*Investigation [ 10/18/08 ] (8:00 PM – 3:30 AM)       *Reveal [ 10/28/08 ] 

Many Thanks to the Anderson Elks Lodge for calling us to investigate.

Please stop by, visit and support a great group of people.  Lodge #209

Claims on the Elks Lodge:  Staff reports the sense of being watched while in the “members only” bar and in the lodge kitchen.  People reported getting strange feelings while in the lodge banquet hall.  The ex-secretary and various other employees of the Elks Lodge have reported feeling strange sensations while in the lodge’s business office and especially while in the business office’s storage closet.  Other members have reported feeling strange sensations also while in the Elk Lodge’s upstairs meeting room.

Situation: Around 8:00 PM members of the MRIPA team set up the base station in the banquet hall of the lodge right in front of main bar area.  Five night vision cameras were set up around the lodge: two in the upstairs meeting room, one in the back office room one in  the storage closet, and one in the “members only”  Teams set out around the lodge while two team members monitored the group’s activity from the base station.  Each team had flashlights, a digital recorder, digital camera, EMF meter, and IR Thermometer.  One team had the hand held night vision video camera.  Jason and Rachel did a sweep with one of the Lodge members before the actual investigation to get a base reading of the Lodge.

Investigation Highlights and Evidence:    Team members took turns watching the monitors at the base station through out the course of the night.  Two teams set out through the lodge.  Both teams had digital audio recorders, flash lights, digital cameras, and IR thermometers.  One team had a hand-held mini DV camera.  The night had several incidences where strange sounds were caught on the digital audio recorders, and MRIPA staff members felt cold spots but other than that no one had any personal experiences, nothing strange was caught neither on digital camera nor on the digital audio recorders.

 Invalidated Data:  Many pictures that were taken with digital cameras, which caught quite a bit of dust and some insects flying about.  Also, with many reflective surfaces, mirrors and glass around the building some pictures had light flares off of reflective surfaces which presented us with some interesting effects, but unfortunately nothing paranormal.  During the initial sweep of the lodge Jason and Andrew were able to reproduce some of the reported strange lights that are seen by staff while in the kitchen and bar area.  Also, with traffic going by at night the glare from cars’ headlights, if hitting just right, can cause some strange light effects within the kitchen due to all of the porcelain and stainless steel surfaces of the kitchen equipment.  Rachel did a sweep over the junction and breaker boxes with the EMF detector inside the breezeway leading from the kitchen to the “members only” bar.  The detector showed an 80 MG reading.  This would explain the strange feelings that staff members experience while sitting next to the breezeway while in the “members only” bar.  Also, Jason and Rachel found that the over hanging light in the banquet hall was giving off a reading of 13 MG.  This would also explain some of the strange feelings that staff and visitors report while sitting in the banquet hall in the area of this one particular hanging light.  High EMF (Electro-Magnetic Fields) are known for causing feelings of uncomfortability, headaches, nausea and even the sensation of being watched as if someone else is nearby.   The high EMF waves were also causing interference with the IR cameras and other various equipment.

 Conclusion:   No personal experiences, No unexplainable images caught on digital camera, No unexplainable events caught on the hand-held IR MiniDV, No unexplainable events caught on the IR cameras & DV recorder, No drastic temperature changes were discovered with the IR thermometers, No EVPs were caught on any of the digital audio recorders.  All claims of strange lights in kitchen area were discovered as cars drove by the lodge and were able to be recreated with flashlights. All claims of uncomfortability and strange sensations were caused by very high amounts of electrical magnetic waves given off by unshielded wiring, ceiling lights and power boxes in the areas that people have reported feeling strange sensations and feeling the sense as if being watched.   

 Investigation by Jason, Rachel, Andrea, Deb, Erik (MRIPA)  & Bill, Andrew (Guest Investigators)