Troy Shantz
It’s almost Halloween and the magical night when ghost and ghouls roam the streets seeking candy.
But according to some Sarnians, ghosts are here year-round. And they aren’t interested in sugar.
For years now, rumours have circulated about several supposedly ‘haunted’ buildings in Sarnia, which have piqued the interest of more than a few intrepid investigators.
Local radio host Tony Frangis looked into the claims in films he produced in 2007 and 2008: Ghosts of Sarnia, and the follow-up Real Ghosts.
Paranormal events have been reported at the Lawrence House, Victoria Playhouse Petrolia, and especially the Imperial Theatre.
“There was a group of three or four of us who actually saw someone walking through the lobby,” Frangis said of the nearly 80-year old Imperial.
“The building was locked from the inside so it’s not as though anyone got in.”
According to Frangis, the investigators also heard chains rattle and footsteps on a catwalk about the stage.
“We’ve had a few people see a man in a tuxedo in the catwalks,” said Brian Austin Jr., the theatre’s executive director. He spends long hours at the theatre and admits to having experienced a few strange things himself.
“I felt somebody tap on my shoulder and say ‘psst’ in my ear and I turned around expecting to see the manager, but there was nobody there,” Austin recalled.
But if spirits are lurking in the theatre’s dark corners they don't bother him.
“It’s not a scary feeling. It’s kinda comforting, actually.”
Then there’s Great Lakes Secondary School, formerly known as SCITS.
Opened in 1922, the school building brings with it an apparent trove of spiritual baggage.
“There was the legend that a guy was working there in the summer (and) actually saw a small child run through a closed door, across the hall and through another one,” said Frangis.
“Apparently, that guy quit.”
The school auditorium is featured in many of the stories.
“Whether it was our eyes playing tricks on us or not, but we could actually see shadows walking around in the balcony,” said Frangis, who adding the crew filmed in the dark to make it seem spookier.
One Great Lakes teacher isn’t convinced, though.
“I would love to believe that there’s a ghost in here. But I would imagine that I’ve spent more time in this auditorium over the last 29 years than anybody ever has,” said drama teacher Dan White.
“I’ve never experienced anything that made me feel even a little bit creepy.”
It’s possible some people can see spirits while others can’t, White said. But he remains skeptical.
“Show me a ghost. I want to experience that. It hasn’t happened and we’re coming to the end of a 31-year career, so it had better happen soon.”
