Elvis sightings
Elvis appeared twice during his ``official'' lifetime to record crowds at Wings Stadium, in October 1976 and April 1977.
In 1988, Vicksburg resident Louise Welling told the Weekly World News, and later the Gazette and The New York Times, that she had seen the King multiple times at places like the Vicksburg Felpausch store and a Kalamazoo Burger King. He was rumored to drive around town in a red Ferrari. Welling even spotted Priscilla and Lisa Marie shopping at The Crossroads mall.
A popular book at the time, ``The Most Incredible Elvis Presley Story Ever Told,'' spread the rumor across the nation that Elvis was alive and well and living under the name ``John Burrows'' in Kalamazoo.
UFOs overhead
St. Joseph, November 1978 -- A mother and her two teenage sons saw five unidentified objects hovering near the Cook Nuclear Power Station on the shore of Lake Michigan. During the same time, a Berrien County couple saw three UFOs in the same area. Mysteriously enough, a general upsurge in UFO sightings in 1978 occurred in conjunction with the theatrical release of Spielberg's ``Close Encounters of the Third Kind.'' Alien conspiracy or marketing ploy?
Dec. 18, 1980 -- An Otsego Township family was surprised by an alien metallic object that crashed through their living room window. The ``bolt-like'' object was blackened and burned and had a strange odor. The family turned the object over to the Allegan County Sheriff's Department, which sent it on to the Michigan State Police Crime Lab, but the object mysteriously disappeared before it reached the crime lab. No one knows what became of it.
Lawton, August 1986 -- Portage resident John Long and a buddy were fishing at Bankson's Lake in Lawton when a giant spacecraft ``about the size of Wings Stadium'' hovered over the lake and emitted a blinding white flash.
-- Michael D. Swords, retired natural-history professor at Western Michigan University and editor of a UFO journal.
March 1994 -- More than 100 UFOs are sighted across West Michigan, especially around the lakeshore. On the night of March 8, UFOs are tracked by radar in South Haven, Decatur, over Lake Michigan, and spotted by observers in Holland, Muskegon and Cooper Township, just outside Kalamazoo. Alien marketing strategies are suspected again as ``The X-Files'' grows popular among TV viewers.
February 1995 -- A year later, UFO activity peaks in West Michigan again, with sightings of unidentified formations of lights over the Western Michigan University campus and in Paw Paw.
Strange creatures
The Rush Lake Monster -- In Rush Lake, west of Kalamazoo, a Loch Ness-like serpent has been sighted since 1912. Peak sightings of the Rush Lake serpent occurred in the 1930s. Most observers merely saw a 15-foot-long creature in the water, but one group of ``Hartford ladies'' was able to see that the creature also had wings.
The Sister Lakes Monster -- In 1964, residents of Dowagiac, more than 25 miles southwest of Kalamazoo in Cass County, were terrorized by a bizarre creature with glowing, night-vision eyes that were ``big, bright and high.'' The monster was allegedly covered with long, black hair. Many skeptics blamed a bear, but no bears were ever found in the area. The monster also left huge footprints that were seen by many observers, and, strangely enough, temporarily blinded a dog that rushed at it in the night.
Curious cougars -- Scientists and conservation advocates are researching West Michigan to see if the area has a population of wild cougars. Cougar sightings in the Midwest are rare, but they have been increasing in recent years. Two alleged cougar attacks on animals have been investigated in the past year in Berrien and Van Buren counties. For more information on Michigan's cougars, visit www.miwildlife.org or www.michigan.gov/dnr.
The Allegan Man-Eater -- This wild horse was legendary in the Kalamazoo area during the 1870s. He killed one man and seriously injured six others, damaging wagons and stable stalls across the city of Allegan. Traveling horse tamer Professor Dennis Magner wrestled him under a big-top tent in 1879, and after that he seemed to be perfectly docile. The Man-Eater was last seen traveling into the Wild West with his final owner, Theodore Updyke.
Peculiar places
Blakeslee Street Sanitarium -- Atop one of the highest hills in Kalamazoo, this hulking building sits abandoned and fenced in, surrounded by trees. The sanitarium was built in 1952 for tuberculosis patients. Through the early years, it was occupied by 200 patients who would stay there up to two years. It was used for this purpose until 1969, when it was converted to the Northwest Unit of the Kalamazoo Regional Psychiatric Hospital. The sanitarium then housed the mentally ill until 1990, when the number of patients decreased and the building closed. The building became WMU property in 1998. Over the years it has been proposed for several uses, but the building remains abandoned. No hauntings have been reported there, but it is definitely one of the creepiest-looking spots in town.
Henderson Castle -- The castle was built by Frank Henderson, who made his fortune from manufacturing regalia for secret societies. Although the secret-society connection is a little eerie, there are no albino monks hiding in the castle's rooftop hot tub, and no reported ghost sightings. However, guests can still encounter ``spirits'' at the castle, as current owners Laura and Peter Livingstone-McNelis are featuring bed-and-breakfast stays, themed holiday parties, event hosting and castle tours for the public. Learn more about the castle's history at www.kpl.gov/collections/localhist-ory/A ... astle.aspx and find out about upcoming events at the castle at www.hendersoncastle.com/
Kalamazoo Civic Auditorium -- This downtown landmark is rumored to be haunted by ``Thelma,'' a playful poltergeist who is believed to be the spirit of an actress who jumped to her death from a catwalk when a rival got her coveted role. Thelma has caused mischief all over the building, from swaying and flickering chandeliers during shows to playing the piano in the basement. Check out a Civic show this season to see if Thelma is still up to her old tricks: www.kazoocivic.com.
Old Burdick's Bar & Grill -- In 1998 the Gazette reported that a ghost had been teasing Old Burdick's employees by blasting the jukebox after last call and hurling beer glasses across the bar. Did the ghost remain after the restaurant was renovated in 2001? Find out for yourself -- stop by Burdick's and raise your spirits on their famous 50 percent off Sundays, a student favorite.
Psychiatric hospital water tower -- Rumors abound about this Kalamazoo landmark. Was it used to imprison the violently insane? Is it actually a rocketship? The hospital is rumored to be haunted, but the tower itself has never been used to store anything but water.
WMU's East Campus -- The historic halls of East Campus, atop Prospect Hill, boast more than just the best views overlooking the city. The 101-year-old East Hall was the setting for a horror movie, ``The Dread,'' in the fall of 2005, and it also houses a body: The remains of WMU's first president, Dwight Waldo, are sealed in an outside wall of the building. More bodies reside elsewhere on campus too. Past president Paul Sangren and his wife, Flossie, rest in the walls of Sangren Hall.
--ANNE HOLCOMB AND SARA WEDELL, ACCESS
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/ind ... thispage=2
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