Spirits.”
“Part of my events is to educate and give others the opportunity to explore their own abilities,” Tatro continued.
Her fairs, she said, are held to honor the talented readers and artisans within her over 60-vendor network. They’ve evolved over time, as she’s gained followers — both vendors and individuals alike — and constantly welcomes newcomers into the fold of the psychic and paranormal world.
Julie Rose, a full-time psychic and healer from Quincy, continues to attend Tatro’s fairs because of the feeling of community that they bring to her life.
“Energy is everything,” Rose said. “(Tatro) has really great energy. She always has events in really unique places.”
Rose has been giving readings for 20 years, since she was 15 years old, and travels all over New England to share her gift with others.
Not a vendor, though equally interested in the paranormal, was the Welcome-Canterbury family from Chester. Saturday was the family’s ninth spirit investigation with Tatro over the course of six years.
“Karen is the real deal and it’s amazing what she does,” Abby Canterbury said. She and her sister, Chelsea, explained that the paranormal is something that has been around them their whole lives, and that Tatro has helped them understand and access the abilities and communication they experience.
Their mother, Teresa Welcome, called the trips the family takes around New England “family time,” since each of them — her two daughters and her husband — have all had experiences with and fun exploring the paranormal world.
“I’m a huge skeptic and I have a lot of stuff stowed away, and she hit on topics that I’ve never spoken to these guys about,” Jim Welcome, Teresa’s husband, said of Tatro, gesturing to his family and showing pictures on his phone that he captured of spirits at the various investigations they’ve attended.
Tatro runs these events with her researcher, Angela Schonfield, who helps organize her fairs. Schonfield plays a large role in Tatro’s spirit investigations as well. When Tatro is called to investigate a location, she is the one to initially make contact with the spirit(s) present, but Schonfield is the one to take that information and research “the genealogy of the house (and) of the people who were in it” to trace the spirits present back in time.
“For genealogy, they need the history of the places, too,” Schonfield explained.
They then use that historical research to speak with the spirits and resolve whatever issue it was that they were called to handle.
The duo uses flashlights, pendulums and dowsing rods to acknowledge and communicate with the spirits, the latter of which were being sold on Saturday. Schonfield has been working with Tatro for about six years.
The fair and consequent investigation at the Deerfield Inn had been booked since 2019, when the tickets for her evening investigation sold out in one month. Resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, Tatro had to reschedule the event multiple times and therefore held a smaller fair than her normal 15 to 20 vendors on Saturday.
Despite the smaller size of Saturday’s fair, Tatro noticed a significant turnout and steady flow of attendees, many of whom showed an interest in obtaining the sold-out dinner and investigation tickets.
While Saturday’s event was not able to accommodate all who were interested, Tatro continues to host events and work regularly at famous locations, such as “The Conjuring” house in Rhode Island. Through private cases and galleries, along with fairs and investigations like Saturday’s, Tatro yearns to give others the chance to explore the paranormal and psychic world.
Tatro encourages interested individuals to contact her for more information. Her website is karentatro.com.