In June 2016, I was taking a class with the Fox Valley Writing Project and we went to The Grand Oshkosh for inspiration writing. I took just a few pictures and as I was listening to the lady explaining to us the history of The Grand, I had my camera out and I was following a light that drifted down the aisle past me and hovered around one of my instructors near the floor. It was a bluish-white color. I couldn’t see the light, except through the camera. The light left my instructor and then glided up to the stage and went back and forth along the back of the stage. If the light went behind the instructor you couldn’t see it anymore. I followed it for most of the speaking time and then it just disappeared.
I tried to film it and I even have a 2 second video where I say, “Oh! Now it’s gone.” Sadly, I tried twice and both times it didn’t pick up on film. I have two photos. One didn’t pick up on it and the other barely showed it, but I got it before it disappeared behind a chair. It’s not the BIG light, it’s below it by the chair legs, very tiny. That's the spot that moved in all directions and up and down the aisle. The instructor that it passed is the one in the yellow shirt.
I didn't go here hoping to catch something. It was a day out with my class for a writing activity. I haven't returned since, but I've heard that they frequently have activity. I know what I saw and I am confident they have paranormal activity at their location.
I hadn't returned to The Grand until October 2022 when they offered a
Ghost Tour and mini-interactive spirit session. My daughter and I went together to learn more about this locally haunted attraction. I, of course, wanted to know if what I had seen had been seen by other people.
The first part of the tour was the brief history of the Grand and it was followed by ghost stories of various locations in The Grand. They named their prominent ghosts and who they thought they were. The one who frequently appears on the stage was one of the prolific owners of the The Grand. When I thought back to my own experience, watching the light "meander" down the main aisle and then walking around on the stage, I wondered if that's who I saw in an energy form. We also learned about Native American spirits who are prominent in the downstairs dressing rooms.
I don't particularly want to go into all their stories, because I want to support The Grand and I want to recommend that you, wherever you live, learn more about their stories and history. But one story we were told about was about the little boy spirit who lives in the basement. It is speculated that he maybe passed on down there. See, the basement was where they moved carts of coal, if I'm not mistaken. If memory serves me correctly, they speculated that he may have died in a cart accident. Like many ghost hunters nowadays, they felt it was taboo to ask the spirit about their death, so they didn't have details about it.
The little boy, though, is their most interactive spirit. So on this tour one of the ladies who was guiding us had a set of divining rods (or spirits rods or dowsing rods if you prefer). She used them to communicate with the little boy. I know some people will say it's a parlor trick or just a way to get people excited, but as someone who frequently uses divining rods, I know that they can be effective when used properly.
The woman leading the interaction would ask questions like "can you point to where you are in the room?" or "can you point at [this person] in the room?" I had never thought to use the rods to ask questions like that before. Then, as the interactions continued, I learned the most interactive experience you could do with the rods and I, again, had never heard of or thought of it. She explained that sometimes the little boy likes to hug. That he'll cross and lock the rods against your chest. A ghost can hug you? I didn't even think a ghost would need a hug! Then it made me think of my mom and I knew that I would be going home and trying it with my mom.
During the rod session my daughter took part in the activity and the rods locked up on her. The lady said that he was doing that, because he was being silly about interacting. Isabelle said she knew she didn't move them like that and if she was moving them, wouldn't have kept them stuck in the inner hug position. Other people who tried had similar situations to what my daughter experienced, but a few had other experiences where the little boy actually answered their questions. I had an experience while my daughter was holding them and I felt the little boy near us. I slowly had an image of him start to form in my mind, but then it disappeared and I lost connection to what was near me.
The tour continued, ending with the beautiful view of the stage and a summary of the wonderful stories that make The Grand an absolutely grand place.
I've had my experiences there and I know there are more to be had. I would go back to learn the stories of the spirits that reside there, but I'd like to learn them from the spirits.
