A BUSY SEASON AHEAD — Volunteers behind Brooke Hills Playhouse are preparing for a busy summer season, with a variety of shows and a special event on May 4 featuring talks on paranormal phenomena. -- Warren Scott

WELLSBURG — Anyone who has wondered about flying saucers, Bigfoot and other unexplained phenomena may find answers at an event being hosted by Brooke Hills Playhouse from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 4.

Admission is free to the West Virginia Northern Panhandle Paranormal Conference, which will feature talks by Fred Saluga and Brian Seech, at 11 a.m., Aurora Swanhilde at 12:30 p.m., Michael Cook at 2 p.m., John Ventre at 3:30 p.m. and Robert Solomon at 5 p.m.

The playhouse is in Brooke Hills Park on state Route 27, about five miles east of state Route 2 in Wellsburg.

Saluga, a New Cumberland resident; and Seech, of Weirton, have been investigating reports of Bigfoot, UFOs and other paranormal phenomena for more than 50 years.

Also a licensed private investigator, Saluga is state director of the Mutual UFO Network in West Virginia and assistant director of its MUFON in Pennsylvania.

Seech is founder of two research groups, the Center for Unexplained Events and Center for Cryptozoological Studies and has appeared on “Monsters and Mysteries in America” on the Destination America cable channel.

A Pittsburgh resident, Swanhilde has investigated the paranormal, including psychic phenomena, since she was 13 and has spoken about werewolves on the Agents of the Unexplained YouTube channel.

Cook hails from Harlan County, Ky., and has discussed Bigfoot, including his alleged encounter with the creature, on “The Alaskan Triangle” and “Paranormal State” cable television shows.

A Pennsylvania resident, Ventre is multi-state director of MUFON and has written columns for several magazines and seven books, including “String Theory of the Unexplained.”

A Cleveland area resident, Solomon hosts a podcast, “This Uncanny Earth,” about a variety of paranormal and supernatural topics.

The playhouse is inviting vendors selling crafts, jewelry, books and other items to book a space at the event, for $20 or $25, by calling (304) 670-1093 by May 1.

Vendor applications can be found at the Brooke County Arts Council Facebook page.

Julia Barnhart, president of the Brooke County Arts Council — the playhouse’s volunteer parent organization — said, “This event is a first for Brooke County. We are delighted to sponsor this event and hope everyone can come out for a day to explore the unknown about Bigfoot, UFOs and more.”

The special event is a prelude to the playhouse’s 53rd season, which will offer an assortment of strange events and unusual behavior in the form of two fantasies aimed at families and a handful of comedies featuring characters ranging from the stars of a television cooking show to a sassy mortuary cosmetologist living in a little Texas town.

Running from May 24-26 and May 31-June 2, Caroline Smith’s “The Kitchen Witches” is about two long-time cooking show hosts who actually hate each other.

Marc Camoletti and Robin Hawdon’s “Don’t Dress for Dinner” will be performed June 14-16 and 21-23. A farce, it involves a man planning a romantic weekend with his Parisian mistress while his wife is away, and the series of mix-ups that ensues.

“Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical” will be presented July 5-7 and 12-14. Created by Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin, the Tony Award-winning show is about a special little girl with an extraordinary imagination who dreams of a better life.

And the playhouse once again will be taking playhouse patrons down the Yellow Brick Road when they present “The Wizard of Oz,” a non-musical adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s classic children’s story by Claude Townley.

The playhouse’s children’s show for the season, it will be performed July 26-28 and Aug. 2-4.

Closing out the season will be Jones Hope Wooten’s comedy, “Rex’s Exes,” which involves a mortuary cosmetologist, her two cousins and the man with whom the three have something in common.

Showtimes are 8 p.m. for Friday and Saturday shows and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Season tickets cover five shows for the price of four and are $50 for senior citizens and students, $58 for all other adults and $42 for young children.

Those who send payment to BCAC, P.O. Box 186, Wellsburg, will have their tickets mailed to them. For information, call or text (304) 737-3344.