By Alyssa Sperrazza
Staff Writer
EL RENO – You don’t need to wait till Halloween for your chance of a spooky encounter.
Fort Reno is conducting their Historical Spirit Tour beginning Sept 15, with others on Oct. 13 and Oct. 27. These lantern light tours allow visitors to walk around the old military post to see paranormal activity and learn about the history, dating back over 100 years.
Since no ghosts were willing to comment on the record, the Yukon Progress spoke with Marie Hirst, president of the board for Historic Fort Reno, Inc., about the tours and the recent paranormal activity.
“What we’re trying to do is give people tidbits of information about the history of the fort and the paranormal activity,” Hirst said. “In fact, there’s quite a bit of [paranormal activity] going on right now.”
Hirst said the fort’s new curator, Wendy Ogden, has been making some changes to the exhibits, trying to “freshen things up a bit.” While these changes have been made, paranormal activity has been reportedly more frequently.
“I guess they’re a little bent out of shape right now cause we’re changing and moving things around,” Hirst said. “They like stability. So changing them kind of make them more active.”
Ogden agreed, saying people have to make a mental note when they see something, but otherwise, it’s “nothing frightening.”
“I moved over to the visitor center around eight weeks ago and started reconstructing some of the exhibits,” Ogden said. “Since the time I started, there’s been more activity… such as footsteps, shadows, etc.”
Ogden and Hirst both discussed lights turning on and off, doors opening and closing, but Hirst said to all those not believing in ghost, “you have to believe to see or experience it.”
Skeptics and believers alike can attend the spirit tours though reservations will need to be made in advance for the dinner provided prior to the tour.
“We’ll have beans with cornbread and cobbler as a precursor to the tour,” Hirst said. “And we’ll all dress up in period dress so that people can feel like they’re stepping back in time.”
The first tour this fall is on Sept. 15, beginning at 8 p.m.
For information, visit http://www.fortreno.org
