Sandusky, Ohio: Go ghost hunting at the State Theatre

From Funcoast.com: Go ghost hunting at the State Theatre

(The article has a few videos. To see them, go to the link via your computer)
Want to go?
• WHAT: Ghost Hunt
• WHEN: 10 p.m.-1 a.m. Sept. 23 & Oct. 6, 29 & 31
• WHERE: Sandusky State Theatre, 107 Columbus Ave., Sandusky
• COST: $22/person
• INFO: 419-626-1950 or sanduskystate.com

Halloween is coming, and you know what that means: haunted houses and ghost tales. It’s also the time of year that people start to question their beliefs a little and wonder if the ghost tales could be true. What if there is more to our world and we just can’t see it? How about trapped sprits or beings that haunt us like ghosts or other supernatural beings, or even poltergeists? Some people do believe, some people don’t and some, like myself, are between believing.

So why am I talking about ghosts? Because the Sandusky State Theatre and Firelands Paranormal Society have teamed up to do ghost hunts at the State Theatre. I had a chance to go to one of these hunts and I have tips on how to make the most out of your ghost hunting, why you should go and of course, I have some video footage from the ghost hunt. I will tell you now that I am more of a believer after going though my footage, because I found a few crazy things I didn’t expect.

If you don’t know what a ghost hunt is or have never seen any of the shows on TV about ghost hunting, here it is in a nutshell. Wikipedia had the best description of it: “Ghost Hunting is the process of investigating locations that are reported to be haunted by ghosts. Typically, a ghost hunting team will attempt to collect evidence claimed to be supportive of paranormal activity. Ghost hunters often utilize a variety of electronic equipment, such as the following types: the EMF meter; digital thermometer; handheld and static digital video cameras, such as thermographic (or infrared) and night vision; digital audio recorder and a computer.”

Okay, so let’s talk about the event at the State Theatre. It was lots of fun and the guys from Firelands Paranormal Society were great. They were very friendly and they answered all kinds of questions. People were asking about what they do, how many investigations they have been on, what they find, do they believe, why do they do it and more, and I never once heard them not answer a question. They also answered them enthusiasm that you cannot fake. I could tell the guys really enjoyed doing this and sharing the information with others.

The ghost hunts are late in the evening, starting at 10 p.m. and going until 1 a.m., so drink some coffee before you get there. Remember: the recommended age for this event is 18 or older, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. I was a little sleepy before I got to the State but once I got there and started talking to people, I woke right up. The excitement of the unknown, the possibility of becoming a believer in the paranormal and what kind of footage I might get got the best of me and I was wide awake.

As the event starts, the guides will take you though the State Theatre with all the lights on to show you what room you’ll be in, and why they tend to do work in these rooms. I took lots of video and EVPs (electronic voice phenomenon) while I was ghost hunting and have footage from both the lights on tour and the lights off tour, so be sure to check it out to really get a good idea of what it will be like to go to this event.

I brought some of my own equipment (two video recorders and a digital voice recorder) and my friend Nicole had a digital camera, but you don’t need to bring your own equipment. Firelands Paranormal Society brings equipment you can use and they tell you how to use it. I really went into this as a skeptic, but trying to keep an open mind. I did get some goose bumps when I was there and kind of felt like someone was watching us, but I didn’t see or hear anything.

Well, at least not until I got home and started going through all of my footage. At some points I was filming and using the digital voice recorder, and I had some reasons for this. I wanted to be able to compare the two so I could make sure if I found something on the digital voice recorder I compare it to the video to make sure I didn’t hear the same things. I’m not going to tell you everything I found, but you can totally watch my video with all the EVPs in them. I did find a few where I can NOT deny that something is going on, and one of them really freaked me out. Well, maybe both of them did, and I’m now a bit more of a believer.

Top five host hunting tips:
Now let’s talk about how to get the most out of your ghost hunt. I have my top five things to do and not to while you are ghost hunting.

5.) Come with an open mind, but be realistic. If you believe or not, just keep an open mind and try not be taken away by the excitement of the event. Don’t make things up and really look at what you are seeing or hearing. Try to figure out what could be causing it that’s not
supernatural.

4.) Be respectful. This goes for living people and the ghosts. Try not to talk while people are doing the EVPs. It is a fun event but there were a lot of people, and there were times I just wanted to say be quiet so we could focus. The guy from
Firelands Paranormal Society will tell you how to respect the ghosts during the event.

3.) Come a little early so you can talk to the guys from Firelands Paranormal Society. If you want to find out more about what they do and how, you will want to get there a little early so you can pick their brains.

2.) If you can, bring your own equipment. Like I said, there are a lot of people that came to the event I was at and I loved having my own camera and recorder. So, if you have it bring it and I’m sure the guys from Firelands Paranormal Society would help you go though the footage if you can’t do it on your own.

1.) Have fun! I wasn’t sure what to expect at this event but I had tons of fun. I got to meet new people and look for ghosts. I have always loved the idea that there is more to our world and we just need to be open to it