Ghost hunters to dish on local haunts

By Frances Vanderploeg

Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008 | midnight

As Halloween edges closer, there is a heightened interest in things that go bump in the night.

Paseo Verde Library is hosting a question-and-answer session Thursday with members of the Silver State Ghost Hunters, a group of Southern Nevada residents who share an interest in the supernatural.

Stephen Platt, government information librarian, said it's a group he's been hoping to host for quite some time. Coincidentally, the day before Halloween was the agreed-upon date.

"It's a very interesting topic," Platt said. "We've been contacting them even last year."

Roddy Belford, founder of the group, will visit the library along with a few members. They plan to show off some of their ghost-hunting equipment and provide a brief history of some of the local haunts they've researched.

"Overall, we're going to keep it pretty loose," he said. "I'm not really into the spooky music or that kind of thing."

Some of the haunts they'll discuss are local to Henderson. One of the main ones, Belford said, is the Clark County Museum, 1820 S. Boulder Highway.

"Some of the staff there, if you really get them in a good mood, they'll tell you some stories you wouldn't believe," he said.

There is also a story of the ghost of a boy on a swing in Fox Ridge Park, at Valle Verde Drive and Fox Ridge Avenue.

Belford says he has seen ghosts and spirits, but he's always skeptical of new reports.

"One of the first things we try to do is actually debunk things and find a logical explanation," he said.

The story of the ghost at Fox Ridge Park is one of those reports.

Members of the team went to the park, he said, but didn't find much activity.

He won't say it's untrue, but he hasn't confirmed it otherwise.

"Spirits, ghosts, they don't really work on our schedule," he said.

Frances Vanderploeg can be reached at 990-2660 or [email protected].