The Hiawatha Haunt continues Fri. and Sat.

By MONIQUE STODDARD

As the last weekend of the Hiawatha Haunt approaches, the question remains; Is Hiawatha really haunted? The people who’ve lived there believe it is. “There is a ghost here,” prospective homebuyers were warned. “She doesn’t hurt anyone, though. She’s just a little girl. I see her walking through the halls at night. She told me her name was Emily.” The new homeowner has also seen Emily.
Another former resident recalls a ghostly encounter of his own. “I was standing on a ladder, hooking up some wires, when I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I looked down and there was a young man standing there looking up at me, and I could tell that he was a ghost. I realized that he meant no harm; he just wanted to be acknowledged. I told him he was making me uncomfortable and he disappeared.” Though the creators of Ghost-town Entertainment were inspired by Hiawatha’s haunted reputation, they say that the alleged ghosts have not been co-operating. Flashlights and CD players that worked fine at home stop working when they get to Hiawatha. And if anyone goes in there alone, they can hear someone or something else in there with them; footsteps and shuffling around. They say, “It’s pretty creepy in there, even in broad daylight.”
Curious people have asked, “Who’s putting this on? Who’s Ghost-town Entertainment?” It’s a bunch of scary kids with last names like, Stoddard, Jackson, Anderson, Reynolds, Defa, Peterson, Finley, Scott, Brown, Owen, Weaver and Stephens, donating long, cold hours to such a worthy cause of scaring people. They also had the help of a few grownup kids, along with two local artists, Camie Defa and Aleina Peterson, who got roped into painting a huge clown and about 30 or so tee-shirts.
Whoever does believe in ghosts can believe that they reside in the abandoned town of Hiawatha, reluctant to be disturbed, but about to be exposed by a paranormal investigator, who asked if she could bring her equipment up after Halloween.
Will they become more sinister with each passing year? Only time will tell.
The Hiawatha Haunt continues at the old mining town of Hiawatha the evenings of Oct. 29 and Oct. 30 from 7 p.m. to midnight each night. Cost is $5 per person. Prepare to be scared.