Searching for ghosts in the darkness
Dakota County Paranormal Society will share its findings at the Heritage Library July 31
Gary Jahnke, left, and Juli Glazebrook are co-founders of the Dakota County Paranormal Society. The eight-member, Hastings-based paranormal team has conducted ghost hunts at venues such as the St. James Hotel in Red Wing, the Levee Cafe in Hastings, and the Palmer House Hotel in Sauk Center. Photo submitted
Gary Jahnke has logged long hours attempting to contact the spirit world.
As an investigator with the Dakota County Paranormal Society, Jahnke brings a scientific approach – and an array of digital recording equipment – to probe reports of eerie goings-on at area homes and businesses.
What he encounters on his ghost hunts often leaves the hair standing up on the back of his neck.
Jahnke and others from the Dakota County Paranormal Society will be sharing findings from their eldritch investigations at the Heritage Library in Lakeville on Tuesday, July 31. The event, titled “Paranormal Activity Revealed,” is geared to teens and adults and runs from 7 to 8 p.m.
Joining Jahnke at the Heritage Library will be investigators Pat Theisen of Apple Valley, a specialist in historical research, and Juli Glazebrook of Hastings, co-founder with Jahnke of the paranormal team and a self-described “sensitive,” or psychic, who often employs a dowsing rod in her efforts to contact spirits.
The eight-member, Hastings-based paranormal team has conducted ghost hunts at venues such as the St. James Hotel in Red Wing, the Levee Cafe in Hastings, and the Palmer House Hotel in Sauk Center.
It was the investigation at the St. James Hotel that “hands down” yielded the most compelling evidence, Jahnke said.
And, he added, he has video of it all.
The table that seemed to move on its own. Glazebrook’s dowsing-rod session that apparently established contact with an owner of the hotel who died in the 1800s. Jahnke’s “handshake” with a phantom that sent a chill through everyone in the room.
“The evidence – I still look at it almost every single day,” he said. “It blows my mind.”
Jahnke emphasized that there are dangers associated with ghost hunting. Paranormal dangers.
Investigators will tell you that malicious spirits have a nasty habit of latching on to those attempting to probe their hidden world.
“Myself and others in the group have had things follow them home from an investigation,” said Jahnke, a 1997 graduate of Eagan High School who now lives in Hastings. “There’s danger associated with it if you don’t protect yourself. It’s happened to me.”
Investigators serve on a volunteer basis. The group doesn’t charge a fee for its services, and won’t disclose the location of an investigation unless the owner gives the OK.
Their goal is to provide answers to homeowners and business owners who are wondering if spirits are running amok in the dark.
“You shouldn’t have to feel that way in your home or your business,” Jahnke said. “We can bring peace of mind.”
More about the Dakota County ghost hunters is at www.dakotacountyparanormal.com.
