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Ghosts
in Green Bay? You better believe it — at least
according to the guy who co-wrote “The Wisconsin
Guide to Haunted Locations.”
The
area is loaded with things that go bump in the night,
said Chad Lewis, who will appear with two other
paranormal investigators at the first Unexplained
Conference in Green Bay this weekend. Authors Linda
Godfrey and Richard Hendricks, who co-authored
“Weird Wisconsin: Your Travel Guide to Wisconsin’s
Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets” also will tell
tales of spooky sightings in our own back yard.
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Who’s
there?
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What: Unexplained Conference
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When: 7 p.m. Saturday
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Where: WBAY Building, 115 S. Jefferson
St.
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How much: $10 tickets at the door
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For more info: www.unexplainedresearch.com
Just
for fun
If
you’ve heard of other places that are said
to be haunted in the Green Bay area, let us
know by e-mailing sschultz@greenbaypressgazette.com.
We’d like to compile a list of ghost stories
to share with readers in the future. |
Stories
have circulated for years about the downtown YMCA at
235 N. Jefferson Ave. and a young man’s ghost who is
said to haunt the upper floors, but have you heard
about the strange goings-on at BrewBaker’s Pub at
209 N. Washington St., where no one wants to be the
last worker to close the place at night?
Phil Kawula,
part-owner and manager at BrewBaker’s said he’s
never seen an apparition at the bar, but he gets
monthly calls from others wondering if it’s true
that the place is inhabited by a spirit.
“It can
be a creepy place to be late at night alone, without a
doubt,” he said. “Everybody here feels that
way.”
“I tried
to do some research on it,” said Kawula, adding that
he hasn’t found any definitive documentation.
BrewBaker’s shows up on Web sites as a spooky spot
where people have said they hear footsteps or see
lights flash on and off when no one’s supposed to be
there. At this stage, though, Kawula is still a
skeptic.
A few other
haunted spots will be discussed at this weekend’s
conference, too. An area on Velp Avenue is said to be
frequented by leprechauns,
while the old hospital at Heritage Hill State
Historical Park get visits from a spirit of a bygone
era. Vince Lombardi’s ghost supposedly keeps track
of the team at Lambeau Field, although Packers’
historian Lee Remmel said he’s never heard such
stories.
As for the
YMCA’s ghost, associate center director, Amy
Schaeuble, denied that there have been sightings.
The
Unexplained Conference has drawn audiences of 200 to
300 people at each of its 20 stops around the state,
and Lewis expects to see that many Saturday.
“People
keep e-mailing us from Green Bay,” he said.
“There’s so much odd stuff going on here.”
The
presenters will offer information they have on local
haunts “and let you look at all sides of the issues,
then come to your own conclusions,” Lewis said.
The
speakers all have careers outside their paranormal
work. Lewis is a grant writer based in Eau Claire but
as a psychology student studying why people believe in
the paranormal, he got hooked on the subject.
“Ten
years later I’m left with more questions than
answers,” he said.
Godfrey, a
former reporter with a keen interest in werewolves in
Wisconsin, is a full-time author in Elkhorn, and
Hendricks is a legal researcher at a law firm in
Madison.
Lewis said
many of us have heard spooky tales about the places
around us, and many have had otherworldly experiences.
He said he believes that fear tinged with denial is
what keeps more people from reporting personal stories
involving the supernatural. At the conference, they
can feel free to open up.
“My
favorite part (of the presentation) is when the people
tell their stories. There are more than we could ever,
ever investigate,” he said.
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