Did an innocent girl share a dance with the Devil at the Rainbow Ballroom?

The Rainbow Ballroom on Broadway in downtown Fresno.


There's a story that several decades ago there was a dance held at the Rainbow Ballroom, in downtown Fresno. The place was filled with many people, and at this dance there was a handsome man that everyone seemed to be noticing and talking about. He was tall, had dark features, and was dressed in an expensive white suit.

As the night wore on, he asked a young woman by the name of Patricia to dance. She was happy that she was chosen out of all the woman there and began dancing with the handsome stranger, who was said to have a very smooth sounding voice.

As the night continued, they danced and danced. For some reason she looked down and saw the man's feet. To her horror, one of the man's feet resembled a huge chicken foot. Terrified at what she saw she began screaming loudly. Everyone stopped dancing at the sounds of her screaming and looked at her to see what was going on. They saw the man's strange foot and could not believe what they were seeing. At that moment he smiled at everyone and disappeared.


No one knows who this strange man was. Some say he was a ghost of a man that was killed there years ago, others say he was a demon playing that enjoyed scaring young women. And then some say it was the Devil himself, reminding everyone that they won't know who he is until it's too late.

The Legend of Snake Road

Located in eastern Fresno County is the small farming community of Sanger. South of this small town is a street called Channel Road. Due to it's windy nature it has been nicknamed "Snake Road".

Legend has it that one night a woman was driving down Snake Road with her two young daughters, when she took one of the many curves of the road too fast and drove off the road and wound up crashing her car into the nearby Kings River. Unfortunately she was unable to unbuckle her seat belt and drowned at the site of the accident. Her children were able get free of the car, but the drowned a mile downstream. There have been reports of a woman crying and dressed in white walking down the windy road calling out to her lost children and if anyone approaches her she asks them if they have seen her children.

I had first heard of this story back in 2000, so one night several friends and I went to investigate the road for ourselves. Upon arriving at the road, we found it's nickname held true as the road was curved so much that the fastest we could go at a safe speed was 25 mph. We drove the road twice, hoping we would get lucky and actually see the woman, but we didn't see anything. Not sure what to do next, we decided to investigate a wooded part of the road at one of the curves hoping this could have been the location of the accident.

We entered the wooded area armed with flashlights, cameras, a camcorder, and an EMF detector. For those who don't know an EMF meter detects changes in the electromagnetic field. There is a theory that ghosts can effect this field in some manner and the detector can show this. We were about twenty feet from the road, completely surrounded by trees when we started hearing footsteps behind us. They would follow us as we were walking but stop when we did. We called out to see if anyone was there, but got no answer. We continued to walk and the footsteps would continue. At this point we saw a strange light flashing in the distance and the EMF meter went off, signaling something was disrupting the magnetic field. We started snapping pictures, but all we got were the typical dust orbs.

At this point we weren't sure who or what was following us. We had come across a sign that said "Y2K Trail" with an arrow pointing towards an opening. So we weren't sure if it was some survivalist nut following us or the lady in white. We felt it was best we get out of there and proceeded to go back to our car. And to cap off a strange night, right at that moment a car sped by us at a fast pace and nearly drove off the road. Needless to say we got the hell out of there.

For several years I believed the story of Snake Road. That was until I came across a piece of Mexican folklore about a lady in white, or La Llorana. The story of her is similar to the one I heard about Snake Road. But this time the woman drowns her children and then distraught drowns herself. She can be seen walking the area where she drowned her children, crying and searching for her children. If anyone approaches the woman she proceeds to drown them as well.

Apparently this story is common throughout the southwest of America and even the Fresno area has another story similar to the Snake Road one. This time it's located on the San Joaquin River on the near the bridge for Hwy. 99. So now we have the same ghost haunting two locations. From what I read about La Llorona is that people would tell the story to prevent their children from going near bodies of water, presumably to keep them from entering the water and drowning.

But what was the strange light I saw that night? And what about the footsteps that were following us? Was it nothing more than some survivalist following us? Or was this story of the lady in white actually true? I may never know.

Search continues for elusive giant earthworms

Scientists and researchers are scouring the Palouse region from eastern Washington into the Idaho panhandle in hopes of finding more of the dwindling giant Palouse earthworms, The Associated Press reported.

The almost elusive worm is said to secrete a lily-like smell when handled, spit at predators, and live in burrows 15 feet deep. There have been only a handful of sightings.

Even though there has been little research done on the Palouse worm, conservationists are asking the Obama administration to protect it as an endangered species.

Jodi Johnson-Maynard, a University of Idaho professor who is leading the search for the worm, presented a glass tube containing the preserved remains of a fat, milky-white worm that one of her graduate students found in 2005—the only confirmed example of the species.

Documented collections of the species, known locally as GPE, have occurred only in 1978, 1988, 1990 and 2005. The specimen found by Johnson-Maynard’s team is only about 6 inches long, well short of the 3 feet that early observers of the worms described in the late 1890s.

Johnson-Maynard’s researchers are working at a university research farm this summer using three different methods to try and find a living worm.

The simplest method involves just digging a hole and sifting the soil through a strainer, looking for any worms that can be studied, while the other methods are a little more involved.

One employs old-fashioned chemical warfare, pouring a liquid solution of vinegar and mustard onto the ground, irritating worms until they come to the surface. But the newest and latest method uses electricity to shock worms to the surface.

Joanna Blaszczak, a student at Cornell who is spending her summer working to find the worm alongside Shan Xu, a graduate student from Chengdu, China, and support scientist Karl Umiker, said the electro shocker is pretty cool.

The 3-foot-long metal rods are driven into the ground in small circles and then connected to batteries. They deliver up to 480 volts, meaning it could potentially fry a specimen and is dangerous to touch.

"I'm kind of bummed we haven't seen anything yet," Umiker said.

An 1897 article in The American Naturalist by Frank Smith said the GPE was described as common in the Palouse during that era. But massive agricultural development soon consumed nearly all of the unique Palouse Prairie and appeared to deal a fatal blow to the worm.

Before Idaho graduate student Yaniria Sanchez-de Leon stuck a shovel into the ground in 2005 to collect a soil sample and found the worm that now is in the tube in Johnson-Maynard's office, the mythical earth-dwellers were mostly considered extinct.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was asked to protect the worm as an endangered species, citing as proof the lack of sightings. But the agency said there simply was not enough scientific information to merit a listing.

A second request filed with the Obama administration claims to have more information on the worm and would make the GPE the only worm protected as an endangered species.

However, the agency isn't ready to comment on the petition, according to Doug Zimmer of the Fish and Wildlife Service in Seattle.

Zimmer said it was always good to see new information and good science on any species, but farmers are keeping a watchful eye on the research programs.

Dan Wood of the Washington State Farm Bureau said many farmers are concerned whether a listing is going to end up curtailing farming activities.

"I don't know if people plan to stop all farming for the possibility of a worm being somewhere," he said.

The giant Palouse earthworm is one of the few native species to North America, and has become quite popular with the public.

Johnson-Maynard said she has received calls from tourists who want to come to her office and be photographed with the specimen.

"A lot of people are curious about it," she said.

Original story can be found here.

Octomom Nadya Suleman says house is haunted

She’s got fourteen kids and now the Octomom Nadya Suleman thinks she may have one more "little one" living at her home in La Habra, CA – a child ghost!

In an exclusive (and yes, bizarre) new interview with RadarOnline.com, Nadya says a few days ago, she heard a soft whisper saying “mommy.”

"There are no such things as ghosts”, Nadya says, “but that really did scare me."

Nadya also shows us the room where she thinks the spirit lives -- a room that was supposed to be quarters for her nannies -- but instead, is used only to store toys.

“It’s unusually cold in here,” she says, opening the door to the room

“I never, ever want to be alone really in this house. I don’t want the children in this house ever,” she says.

Nadya also says a friend told her she felt something pulling at her leg in the Octo-home.

And, as if that’s not strange enough, Nadya says one of her nannies heard a noise and saw a small child run into a room upstairs, but when she looked around, no one was there.

“This is something you’re not supposed to believe in if you are a believer in God, but it’s something that I’m a little worried about. But when you’re scared, you keep praying and ask it kindly to leave politely, and pray and hopefully that will work.”

Just in case it won’t leave on its own, Nadya says she’s going to place up to 20 Bibles around the home to ward off any spirits.

Original story can be found here.

Stockton residents see Michael Jackson in tree stump

A Stockton family says the image of Michael Jackson appeared on his tree stump the day the King of Pop died.



Like the "Virgin Grilled Mary" or "Cheesus", the family thinks they've got an unusual spiritual image staring right at them from their own front yard. Felix Garcia has lived in the house for 22 years, and has never noticed the apparent image in his birch tree stump.

"I was standing by that bush, and I looked up and saw that image here," Felix said.

Many people in the crowd who gathered to look at the stump Sunday afternoon saw the resemblance, but why would Michael Jackson appear instead of a religious figure -- or even any of the other celebrities who recently passed away?

"Because Michael Jackson was an icon to us," said one neighbor. "To Stockton, Michael Jackson meant more to us than Jesus, to some people. I think they're both about even."

Jackson did visit the city 20 years ago, following the Cleveland School fatal shootings.

From afar, it looks like any other tree. From up close, it looks like any other stump. Not all neighbors are convinced -- some say it looks more like the Scarecrow, and some say it looks like Jesus.

The family says they don't expect their tree to become a shrine to Jackson, but they do hope that nobody tries to cut it down.

Link to the original story can be found here.

The ghosts of Springville Inn

The Springville Inn located in the Sierra Nevadas.

Located east of Porterville in Tulare County, nestled in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, is the small town of Springville. Since 1911 the Springville Inn has been at the heart of the town. The town itself has been around since 1849 when pioneers settled the area. The Inn itself was built with the coming of the railroad to Springville. At that time it was known as the Wilkinson Hotel. Unfortunately during construction, the owners went broke and were forced to sell the property. An addition was done to the building in 1972, which holds all the rooms of the hotel. The original building is now a restaurant on the bottom floor and a bar/ dance hall on the second.

The Springville Inn has four ghosts that wander only the original building built in 1911. They have not been seen in the hotel nor in an addition to the restaurant that was done in 1979. A local historian states that there was no coroner or morgue in Springville, so bodies were placed upstairs on ice before being transported to Porterville.


The original Wilkinson Hotel circa 1911.

No one truly knows the identities of the ghosts as records from the area are incomplete. But the workers at the Inn have given them nicknames. There is the "Young Man" who appears to be a handsome logger in his twenties. There is the "Little Girl" who is around eight years of age and wearing an old fashioned clothes. The "Woman", very beautiful with long blond hair and wearing a dress. And finally the "Old Man".

The "Young Man" is seen mostly around the bar and what was the location of the original staircase. He is known to be a flirt, and will brush up against women to make his presence known. Not much is known about him, other that he was a logger and was said to have been shot outside the Inn. He was carried into the hotel where he bled to death. He had also been seen walking hand in hand with the "Little Girl" but not recently.

As for the "Little Girl", she was last seen by an employee who was washing dishes. The employee saw the girl watching her from a mirror. She turned around and no one was there. Frightened, she ask the owners to remove the mirror and the "Little Girl" hasn't been seen since.

The "Woman" is usually seen floating on the balcony surrounding the penthouse or seen wandering the second floor hallways in the main building. Not much is known about her.

Finally, the "Old Man" mostly keeps himself to the kitchen, but has had the most contact with past and

current employees. He has been seen staring up or down into the dumbwaiter joining the lower and upper kitchens. The staff feel that he is watching over them and is not shy as he frequently makes himself seen.


Downtown Springville circa 1919. The Wilkinson (now
Springville) Inn is on the left near the middle.

I had a chance to investigate the Springville Inn several years ago with a group and had a great time there. I actually had a few experiences of my own when I investigated there a few years ago. While having dinner in the restaurant, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a blond woman walking outside. She walked past one window, but did not appear in the second one after the three feet of wall separating the two. Not really sure what happened, but the walkway that she was on is several feet above the street and the windows where I saw her were nowhere near the stairs to get to the street. This could have been the "Woman", but I honestly didn't get a good look at her.

The other incident happened after dinner while I was waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. I was watching TV in one of the rooms, when suddenly a cabinet door swung open. I got up to investigate the door, thinking maybe the hinge was broken. I open and closed it several times but the hinge was in working order. I thought maybe someone was trying to say hi to me, but remembered that the ghosts haunted the original building only. I mentioned this later to one of the employees and they said that people have had strange experiences in the rooms. One even complained of seeing sparkling lights on the ceiling. They thought it was coming from cars outside, but upon checking there were none there. Even after closing the curtains the strange lights still were seen. The person then left the next morning after canceling the rest of their stay there.


Another shot of downtown Springville, this time in 1915. The
steps to the Springville Inn can be seen on the right side.

The Springville Inn is a great place to visit and the staff was more than accommodating and if not busy will gladly tell you any stories they might know. If you are looking for a weekend getaway and want something different I'd definitely recommend taking the two hour drive to Springville and staying at the Inn. Not only is it a wonderful little town, but it's nestled in the Sierra Nevadas and minutes from the Giant Sequoia National Monument. For more info on the Inn as well as a bit of history of the surrounding area, here's the Inn's website.

Is Michael Jackson haunting Neverland Ranch?

Normally I tend to stay away from celebrity gossip as I think there are more important things in life to worry about. But given the recent passing of Michael Jackson, it was only a matter of time before that news would cross over into the realm of the paranormal.

CNN and Larry King were doing a interview from the master bedroom of the estate. The camera pans past the door and shows the hallway. At :20 you can see a shadowy figure walk from the left to the right. Speculation has been everything from a reflection off a window to Michael Jackson still wandering the estate. Here's the video, judge for yourself.



As usual I have to be skeptical on this. A famous person just died and the media frenzy that ensued after saturated the airwaves with the death. Millions of fans were grief stricken and are claiming this is his ghost. But I honestly wonder if the fans are saying this is Michael because they want to believe he is still around in some form or another? It's akin to people seeing the ghost of a recently dead relative, they want to believe it's them so they know they are ok and can be comforted. Still, this isn't an amateur video. This was something shot by CNN on a live broadcast and to my knowledge, CNN hasn't commented on it yet.

Thanks to Heather over at the Fresno Beehive for the link.