Also inside ...
A Diamond is a musician’s best friend at Freeport shop
Cafe owner is a culinary architect of menu masterpieces
Taking a road trip for Halloween? Don’t forget to follow the ghouls of the road
Paranormal investigator’s work day starts at 2 a.m.
OCTOBER 2025
See the story on page 4
Above: Barb and Rick Curia, 2025’s Mr. and Mrs. Club Champions.
PUBLISHER Jennifer Heintzelman
EDITING & PAGE DESIGN Rusty Schrader
PUBLISHED BY Sauk Valley Media, 113 S. Peoria Ave. , Dixon, IL 61021
STORY IDEA FOR LAKE LIFESTYLE? E-mail rschrader@saukvalley.com FOR ADVERTISING
Contact Jill Reyna at 815-631-8774 or jreyna@ saukvalley.com
ADDRESS CHANGE FOR LAKE LIFESTYLE? E-mail info@golakecarroll.com
By Cody Cutter Sauk Valley Media
If you’re organizing an event and want to make sure people can count on having a good time, sometimes you have to do some creative math.
Like turning a two into a “fore!”.
That’s what the keepers of the greens did at Lake Carroll’s golf course on Aug. 24, when they hosted a dozen couples who turned out to enjoy some tees for two and a bit of friendly competition during the annual Mr. and Mrs. Club Championship.
The day of play pairs couples with each other, and against other couples, for 18 holes of golf.
While the men and women each have their own annual club championship at the course, the Mr. and Mrs. event provides a chance to bring “the better halves” together for a whole lot of fun.
This year’s championship champs were Rick and Barb Curia, who edged out Tom Frieske and Robyn Farm, 66-67, to win their first championship. The Curias, who live in Dixon and own property in Lake Carroll, have been members at the course since their regular golf course, Timber Creek in Dixon, temporarily closed in 2018. They were close to winning it in 2020, but lost on a two-hole playoff that year to Marty and Tracey DeCrane after both couples shot a 68.
While two players can be better than one, Rick was quick to give credit to Barb for their win.
“Barb played very well,” Rick said. “She had two natural birdies. She did good and hit the ball well. The greens were a little tricky, not being familiar with the greens as much up here, but Barb hit the ball really well. She’s the reason we won.”
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The event — often called “couples championships” at other courses — uses net scoring, which is scored like a regular round of golf, but with each golfer’s course handicap subtracted from their stroke total. The average of each team member’s individual score makes up their final figure. Twelve couples played in this year’s event, beginning their day with the first foursome of two couples teeing off from No. 10 at 8 a.m.
Though golfers don’t know how they’re faring against other couples until the game is over, they know that they have to fare well, so they try to make every shot count, which is what Rick did on his final shots on No. 9.
When the couple played their final hole, Barb didn’t do as well as she had hoped, so Rich was able to score well enough to give the two their one-point win over Frieske and Farm.
It’s teamwork like that which helps even out the hits and misses in the Mr. and Mrs. — it’s like they say: The couples that play together stay together.
Barb said she was happy to have her husband beside her on the course when it mattered the most.
“It kind of forces myself out of my comfort zone,” Barb said. “I flipped up on the last hole, and he did good on the last hole. He saved us.”
The couple they inched past, Frieske and Farm, live in Lake Car-
roll and have played in the event for nearly 15 years. They also took second place in 2023, and this year improved 11 strokes from their 2024 score. After a rough first nine holes, things went smoother during their final nine.
Their steady improvement and resilience on the course highlighted the teamwork that has kept them coming back each year.
“I thought Robyn did very well,” Frieske said. “We played well in the back and in the front, we squeaked in one birdie. It was a beautiful day with great company, and it’s such a fun event to be here with all of the couples. We really enjoy this event.”
Mitch and Marve Feucht finished in third place with 68, while Bill and Kristie Bruneman (70) came in fourth and both Bruce and Sandy Sorensen and Ron and Anna Hennings tied for fifth (71).
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A round they go
A dozen couples turned out Aug. 24 for the annual Mr. and Mrs. Club Championship at Lake Carroll’s golf course. Clockwise from center: Angie Thompson, Ron Hennings, Helen Feeney, Kristie Bruneman, Mark Melville, Marty DeCrane, and Marve and Mitch Feucht. PHOTOS: CODY CUTTER/CCUTTER@SHAWMEDIA.COM
Winning the event wasn’t the only prize that golfers sought. Six of the holes — Nos. 1, 3, 7, 10, 13 and 16 — had flag prizes, which are skill contests for the most successful single strokes which are the longest putt, closest second shot and a shot closest to the pin.
Lake Carroll pro shop employee Logan Rohr helps Angie Thompson with a club during the Mr. and Mrs. Club Championship.
While playing for bragging rights can be fun, the event also gives golfers an opportunity to rekindle friendships, get to know other couples, and spend time with their spouse in an environment they may not always get to: on the course.
That’s what Frieske enjoys about playing in the championship year after year.
and it’s nice to see all of the couples come over here,” Frieske said. “It’s a great social environment, and we just really enjoy everyone here. It’s so nice. It’s wonderful.”
Players also enjoy a chance to hone their competitive edge, like Robyn.
“I like the mixed part of it,” Farm said. “We’ve been trying for 15 years, but I come to win.”
Rick and Tom praised the course’s crew, course professional Jason Hill, assistant and event coordinator Logan Rohr, and course superintendent Tim Throop, for keeping things on course and making this year’s championship a success.
“I appreciate what Jason and Logan and the guys in the pro shop do to make so many fun events for us,” Frieske said. “They do a great job keeping us involved, and it’s awesome the job that they do.”
MR. & MRS. cont’d to page 12 CODY CUTTER/CCUTTER@SHAWMEDIA.COM
“I’ve played so much golf with just dudes, so it’s so much fun to play in a mixed event,
A LOCAL FAVORITE!
The course is a big part of the Curia’s association with Lake Carroll, and events such as the Mr. and Mrs. Club Championship, and the men’s Club Championship that Rick participates in most years, has helped them get to know many of the members who make the community so welcoming.
“Jason and his crew do an outstanding job,” Rick said. “He runs a nice operation and Tim does an outstanding job with the conditions of the course. We enjoy golfing up here and this place has been absolutely wonderful. The members have been great, and have been very warm and inviting. It’s been real nice meeting so many good couples.”
The Mr. and Mrs. win isn’t the only victory Barb can put on her scorecard this year. She was also part of the winning team for Timber Creek at the Lincoln Highway Tournament on July 12 in Dixon, earning first place in the event’s seventh flight of golfers (Lake Carroll also fielded a team at the tournament, finishing in fifth place).
Barb has “been playing better these last four or five years,” Rick said.
“He gives me a lot of advice — usually it’s good advice,” Barb said. “And I like when he reads my putts. It’s fun to play up here because there are a lot of events like this.”
DOWNTOWN MOUNT CARROLL, IL
For the Curias, and for many of the couples who participate year after year, the Mr. and Mrs. Club Championship is about more than just scores and trophies. It’s about sharing the game with someone they love, building memories and enjoying the fellowship that makes Lake Carroll a place they like to call home.
The Curias may have taken home the trophy, but every couple left with a prize: the memories they made together on the course.
“We came here to enjoy the event,” Rick said. “Winning is just icing on the cake. It’s not the end of the world if we don’t win. It’s a nice bonus to win, but it’s nice to play together on a beautiful course with friends and get to golf.” n Shaw Media reporter Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com.
Most people wouldn’t go to a business that would get them into a jam, but when that happens at Debra Green’s business, it’s music to her ears. Green owns Black Diamond Music Store, where she offers acoustic and electric guitars, electric and upright basses, ukuleles, mandolins, banjos and keyboards, and the occasional drum kit whenever it’s in stock, as well as accessories and sound equipment. If you need something to jam with, Green can help, whether you’re an old hand at strumming the strings or someone who’s never picked up a pick before.
The shop also offers services. Store manager Mark Frazer, who fronts a local southern rock and blues band called The Frazer Project, repairs guitars at his workshop, gives lessons, and is the engineer at Black Diamond’s recording studio.
Story mixed by Cody Cutter Sauk Valley Media
Black Diamond Music Store has evolved from a place to just pick up “strings, picks and sticks” to a one-stop shop for musicians both novice and expert. “We keep the energy low-key, and it’s a cool vibe in here,” said owner Debra Green.
PHOTO:CODYCUTTER/CCUTTER@SHAWMEDIA.
The shop has come quite a ways since its early days — from strings to a “whole thing” — when it opened in December 2014.
“It was supposed to be like a convenience store for musicians: just strings, picks and sticks, and a place to come and practice,” Green said. “Then the store turned into a whole thing. I started going out and finding some really beautiful guitars, amps and some drum sets. I changed a bunch of stuff, and it just keeps going, which is good.”
Customers who stop in are greeted by rows of gleaming guitars, the faint hum of amplifiers, and a typewritten sign on a wall that playfully declares: “Attention: Your wife/girlfriend said it was okay to buy that guitar.” It’s a space that feels equal parts music shop, creative hub and neighborhood hangout, which is by design. Though it’s grown, Green has kept the place small and personable.
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CODYCUTTER/CCUTTER@SHAWMEDIA.COM
Taking the time to get to know the customers who walk through the front door makes for a “chill spot,” Green said, and she’s seen how building relationships with customers can make a difference.
“We are very personal,” Green said. “We wait on you. I hand write my receipts. We talk while we’re doing it. I’ll ask them, ‘What’s your name, what do you play?’ We give you pretty personal attention, and people come back for that. Mark does
really good repairs and people have liked his recording. It’s kind of a one-stop shop: You can get something repaired, you can record your music, you can learn how to play something.”
From the beginning, Green wanted Black Diamond to be different from the big-box chains. She launched her initial inventory with clearance excess purchased from Guitar Center in Rockford, which was happy to help her get started. In nearly 11 years, Black Diamond has sold almost 600 guitars and basses, many of them hand-picked by Green. “I love guitars,” she admitted with a smile.
We hang Christmas lights so you don’t have to!
We hang Christmas lights so you don’t have to!
DIAMOND cont’d from page 15
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DIAMOND cont’d from page 16
Accessories include picks, tuners and cords, as well as a small but carefully chosen stock of microphones, mixing boards, cleaning kits and headphones that reflect the needs of both stage and studio players. Customers can even pick up some vinyl records, which have made a comeback in recent years. The store also offers layaway options and special orders. What it doesn’t do, though, is dabble in classical strings, horns or woodwinds, choosing instead to focus on what local musicians most often request.
CODY CUTTER/CCUTTER@SHAWMEDIA.COM
Black Diamond Music carries a wide range of instruments, along with equipment and accessories. Don’t see what you’re looking for? The store’s staff can help you find it.
Running an independent music shop in a smaller city takes resilience. Her key to survival? “Determination not to give up,” she said. That determination has helped Black Diamond remain a part of the local music scene even during tough stretches, like the coronavirus pandemic, when sales dipped as more people ordered gear online. Still, Green’s skill at connecting with others has carried her far.
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“Meeting these people and knowing them, it’s really cool when you can send somebody in the direction of venues that you know, and you’ve helped those people,” Green said.
“I’m extremely good at networking.”
It’s a network that stretches well beyond Freeport. Black Diamond has operated sound systems for country artists Cody Jinks, Billy Don Burns and Thomas Gabriel when they performed at the former Logan’s Bar and Grill in Freeport. Gabriel once wore a Black Diamond shirt during one of his concerts afterward, Green said. The store also received a visit from Reggie Vincent, who wrote and performed with Alice Cooper, when Vincent needed a repair to one of his guitars.
When Debra Green opened Black Diamonds Music, “it was supposed to be like a convenience store for musicians: just strings, picks and sticks, and a place to come and practice,” she said. Since then, the shop has grown into a music store, recording studio and welcoming place for music fans. “It just keeps going, which is good.”
A big fan of the music scene, Green has done her part to support it through the years, whether through encouraging aspiring artists or helping coordinate events, including being part of one of Freeport’s biggest live music events.
From 2016 to 2019, Black Diamond hosted music festivals at the Krape Park bandshell, drawing performers from across the Midwest.
“They were huge,” Green recalled. “We had bluegrass, country, rock, rap, heavy rock and blues. It was awesome. The first time we did it, we had 13 bands, and the second time doing it, we had 25 different bands that wanted to play, and they were coming from as far as St. Louis and Iowa, and they were all coming to play for free. It was very cool.”
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When it comes to music lessons, students of various ages can sign up for guitar, bass, drum, piano, mandolin, ukulele or voice. Some arrive with little or no experience, such as kids just starting out or teens dreaming of being in a rock band, while others are picking up a second or even third instrument after years of playing, some of whom are retirees finally making time for music.
“They have to really want to learn,” Green said. “We’ve had some very young, we’ve had some older people in their 70s, and we have an 81-year-old lady who’s learning how to play drums. She’s determined because someone told her she couldn’t learn it, so she’s determined to do it. It’s pretty cool. It’s something that they have to be really driven about to show up every week.”
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Green enjoys taking the time to get to know her customers, and that personal service has paid off through the years. “We give you pretty personal attention, and people come back for that.”
Green loves seeing budding musicians blossom: “We’ll have kids who come in and start playing the guitar, and the next thing you know they’re just wailing on that guitar,” she said.
“It’s really cool when you’re seeing these kids learn these things.”
In the studio, sessions there have ranged from rap to religious music, from country demos to holiday albums and more. Green has even organized two Christmas albums recorded with local musicians. The studio gives artists an edge that home recording often lacks, she said.
“There’s a lot of people who are doing it at home, but it’s not going to sound like it would unless you have someone who knows what they’re doing,” Green said. “With the mixing and mastering of it all, you can add all kinds of stuff to it — orchestral and all kinds of beats — so you can really embellish what you can do if you take it to somebody who knows how to do it; otherwise, it’s pretty basic.”
For Green, the mission is simple: keep the doors open, keep the vibe alive, and keep giving people the tools they need to make music. The atmosphere of the store matters just as much as the merchandise.
“It’s a whole vibe,” Green said. “We keep the energy low-key, and it’s a cool vibe in here. That’s how we want it.” n
Shaw Media reporter Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com.
In the time it takes Sarah Brennan to cook one of her unique culinary creations, she’s already thinking about how she can bring something new to the mix.
Even as she’s preparing a dish, she’ll find herself jotting down ideas or making an audio note — “What if I did this,” or “If I added a little of that ...” — ideas and inspirations that can turn up on the tables at her cafe or make it onto the menu of a catering job.
Brennan owns Hilldale Cafe and Catering in Lanark, where she serves up a variety of lunches and desserts that treat customers’ taste buds to something different, recipes made with a mix of the familiar and a dash of something different that have helped her stand out among local dining and catering businesses.
The cozy cafe is located in the town’s oldest building, giving it a historic flavor and a welcoming atmosphere where Brennan enjoys meeting and greeting people who enjoy eating — the kind of folks who speak the same language she does: Where “Mmmmm!” is universal.
By Cody Cutter Sauk Valley Media
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“I get to bake, I get to show my love through my food and through my creations,” Brennan said. “Food has always kind of been a love language to me.”
Whether it’s a grilled balsamic peach and feta cheese flatbread sandwich or cinnamon rolls with caramel apple flavoring, Brennan and her staff like to find ways to turn something good into something better — and she knows she’s succeeded when she’s passed the test.
“I love to see people’s reactions. Watching people take those bites and giving me feedback is so empowering to me. It’s like having taste testers, and people are always amazing about being that.”
Her cafe has attracted its share of repeat customers — some of them in the same day, who stop by early for a breakfast dessert and then pop back in again for lunch. A private room on the second floor is also available. The cafe has become a popular stop for groups of friends who like to gather for a bite to eat, like a Bridge group that meets weekly and enjoys trying what’s new from the kitchen.
Brennan likes to pick apart recipes and put them back together with her own twist, or make up something completely unique. The Carroll Street melt, which leads
the lunch menu, is named after the street the cafe is on; it consists of cheddar bacon bread, with roast beef, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, and her own ginger sweet and smoky mustard. “Toast it up and, chef’s kiss, it’s delicious,” Brennan said.
The Sweet and Smoke Show flatbread — one of her favorite creations, she said — has a sweet and smoky honey barbecue sauce base, grilled chicken and caramelized onions, all topped with mozzarella cheese, and then sprinkled with goat cheese crumbles and a balsamic drizzle after toasting.
Other menu items include soups, coffee (iced and hot), and lemonade.
“That’s kind of pushing the envelope of flavor,” Brennan said. “It’s one of the good flavor profiles that people may be afraid to try, but once they try it, they’ll bloom and go, ‘That was delicious!’ Your taste buds are thanking you.”
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Landscape Design & Installation
Landscape Design & Installation
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HILLDALE
That same philosophy carries into dessert, where Brennan lets herself experiment with flavors that surprise and delight her customers. One of them that’s caught on is the fruitstuffed croissant, which lives up to its name; It’s stuffed with blueberries, raspberries and strawberry slices and whipped cream and topped with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
“People love when the envelope is pushed with sweets, and if we’re going to do it, we’re going to make it count,” Brennan said. For her, food is a lot like life: Do what you enjoy and do things your own way. “Enjoy having the life you want to live,” she said, “and if that means eating dessert first, then eat dessert first.”
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Freeport
PHOTO: CODY CUTTER/CCUTTER@SHAWMEDIA.COM
When it comes to catering Sarah Brennan has done everything from weddings to divorce parties and birthdays to bachelorette parties. With weddings, she said, it’s about “finding what that person and what that event is all about, and showing their story through food.”
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While some people may be reluctant at first to push the envelope, once they see what’s inside, they’re sold.
“Sometimes it’s just opening customers to a flavor profile that they never thought,” she said. “People can be kind of afraid of something like putting fruit on pizza, but I can make an amazing grilled balsamic peach feta flatbread, and people are like, ‘Peaches and feta?’ I’ll be like, ‘Try it, it’s amazing!’ I like opening their eyes.”
Eyes aren’t the only thing she’s opened. On June 17, she opened the doors to her new location in Lanark, where she moved her business after nine years in downtown Freeport. While the move has introduced a whole new audience to her menu, it’s also given her some other perks: Carroll County’s tax base was a better fit for her, and the new location also gave her a chance to hit the reset button after she struggled with her work-life balance in Freeport, where she also had a second job as a counselor.
While it may have seemed like a good problem to have — her business had become a growing success — trying to juggle a cafe, catering and counseling wasn’t a recipe for long-term wellness. That’s when the counselor in her kicked in, and last year she told herself she needed to turn the page and start a new chapter.
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Hilldale Cafe and Catering is located in Lanark’s oldest building. In a post on Hilldale’s Facebook page, Brennan said that when she made the decision to restore the building, “I knew I wasn’t just renovating a space — I was rewriting a legacy.”
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Her nonstop schedule had delayed her honeymoon with her new husband Matthew for two years, but when they finally got a chance to get away, it gave her the time she needed to relax, rethink and reset.
“We grew and grew,” Brennan said, but “I couldn’t be as creative as I wanted to be with the day-to-day business. I knew after a few more years of doing 100-hour weeks, I could not live my life. I sat on the beach in California and I thought, ‘Something’s going to have to give or I’m going to have to shut my doors. That’s not something that I wanted to do. I wanted to be able to run a business the way I wanted to, and that’s what I did — I created this. I wanted to be creative and I wanted to be me.”
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HILLDALE
It was a big decision, leaving the counseling job and dedicating herself to her business full-time, but for all the time that she had invested in building it up, she knew she couldn’t just turn her back on it.
“For what I poured into this, it has to be right. It has to feel right for me,” she said.
The business has also given her more time with her family. Brennan’s mother, Denise Sorn, and aunt, Debbie Yoder — who are identical twins — help out with the catering.
When it comes to catering, there’s no set menu. Instead, each job is a custom order, with Brennan working with customers to determine what they want. She’s done everything from weddings — a big part of her catering business — birthdays, bachelorette and divorce parties, and other gatherings.
She also likes to work with catering customers to help them tell a story through food, finding what they, and their event, is all about.
“I’ll tell them to please be as candid as possible, because I want to know a little about them, especially when we’re doing a wedding,” Brennan said. “You’re trying to impress 200 people, but it’s not about those people, it’s about the two people who are getting married. I want to find out how I can express their love story over food. That’s kind of my magic, it’s digging those little details out.”
From sweets to sandwiches, Brennan loves to experiment with flavors that surprise and delight her customers. “I love to see people’s reactions. Watching people take those bites and giving me feedback is so empowering to me.”
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Like her cafe’s menu, Brennan’s catering jobs give her a chance to bring something special to the table.
“I like being around all different types of people,” Brennan said. “Not every caterer is remotely the same. Everybody has a different personality, even if I’m getting a referral from someone I’ve worked with 10 times, that person could be completely opposite and I could have way more fun with that person than I thought I could have. It’s nice getting to know different people.”
Brennan, whose business cards bill her as her cafe’s “chief visionary officer and culinary architect,” is enjoying her business’s new home in Lanark. She likes to think of HIlldale Cafe and Catering as more than just a place to eat, but a place where inspiration meets encouragement — whether she’s encouraging customers to try something new or they’re encouraging her — and where each plate is more than just a meal, but a reminder that creativity and connections are always worth savoring.
“I wanted to create a space where people come and feel empowered and feel welcomed,” Brennan said.
“That’s my whole goal — and, of course, to leave satisfied and full.” n Shaw Media reporter Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com.
THE OUTER REACHES OF YOUR IMAGINATION — With September behind us and October in front of us, fall has settled in. The leaves are transforming into a kaleidoscope of color. The summer swelter has loosened its grip and made way for the embrace of a crisp autumn breeze. And as the days grow shorter and nights grow colder, there’s a chill in the air — of the spine-tingling nature, that is.
The spookiest time of year is fast approaching, and that means it’s time for haunted houses to open their creaky doors to visitors who will walk in with a smile on their face but walk out looking like they’ve just seen a ghost.
For those who like to put their courage to the test, October is the time of the year to do it — when haunted hosts will see whether you can make the grade (but be warned, they grade on a nerve!) — and the tri-state area around Lake Carroll is the place to do it.
Northwest Illinois, eastern Iowa and southwest Wisconsin offer a collection of dark corridors, masked monsters and eerie labyrinths, all within a 90-minute drive from Lake Carroll.
These day-trip destinations range from long-running community staples to newer attractions, all carving out a place in the local pantheon of horror. Each stop on your terrifying travels is like a piece of art on a creepy canvas, the work of people who love to create eerie entertainment. Along with welcoming new faces to the fold, these haunted houses and schools, even hotels, bring brave and loyal fans back year after year with new frights and sights to behold, so even if you got through one last year without a scream, this year may be different. Clowns and cobwebs, chainsaws and chills, creeping crawlies and creativity — they all come together to turn these spooky spectacles into fond memories for friends and families who dare to drop by. Some have been around for generations, while some soon will soon lock their doors, including one in Dubuque where the final nail will soon be driven into the proverbial coffin.
So if you’re in a spooky mood, Lake Deathstyle — er, Lifestyle — has put together a list of places that’ll serve up some thrills and chills; so turn the page and get ready to jump in the car, crank up “Monster Mash” and enjoy — and just remember, inside these places, you’re never alone
By Cody Cutter Sauk Valley Media
Haunted Haven
126 Anderson Drive, Nelson
Phone: 815-213-2269
Online: haunted haven. org, Facebook, Instagram
Open: 7 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday (special hours to be announced)
Looking to face your fears? Visit the frightfully fun folks at Haunted Haven, which opened Sept. 26 for its 16th season. According to its Facebook page, the Haunted Haven community and creatures like to “push the boundaries of fear and sanity,” and “don’t take kindly to those that leave early due to fear.” Their show doesn’t just use sights and sounds to scare up some fun; it features scents, lights and fog to enhance the experience, with plenty of masked monsters popping up for unexpected visits. Concessions are sold and there’s an apparel stand onsite. Bonfires will help ensure that the only shivers you get are inside the house of horrors. Scenes from horror movies are projected at the gate — and you never know what might pop out for a surprise visit to the 8,000 square-foot fright site. Been there before? Haunted Haven used to be south of Rock Falls but it moved to nearby Nelson in 2024 after a fire destroyed the original setup that spring. Rooms and themes change every year, so this year will bring a whole new experience – and so will next year. Admission is $15 and tickets can be purchased online.
Reap the season’s best harvest—clean energy
Jessica Finley of 2 a.m. Paranormal uncovers ghostly mysteries with her family, following the trail whereever it leads her, using cameras and other equipment to uncover clues, like this Mel meter (below), which detects fluctuations in electromagnetic fields and ambient temperature.
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“When I go to someone’s house, I don’t want to know a whole lot, just the basics and whatever they have going on,” Finley said. “I want to walk through myself and see what I can pick up. If I pick up something that there’s no way I would have a way of knowing that unless they told me, that can prove that what I’m doing is real.” Ghosts and paranormal activity fascinated Finley as a child growing up on farms around Independence, Iowa, and she’s turned that fascination into a business, sometimes joined by her sister Angie Speed, husband Harvey Finley and daughter Nicole MacCann on her investigations. She said they’ve come to know different presences throughout Savanna, a town only three years shy of its 200th anniversary, since moving there about a decade ago.
“There’s a lot of energy in this town,” Finley said.
“I’m sure there was a lot that went on because there was the railroad, the riverboats, gangsters from Chicago who would come to town.”
Finley has found that some nights on the job place can pass quietly, but even then, she said, she can usually capture something — an unexplained sound, a shift in energy, or a flicker of light that shouldn’t be there.
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“You can spend the night somewhere and not get anything,” Finley said. “I’ve been pretty lucky that I’ve always captured something, somewhere.”
Each investigation begins with a prayer and sometimes ends with a ritual cleansing, like burning sage, to put worried homeowners at ease. Even dolls, she notes, have long been thought of as vessels for spirits.
She and her team come armed with equipment such as milligauss meters that detect changes in magnetic units in open space, and others that pick up changes in temperature, pressure and humidity. Electrical and power sources at the site also are identified beforehand to make sure their equipment isn’t simply picking up electricity. Cameras and recorders also are part of their arsenal. Once they’re in place and set up, then the waiting begins, often two or three hours sitting in the dark, watching monitors and hoping to find answers amid the silence and darkness.
Finley explains to clients what each tool does, and shares with them what readings might mean, a spike for example. She also urges them to take their own photos, since unexplained shapes and shadows sometimes show up best in pictures, she said.
Sometimes connections with a spirit are fleeting — maybe they’re an unwilling tenant tethered to the earthly plane just waiting to go on to the next world.
“A lot of times when a place is being haunted, that spirit is just stuck there because sometimes they need their story told,” Finley said. “We’ve had it happen where we figure what’s going on, get information, and then the activity either slows way down or stops.”
The business is based out of the second floor of downtown Savanna’s Pulford Opera House, itself a place that some say has a haunted history. The second floor once was home to an antique mall (there’s another such store on the first floor today), and Finley has heard stories of customers who said they felt an unexplained presence — a tug on their hair or a pull on their purse.
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The building, named for wealthy businessman Bothwell Pulford, was the site of a murder in May 1905. Daniel Berry, a prominent Savanna attorney, legislator, and community leader, was shot and killed outside his second floor office. It was a crime that was never officially solved. Suspicion centered on two men: a recently released ex-convict Berry had prosecuted, and Pulford, rumored to be jealous over Berry’s alleged relationship with his wife Lucinda. Just days after the murder, Pulford died by suicide in his barn near town, fueling speculation that he had been the killer. While Pulford’s death was ruled a suicide brought on by mental collapse, Berry’s murder remained a mystery, casting a shadow over the community for a time.
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Today, the story of the building’s storied past is still being told. During one weekend a year, Finley’s team invites help from others interested in paranormal activity: They hosted an overnight stay there on Nov. 2 last year — a date coinciding with the popular Mexican holiday of Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) that honors deceased loved ones, believing their souls return to visit them — and will have this year’s on Nov. 1 (more information about it will be released on 2 a.m. Paranormal’s Facebook page closer to the event). Tours of the opera house are also available by appointment.
What’s unique about this is that generally I can come here and bring some equipment and I get something almost every time.”
Another local place the team has visited often is Willow Creek Farm, two miles east of Lake Carroll on Spring Valley Road. The farm and its house have been the site of what investigators believe is paranormal activity in recent years. Finley and her team have stayed overnight there to take a closer look, and received a visit from a ghostly guest.
Have a matter that you would like the team at 2 a.m. Paranormal to check out? Find it on Facebook, email 6656jess@gmail.com or call 402-604-4816 for an investigation. Arrangements to tour the Pulford Opera House in Savanna, where 2 a.m. Paranormal is based, also can be arranged.
“When we were sitting around a table, there was a little girl there, her name’s Lilly, and we had a piece of equipment and were watching it and talking, and all of a sudden it felt like I had a hand on my leg, and it was almost like a child was climbing up to sit on my lap,” Finley said. “That was pretty cool.”
Finley also keeps an on eye on things inside the opera house with closed circuit cameras capturing anything unusual, such as orbs, doors opening and closing, or the occasional chair sliding on the floor.
“We’ve picked up the spirits of Pulford and of Berry,” Finley said. “There were a couple of kids who I was actually able to get pictures of, and I think it was those of the kids who would pull on the purses and the hair. There are other spirits here other than the ones that you think.
It’s experiences like that that keep Finley and her family searching for clues to what lies beyond; and while others may have both feet firmly in the physical world, that doesn’t mean they can’t take one step beyond. Who knows that they might find there? It may be even be peace of mind. For some who’ve enlisted 2 a.m. Paranormal’s services, confronting the unexplained has allowed them to not only feel validated, but to confront the mysteries and find comfort in the answers that Finley may provide.
“There are people who say there’s no paranormal activity, or ghosts,” Finley said, though that doesn’t mean there’s not a ghost of a chance that they can’t be convinced. “We’ve had a lot of people up here who have said they don’t believe at all … ,” but she said, “they’re on the road to believing.” n
Shaw Media reporter Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com.
