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Paranormal researchers barred from cemetery
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - December 09, 2009)
Paranormal researchers barred from cemetery
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
A Lake County paranormal research group didn't have a ghost of a chance in getting into a Chardon Township cemetery.
Township Trustees unanimously turned down a request last week by the Kirtland Paranormal Research Society to perform investigations at Larned Cemetery off Mentor Road.
Trustee Steven Borawski said a representative of the group had called cemetery Sexton Ken Chuha to seek permission to go into the cemetery, but he lacked the authority to decide the matter.
Mr. Borawski said the entire board had to make the decision, because the request was outside the rule and regulations governing the cemetery. Specifically, the rules state that the township's cemeteries are open from dawn to dusk. He said the group had requested permission to go into the cemetery at midnight.
Trustees said they felt uncomfortable with the request.
"The only way I'd feel comfortable is if I could talk with the families who have loved ones buried there," Trustee Charles Strazinsky Jr. said.
Trustee Michael Brown had similar reservations, saying he was unsure what the group would be doing there.
Alicia Harvey, one of the group's members, said the group only wanted to investigate the urban legends that have grown up around the cemetery. She said the group is dedicated to "busting urban legends."
She said she, her husband, Shawn, and another member, Chuck Castle, planned to make the trip to the cemetery for the investigation.
She said a video camera and digital voice recorders would be used to determine whether any unworldly activities are taking place. She said the group would be "really quiet" and respectful of the dead, making sure not to damage the cemetery while there. She said flashlights that would be used would be shined away from the roadway to ensure no passing motorists are distracted.
According to its Web site, the organization is a "small group that shares a passion for paranormal research, however, we mostly concentrate on what is called a legend trip. We also investigate ghosts and hauntings. Our goal is to disprove these legends, if possible."
The group said its intentions are not "to make ourselves famous" or get a television show, but only to promote science.
Mrs. Harvey said the group was at the cemetery last year during the day to investigate legends and planned a more extensive one this time.
She said the legend surrounding the cemetery deals with stories surrounding "mellon heads" that lived in the area. She said the group found little evidence to support the stories and does not believe them to be true.
The group's Web site addresses the mellon heads, which reportedly were cared for by a Dr. Crowe in the area. Supposedly the mellon heads continue to roam the woods in the area. The Web site said that a number of children's graves are in the cemetery, which is near where the Mellon Heads, reportedly roam. However, the Web site also said that diphtheria swept through the area in the 1800s and may account for the high number of children in the cemetery.
Photos taken of the cemetery show balls of light, or orbs, and mist rising from one grave. But, the investigators said that their investigation only left them with "not much to say."
Mrs. Harvey said while orbs were captured on film, it is difficult to attribute them to anything paranormal. She said they could be explained by something as simple as bugs that are close to the lens of the camera.
Mr. Harvey said he and his group, "totally understand" the township's position and accept its answer. He said the group has encountered similar responses in the past.
Mr. Harvey said he has had an interest in the paranormal since he was young. He said he grew up in the Macedonia area, where another legend has intrigued the curious for years. There, he said, the urban legends revolve around an area known as "Hell Town."
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