On September 5th, Amy and Jake went to Chris Staudinger’s book signing and took in a few ghost stories … and libations at one of our favorite haunts, The Foss Waterway Seaport Museum. Get the scoop after the jump.

The Book Signing For “Secret Tacoma“

Inside the spacious and lovely museum, chairs neatly lined an area near a large screen monitor. Next to that, a table with black cloth and stack of books sat. This is where Chris Staudinger, the guy behind Pretty Gritty Tours and “Secret Tacoma,” would sign books.

Of course, a bar and appetizer spread just sat waiting for Amy and Jake to get a couple of signature cocktails (Sea Breeze and Longshoreman) and cheese plates.

The event’s first hour was dedicated to signing books … and setting up chairs. It turns out, the signing had exceeded its initial goal, and the staff had to quickly move to make sure everyone had a place to sit.

Side note: The event did so well, the museum refunded our tickets, and covered it all!

Around 7 PM, the show part of the event kicked off, and Chris began storytelling. Most of the stories came directly from his book and his tours. Amy and Jake have taken many of the haunted tours, so they recognized the stories. The standout tale dealt with phantom dogs created by a true crime event back in the 1920s.

The storytelling segment ran about an hour. Jake and Amy got a kick from the humor and foreshadowing of spooky events and history dropped throughout the segment.

Afterwards, it was back to signing more books for Chris. The Ghostly Activities Club said congrats on the book release and got a selfie with him.

Before And After The Event

The Ghostly Activities Club got to the museum early, and we got to see some interesting sights. Check out the gallery for our related adventures including tug boats (how appropriate for a seaway museum) and eats … because tater tots.

A Spooky Occurrence In The Museum

After the book signing event, guests could walk around the museum and see the exhibits. Amy and Jake perused the diving bell and Andela model, then shifted to the labor union section. As Jake stood where a hit on labor union organizers happened, he felt warm hands grab his calves. You can see Amy standing in the approximate location in the slideshow above.

Needless to say, it was creepy and a perfect way to end the night at the (haunted) museum. The Ghostly Activities Club also signed up as members of the Foss Seaport Museum.

Note: Amy and Jake paid for their books and (refunded) tickets with their own money, so there’s no expectation of a positive review by the museum or author.

Thanks for reading Ghostly Activities. Much appreciated and take care!