Sci-Fi star and local tattoo artist team for Tats for Charity
Posted on April 10, 2008
Buried in Louisville, Ky. stands the Waverly Hills Sanatorium, a 98-year-old hospital that housed more than 130 tuberculosis patients before closing in 1961. In the 50 years that it was operating, an estimated 63,000 patients died, causing many paranormal investigators to label the site one of the most haunted hospitals in the eastern United States.
Kristyn Gartland of the Sci-Fi Channel show “Ghosthunters” has investigated this site and many others, but last Saturday she was at Painted Lady Tattoos on South Avenue, sponsoring the Tats for Charity event. In celebration of the event, Painted Lady donated a portion of the money earned from each tattoo to Catholic charities in Somerville, Mass.
“It’s a nice way for us to give back,” Gartland said. “Traditional [ways] sucks.”
Gartland was inspired to host the event by Margaret Lawson-Bushell, who has been working as a tattoo artist for Painted Lady since October 2003.
Gartland met Lawson-Bushell after receiving a tattoo from her in Boston; but it wasn’t until years later that the duo decided to plan an event for charity. Lawson-Bushell thought it would be a good organization to donate to and put all of the money she earned Saturday toward Tats for Charity.
“It’s an organization I think has done a lot of good for a lot of people,” she said. “I’ve met a lot of people who they’ve done a lot for.”
The event came after a class Gartland hosted in Winchester last Friday. Nicknamed “Paranormal 101,” the class taught participants how to investigate the scientifically unexplainable. This was one of many presentations Gartland has held on the subject.
“I always sell out,” she said. “I have to lock the door when I do the class. People pay to be there, and I don’t want them to be disturbed.”
In past years, Gartland has been able to offer an investigation of a haunted location as part of her class, but she was unable to secure a facility in time for her lecture in Winchester. Participants weren’t completely out of luck, however, as one participant had a chance at winning a tattoo worth up to $150 from Lawson-Bushell.
Diana Minor of Inwood, W. Va. won the tattoo after traveling all the way to Winchester for the class. While she doesn’t have a tattoo, she was excited about the entire experience.
“I have a [paranormal investigation] group, so the class made it easier to go out and hunt,” she said.
When Gartland is not hosting charity events or filming for “Ghosthunters” she’s conducting her own private investigations. She works year round and goes on hunts as she is contacted.
