It’s the time of year when leaves fall, weather turns colder, and ghosts, goblins and other spooky creatures appear, in the form of dressed-up children searching for candy.
It’s also the time of year, for the first time ever, in fact, that people can walk the streets of downtown Snohomish and hear stories from tour guides about real ghosts and spirits residing in historical buildings.
Snohomish has long been a haven for lovers of history, with its numerous antique shops, historic homes tours and more. But 2006 brings yet another variety of historical walking tour to the city’s offerings.
Throughout October, a Snohomish-based group called Friends of Ghosts Paranormal Investigations and Research (FOG), will provide a new option – Spirited Ghost tours – for families visiting Snohomish.
At 5, 6 and 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights from Oct. 6 to 27, several group members will lead the tours along downtown sidewalks, hoping to gain enough public interest to schedule more tours after October.
Throughout the year, the group investigates reports of spirits haunting buildings across the state.
“This isn’t about exterminating demons or anything like that, as some people might think,” said Sandy Wells, the group’s co-founder. “We’re just looking into the ‘spirited’ aspect of older buildings, because in an old town, that is a part of the history. What we’re really trying to do is create more interest from people all over the state into coming to Snohomish.”
The Spirited Ghost tours will be child-friendly. Each lasts just one hour and takes place early enough that families can use the rest of the evening to take part in other autumn activities, such as the fifth annual Festival of Pumpkins involving many Snohomish-area farms and markets with events throughout October.
Furthermore, the tours don’t go inside the buildings, in part to avoid disrupting the regular business hours, and also because many of the buildings are taverns.
Herald photo
Real patrons – not ghosts – look out at First Street from inside the Oxford Bar in Snohomish.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
