Watching Ghost Hunters on TV isn't enough, I went on a real ghost hunting adventure. It took place Halloween weekend at the Moore House (no, not Tom Moore) in Lorain. It is said to be haunted by Leonard Moore, a former mayor of Lorain from 1916-18, who built the house in 1906.
This was through a group called Ohio Researchers of Banded Spirits that does investigations of locations to see if they are haunted.
Before we started exploring the house, it was interesting to hear from people in my group who had experiences with ghosts. One man had an encounter with his dead grandfather. One woman told a story about how an old suitcase that belonged to a woman who had passed away kept falling out of her closet no matter how many times she put it back. The deceased woman loved to travel and one time the current homeowner found the suitcase in the doorway.
When the ghost hunting started, we were given gear to do the investigation. Things like digital voice recorders and equipment that registers changes in temperature and electromagnetic fields which they say can detect ghosts. There was also a radio modified to constantly go through stations creating white noise. It's the same type of equipment you see on TV.
We explored both floors, the attic and the basement. In each location we asked questions like, is there anyone here/what's your name? Nothing turned up that we could notice without playing back the recordings, but it was still a lot of fun. However, the other group that went through claims they spoke to a 10-year-old girl. On the radio they said the girl told them she likes to play games. Whether you're a believer or not, just hearing about it gave me goosebumps.
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You may see me out on the town Monday through Wednesday covering news stories. You can hear me anchoring on Saturday and Sunday!
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If you need to reach me, drop me a line at Colleen@wtam.com
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Before joining the WTAM news team in May 2009, I spent four years at WEOL AM 930 in Elyria working as a morning show co-host and news reporter/anchor.
I am a Baldwin-Wallace College graduate with a degree in Broadcasting/Public Relations. I am a lifelong resident of Ohio and attended Magnificat High School.
In my free time I love to spend time with my husband and I love to travel. I've been to almost every state and one day hope to visit Australia. I also love watching movies and playing with my weiner dog Fidgets and my cats Snickers and Midnight.
A Haunting Good Time!
Move That Bus
First, there's a lot of waiting around. I was there the first day the crew came to the house and the day of the big reveal.
I interviewed some of the workers with Marous Brothers Construction, the company that built the 34-hundred square foot house. I also talked to volunteers and neighbors but of course I wanted to interview someone with the show. In order to get that interview you have to wait as different scenes are being shot, and you're working around their schedule.
I eventually interviewed one of the designers, Tracy Hutson who is very upbeat and friendly. She told us both Mrs. and Mr. Anderson are blind and one of their children Jaison is deaf. One of the main reasons they were picked is because despite all of their disabilities they have a positive outlook on life, and are always helping others in the community.
The day of the big reveal was even more of a wait. I now know the meaning of being on Hollywood time. We were told that 'move that bus' would happen between
2pm-5pm and we needed to be there by 12pm. Not wanting to miss anything, I was there by the time they said and stayed till 5:30pm when the family finally went in to check out their new home.
One thing I was surprised by was all of the dry runs crews went through before shooting. I can understand if I was at a movie filming, but this is for a reality show. They even had a stand in family so the cameramen could make sure they would have the right angles and lighting. Crowds practiced yelling "move that bus."
While waiting I had a chance to talk to several family members and the mayor. Everyone was huddled together behind barricades outfitted with rain gear trying to stay warm. The rain stopped for only about five minutes and temperatures were in the low 50's. I couldn't feel my hands and feet by the time I left.
I also took lots of photos.
Click Here Here I am in front of the bus.
The house is about three times what the Anderson's originally had and has all sorts of technologies to help them like a fingerprint pad to gain entrance to the house instead of using keys.
We weren't allowed to take any pictures inside the house, you'll have to wait to see the episode when it airs in early December.
Since the parents are blind they had a model of the house so they could feel it to get a sense of what it looks like. The family was emotional especially the mother, Jasmine Anderson was jumping up and down screaming in excitement.
Seeing the reaction was perhaps the best part of this and it's always nice to see a deserving family in our area get some needed help.
Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolates
I had some family bonding time on Friday with my parents and grandma. My dad set up a suprise for us to go on a tour of Harry London's chocolates in North Canton. I love chocolate so this was the perfect treat.
From the moment you walk into the building you smell the aroma of chocolate. We were first given a sample of their caramels and buckeyes (chcolate covered peanut butter candy) before watching a film on the history. We learned that Harry used to make candies for his friends until his requests for orders were so great he quit his job at a steel mill to start up the business in 1922.
The tour guide then takes you through the factory where you see all of the work behind making candy. Every worker has one task: the woman who puts a big slab of caramel through the machine to cut it, others putting candy through a machine to be wrapped etc. That must be a tough job to do the same things over and over again, and they're standing on their feet all day long. Thanks to their hard work we end up with yummy candy.
We bought some candy and then went to Hartville for some shopping where I picked up some Amish treats.
