‘How many of you have seen a ghost?’
Staff writer
It couldn’t have been more appropriate that 13 people came to listen to a paranormal investigator on Friday the 13th.
Wearing a hat that read “I’d rather be ghost hunting,” Marion resident Don Parish, owner and founder of Into Paranormal Kansas Crew, has an investigation team made up of five people — he and his wife, Tisha; a couple in Kansas City, Kansas; and another investigator in Garnett.
“We’re kind of all spread out, and it’s hard to get together,” Parish said.
Once he had his eager audience in hand, Parish asked: “How many of you have seen a ghost?”
Nearly every hand went up, and audience members began sharing their stories: shadows or lights in the corners of their vision. Deceased service dogs coming back to check on them. Sounds that could not be explained unless the sounds were made by long-gone residents.
Parish, whose crew has done both residential and commercial property investigations during the last 10 years, said he’d investigated a castle in Missouri, Brown Theatre in Concordia, a Missouri state penitentiary, and homes.
The team also has investigated such places as bridges.
In a woman’s cell at a penitentiary, Parish felt the presence of a spirit and asked the spirit to let him know if she was there.
“I heard her knock three times on a table,” he said. “I actually caught her on my recorder.”
Parish showed spectators scientific devices he used in investigations, including electronic recorders for voice phenomenon, an electromagnetic field detector, and spirit boxes.
Reviewing evidence gathered during an investigation is a lengthy and slow process, he said.
Tisha said it was necessary to sort out any difference between what an investigator thought caused the sound and what caused the sound.
Parish talked about the difference between residual and intelligent haunting —impressions simply left behind and those caused by an active spirit in the place.
He likes the fact that the Marion area has so many limestone buildings.
“Limestone is one of those materials that holds residual energy,” he said.
“Have you ever had something follow you home?” one audience member asked.
“No,” Parish said. “At least not yet.”
If his group encounters a demonic presence, Parish said, the group connects the property owner with someone more knowledgeable about exorcism.
“I think our role is to be investigators, to confirm,” he said.
One audience member asked whether he put any credence in Ouija boards.
“Not at this time,” he answered.
His wife said she would not let a Ouija board be on her table.
“We just feel it’s too much of a doorway to things you don’t want,” Parish said.
Asked what his biggest single learning experience had been while doing paranormal investigations, Parish’s answer was simple.
“Everything I’ve learned about the paranormal, I’ve learned in bits,” he said.
Parish said he would accept new requests for investigation to be scheduled starting in January. He can be reached at (913) 538-1405.