Chicago's "Ghostbusters" are on the case

Lumino Magazine
Written by ALANA GRELYAK   
8/11/06

It was a dark and stormy night, quite literally. It was Sunday, and it
was raining on my nimble Saturn and me as we weaved our way in and out
of construction cones on Chicago Avenue. Near my home, I noticed three
people standing on the side of the road.
The man was portly, business casual, peering into the window of a store
through cupped hands. The woman was checking her watch and looking down
the road, seemingly waiting for someone's arrival. She wore a dress that
looked suspiciously dry. The third figure was neither male nor female
from what I could perceive. By now, dear reader, I trust that the oddity
of this situation struck you much as it struck me that night. Why were
these people standing amidst construction cones waiting for a bus after
midnight on a weekday? I snapped my eyes back to where they stood to
find that the street was quite empty.

At this point in my article, I reach a quandary. Dare I type, in tiny
black letters, the thought that by now I am sure you and I both already
share? I will not be able to retract it and there it will be, for all
readers to read, with my name in capital letters just above. I feel that
I must. So here it is, in all its finery: I believe that I saw a ghost.
Well, three ghosts, actually. Did you snicker when you read my
statement? Are you deciding, even now, whether you should continue
reading or put down this crackpot story and move on to something
slightly more, shall we say, sensible? I don't fault you for having
these thoughts. Most people that I shared my story with in person had
much the same reactions. Therefore, my quandary has reached a
culmination in one question: Who can I tell this story to without being
pegged as odd?

I find myself in luck. There is an organization known as the Chicago
land Paranormal Researchers (CPR for short), which is comprised of
perfectly normal individuals who are more than willing to listen to my
story. And not only that, they are also willing to investigate it. The
group was founded quite recently, this past March actually. Founders Roy
Baggio, a professional in the jewelry industry, and Mike Ganster,
full-time local police officer, met through their former association
with another Chicago-based paranormal society. The members of CPR
convene on a bi-monthly basis to discuss paranormal events that are
witnessed by everyday people. Their mission statement touts "a
collective goal to aid in the resolution of malevolent or disconcerting
situations through the research and investigation of the paranormal
claims of those that seek our help." They use a compilation of
instruments, such as cameras, both digital and film, sound recorders,
thermal imagers, and digital thermometers to try to detect the presence
of abnormal energies, better known to us more mundane folks as ghosts.

There isn't much investigating that can be done in regards to my brief
street-corner sighting, but after respectfully listening to my story,
the fine folks of CPR invited me to an investigation of the basement of
Hooter's on Wells. (At the time that this investigation took place; the
members of CPR were still functioning as part of the other group.)
Restaurant workers over the years have claimed ghostly feelings in the
dark storage closets of the establishment at 660 N. Wells St. Some
speculate that the basement was used as a storage facility for some of
the bodies of the Eastland Disaster, the ship that overturned in the
Chicago River, in 1915. I grabbed my camera and joined the group.

Chris Fleming, well-renowned sensitive and host of the Biography channel
series Dead Famous, was kind enough to take me as his special apprentice
for the evening. His first task was to set up video cameras to record
anything that might occur down the hallways while we were not present.
He then pulled out his dowsing rods, two copper rods that are believed
to detect spirit presences by swinging back and forth, and proceeded to
ask questions of any spirits that might have been listening. I followed
along and snapped pictures with my digital camera.

"Is there anybody here that is willing to speak with us? Point to the
spirit," Chris said, directly to the rods. The dowsing rods swung to the
right. Chris' eyes met mine. He took a step to the left and said,
"Please show us where the spirit is." The rods again swung to point at
the same spot. My heart started beating faster, though I'm not certain
why. When I later looked at the pictures that I took, there are glowing
points of light coming from the direction that the rods were pointing
to, seemingly good evidence that something else was in the room with us.
I could find no other, more commonplace, explanation for them.

The most exciting part of the evening for me was my solo walk around the
basement. The rest of the team that night comprised of six members
waited in the control room. The cameras set up around the basement were
linked to small television monitors that some member of the group must
constantly keep an eye on. I began my walk slowly, but when I got to the
doorway of the storage room, I started to get nervous. At this point in
the investigation, I was not aware of the previous reports by staff
members of the haunting of this particular room. And yet, I got so
nervous from the feel of it that I made an Olympic medal-worthy leap
over the doorway and booked it out the other side. I was later told that
one of the cameras caught an orb, a generally accepted piece of evidence
of a paranormal presence, floating behind me in the hallway. Then again,
I could have just kicked up some dust while I was running like a
chicken.

The members of CPR recently investigated Rico D's, a restaurant in
Willow Springs, Illinois, and have plans to return for a follow-up
investigation. The restaurant is known for its history as one of Al
Capone's road-side speakeasies. It will make an appearance in Mr.
Fleming's show, Dead Famous, on Tuesday, April 18th at 9 p.m. Central
Standard Time. If any of you fine readers has a home or establishment
that you would like to have investigated, the members of the CPR want to
hear about it. You can call their investigation line at 708-828-4561 and
leave a message stating your name, the best way to reach you, and a
brief description of what you would like investigated and why.
Investigations are done free of charge, but donations are welcome.

They are also kept strictly confidential, unless you state otherwise, so
you need not worry about pesky pedestrians peering into your windows
during the night trying to catch site of your haunting. So, dear reader,
I urge you to follow my example and bravely state your belief in ghosts.
Even if the CPR doesn't find anything ghostly in your house, at least
you'll know you aren't alone.