As someone who is skeptical of many accounts of the paranormal but loves folklore and history, I found this podcast very entertaining. Many of the episodes focus on non-ghostly events, which may be a plus or minus depending on your interests. Personally, I find the eclectic mix of topics to be a bonus -- you have ghosts, a flying draconic lake monster(!), controversial 1800's-era outlaws, a 1940's UFO scare (or something), and all kinds of other intriguing tales.
I like that the narrator, Susan Beth Burns, presents the more out-there aspects of local myth and legend with respect but doesn't discount natural explanations. The information presented relies on firsthand accounts and local historians as much as possible, with speculation usually left until the ending discussion with the guest of the episode. That's a balance that appeals to me as a lover of both history and weird things.
It's also really fun to discover the connections between these various stories. There are some unexpected links, which makes sense considering that this podcast is concerned with a particular region. Of course the people, places, and events of one odd thing that happened do tend to pop up again. (For example, there's Miguel Leonis: Historical Jerk, Ghost, Lake Demon Puncher.)
The episodes are split into two sections, with the first part being a retelling of the story as much as can be pieced together and the second featuring an interview with some guest who has relevant interests. For example, the episode about the Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island had an interview with one of the archaeologists who has worked on that island and specifically with sites that are associated with her story. Sometimes the audio on these interview segments suffers a little compared to the rest of the recording, which is too bad because they're often my favorite part of the show.
The format can take a little patience to get into if you're used to podcasts where there is more constant discussion or skipping between topics throughout, but it's well worth the effort. It looks like the most recent episode is from January, but I'm hoping that the series will continue at some point.
