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Ghost tours
bring the fright - 20081102
Erin McCarthy
A Midwest Haunting is currently
conducting tours every Friday and Saturday night through October
to expose the masses to paranormal activity occurring in Macomb.
In its third year of operation, A Midwest
Haunting continues to show amateur ghost hunters and skeptics
areas of high paranormal activity around Macomb. Tim Weaver
and Chad Frederick, founders of A Midwest Haunting, are passionate
about their ghost hunting endeavors and want others to learn
what they already know: Macomb is haunted.
Due to the success of A Midwest Haunting,
Weaver and Frederick had to expand their staff.
"We average around 100 people a night,
so Chad and I hired Stephanie Wells, Erin Glassnovich, Matt
Smith, Jackie Smith, Joseph Rickard, Chelsea and Willy Bowman
and Liz Vandiver," said Weaver, a junior psychology major.
"This way we can break everyone into small groups and
start at different buildings, ensuring everyone receives a
more intimate experience."
Prior to embarking on the tour, groups assemble
at Sullivan Taylor Coffee House at 7 p.m. to hear an introduction
from the guides, instructions for effective ghost hunting
and an overview of the tour. Tools - including thermometers,
electro-magnetic field meters and poles - are distributed
and a brief tutorial is given on how to use tools, cameras
and senses to locate paranormal activity.
This fall, the tour has been broken into two
parts. The downtown portion of the ghost tour consists of
the original Masonic Temple, the Old Bailey House and The
Lamoine Hotel. Patrick McGee, sophomore communications major,
took several pictures throughout the tour, picking up what
seem to be orbs, vortexes and shadows.
"I took a set of pictures of a massive
shadow floating on the wall, and I also found a wire sticking
out that resembles what I was thinking could be a vortex,"
McGee said. "What bugs me is that the alleged wire disappears
from later pictures. I am too skeptical to conclude my photos
are real proof of paranormal evidence, though."
Immediately following the downtown portion,
a separate tour begins at the Oakwood Cemetery, during which
guides share the history of underground railroaders from the
area, the brutal murder of a sheriff's deputy while escorting
a prisoner to a Jacksonville insane asylum and the States
Attorney that waged war on Al Capone's henchmen in McDonough
County during prohibition.
Brittani Smith, sophomore biology major, and
Dana Blase, junior forensic chemistry major, extended their
tour to the cemetery after thoroughly enjoying the first portion
of the tour.
"We were not expecting to find so much
evidence of paranormal activity just on the Square,"
Smith said. "I am really glad we decided to come."
"Even though I didn't experience any
activity myself, it's still interesting to hear the history
of all the old buildings," Blase said.
Having experienced several paranormal encounters
throughout his lifetime, Weaver described his most intense
episode that took place just recently.
"Last Saturday night, I walked across
the second floor of the Maurice's building on the square and
heard several footsteps behind me," Weaver said. "What
made it scary was that I knew I was alone."
The group also makes accommodations for groups
of 25 or more all year long. Due to the serious nature of
the tour, however, they insist patrons be at least 15 years
of age.
"We've grown so much in the last few
years, and we're pretty proud that the band Fear of Clowns
and Slipknot's tattoo artist booked private tours with us
this year," Weaver said.
For the details on the tour or to view pictures,
Weaver encourages people to check the Web site www.amidwesthaunting.com
or join the group on Facebook.
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