Paranormal proof presented to GRCC

RUMFORD -- Following a great deal of work, the Maine Paranormal Society revealed results from their April 1 investigation they believe proves there's paranormal activity at the Greater Rumford Community Center.

Luke Jackson of MPS said, "Now do we go down the road of saying is this place haunted? I say that there's definitely a lot of paranormal activity going on. I guess you could say it's haunted because we had personal experiences. We caught some evidence on both video and audio. And yeah, it's really creepy down there (the basement)."

MPS is an experienced group of professionals dedicated to the study and research of paranormal activity, using the latest in technology and scientific technique to claim or disclaim the possible existence of paranormal phenomenon.

On May 14 at the GRCC, MPS set up their equipment, which recorded for more than six hours during an all-night investigation on April 1. The evidence was then presented to GRCC Bookkeeper Linda Taylor, GRCC employee Ryan Palmer and this reporter.

Holly Densmore of TAPS said they had two recordings of EVP's (Electronic Voice Phenomenon). One was taken on the basketball court. Listening over and over again, a female voice was heard uttering two words, believed to be either "help me" or "hello."

Much of the remaining excitement occurred downstairs in a storage area that long ago served as a five-lane candlepin bowling alley.

In the room, MPS had a machine called a K-II meter, which gauges EMF (electro-magnetic field detector) readings with a series of five bulbs at the top of the device. The device was extremely active, indicating paranormal activity.

In response, Densmore, learning names of the past at the GRCC, asked if the presence was of a particular name. In one instance, a distinct "no" was heard on a voice recording.

Also in that room, MPS had a machine that put out a green lighted grid (kind of like a stational disco ball) that could show if there was any movement in a large area. This yielded the visual evidence, captured by two cameras placed at different angles.

Jackson said, "We had the laser grid set up, from that back corner, going down. I was standing perpendicular to the camera and Shawn and Cooper were behind me because they thought they heard a noise. So they were looking in one of those back rooms and I was still looking forward at the grid. And then there was something that just blacked out a lot of the laser dots, a shadow that went from left to right as it went through the grid. We caught it on both cameras."

Densmore said their group would like to return to do another investigation.

"We would definitely focus on the area where there was activity, especially in the basement because that was an awesome K-II session that we had down there. Too bad we didn't get that on camera because that was one of the best ones we've had. That (K-II) never does that for us. We'll get blips here and there, but never like that response to questions," she said.

Densmore noted, "We had some good personal experiences while we were here, too. Even before we got started, when Shawn and I were walking up in the locker room area, we got the high EMF reading and it was like we were following it. We did that path a couple of more times afterwards and we still didn't get it."

Taylor noted a recent happening, referring to an occurrance in the GRCC when they had a boy here who is being schooled. She said he didn't know what has been happening here.

Taylor said the boys was sitting at a table with the teacher when he looked up and asked, "Who's that?"

The teacher replied, "I didn't see anybody."

The boy said, "There was a guy right there. He was in a uniform."

Taylor said, "The teacher told me he thought he might be lost so he got up to assist him. He went down the hall to see and came back and said 'he's not there.'"

The student asked Linda, "Do you ever have anything weird going on around here?"

Taylor said the student described the uniformed as being buttoned up and it was striped. He called it a uniform but it could have been a sweater.

MPS debunked reported instances of a woman in heels heard walking on the track upstairs, saying it was the sound of the heating unit. They also didn't put much solice in the instance where the radio came on by itself, still believing it was likely timed to come on.

MPS member Cooper related a personal experience he had on the visit here. While on the basketball court, he laid down to avoid making a lot of noise and to be as still as possible. "When I was down there and they were asking questions, it seemed like a misty shape walked up to me as I was laying down, kind of leaned over like 'what are you doing on the floor?' It was interesting."

"Just in my own personal view, I really didn't think about it much when it happened, but the movement was very awkward and not something where my eyes would be playing tricks with me. Then, later, both JJ and Shawn said they saw something similar around the same time," he said.

Jackson said, "Is this something malevolent or something someone needs to be scared of? I don't think so. I think it's probably just residual, which means it's going to happen the same time every week, every month. It's just imprinted in the building."

Residual images are a recurrent type of visual manifestation of a deceased human or animal. This theory is also known as the 'Tape Recorder' theory where what is seen is very much like a recorded image of a formerly living creature imprinted in the atmosphere of a certain location. In these events the residual image is usually seen performing a task in a ritual fashion, either unaware or unconcerned that they are being viewed.

In a residual haunting, there is no actual ghost/entity only the energy left behind. It is a playback of an event which is usually negative in nature. An energy imprint that is left behind to replay itself again and again. It is not intelligent and the entities are unaware of their surroundings.

"Those EVPs aren't residual. It shows some kind of intelligence. We're talking and somebody's trying to talk to us. You might have a combination of both. You could have residual and intelligent hauntings going on at the same time. It's a real interesting place and we would love to get in here again sometime."

Paranormal proof Photo:

Luke Jackson of the Maine Paranormal Society revealed results from their April 1 investigation they believe proves there's paranormal activity at the Greater Rumford Community Center. Looking on are GRCC employees Ryan Palmer and Linda Taylor. (Times photo by Bruce Farrin)