Something spooky is going on in Stanwood

Are there ghosts in Stanwood?

Members of the Grey Team for Paranormal Investigations of Historic America will investigate the potential phenomenon tonight, starting at 8, at the Pearson House Museum in Stanwood.

Early Sunday morning, they will hook up their cameras, monitors and listening devices at the 120-year-old Stanwood Hotel and Saloon.

Both locations have a history of paranormal activity, says Vaughn Hubbard, PIHA case manager and historian.

Hubbard says the group travels the state doing investigations. They aim to check out buildings and encourage folks to visit historical sites and museums.

“This is about much more than us looking for ghosts,” Hubbard says. “It’s about the history of our great state and the museums and historical sites that are trying to preserve it.”

He said it behooves families to learn about our ancestors and how they lived.

“I believe that for every piece of history we lose, we lose a piece of ourselves,” Vaughn says.

Perhaps folks would rather there weren’t ghosts at the Stanwood Hotel and Saloon. The hotel upstairs is being remodeled and should reopen early next year.

***

Marysville wants to stay green this season, but it’s not just about ivy and Christmas trees.

The Marysville Fire Department has giant wreaths at each station covered in green bulbs. During the annual “Keep the Wreath Green” program, the bulbs are changed to red whenever there is a structure fire in the district.

The bulbs are changed to white when a firefighter anywhere in the United States dies in the line of duty.

The program runs through New Year’s Day and aims to remind folks about fire safety.

***

Volunteers at “The Lights of Christmas” at Warm Beach Camp south of Stanwood are working hard to make holiday memories for families.

Proceeds from admissions helps run summer camps, says Daniel Carver, Marketing Manager for Warm Beach Camp.

In early September, they start hanging lights, Carver says.

“We take down over 90 percent of the lights after the event,” he says. “The incandescent lights don’t hold up against the elements when they are up all year long. It’s easier to take them down, test them, repair them on the ground, and put them back up.

From September on, a full-time crew of six to 10 folks are working six days a week until opening day.

“The Lights of Christmas” is the largest holiday light display in the Northwest and offers entertainment, activities for kids, food, gift shopping and overnight stays as an option.

Each year, more than 800 volunteers donate more than 15,000 hours of work, including parking attendants, greeters, costumed characters and toy shop elves. More than 100 workers are needed each night for the 20-night run.

For more information, call Jessica Beach at 360-652-7575 or visit www.warmbeach.com.

***

Folks at Lake Ki scheduled their annual food collection for 2 p.m. Dec. 18.

Residents leave food donations on their docks and a crew in a boat cruises around and picks up the boxes.

Feel free to also leave food bank donations at Roadhouse Bar and Grill, 4915 Lakewood Road in Stanwood or at Country Burger, 3110 Lakewood Road in Arlington.

Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451; oharran@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Ariel Garcia, 4, was last seen Wednesday morning in an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Dr. (Photo provided by Everett Police)
Everett police searching for missing child, 4

Ariel Garcia was last seen Wednesday at an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Drive. The child was missing under “suspicious circumstances.”

The rezoned property, seen here from the Hillside Vista luxury development, is surrounded on two sides by modern neighborhoods Monday, March 25, 2024, in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Despite petition, Lake Stevens OKs rezone for new 96-home development

The change faced resistance from some residents, who worried about the effects of more density in the neighborhood.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, left, introduces Xichitl Torres Small, center, Undersecretary for Rural Development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a talk at Thomas Family Farms on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Under new federal program, Washingtonians can file taxes for free

At a press conference Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene called the Direct File program safe, easy and secure.

Former Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy Jeremie Zeller appears in court for sentencing on multiple counts of misdemeanor theft Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ex-sheriff’s deputy sentenced to 1 week of jail time for hardware theft

Jeremie Zeller, 47, stole merchandise from Home Depot in south Everett, where he worked overtime as a security guard.

Everett
11 months later, Lake Stevens man charged in fatal Casino Road shooting

Malik Fulson is accused of shooting Joseph Haderlie to death in the parking lot at the Crystal Springs Apartments last April.

T.J. Peters testifies during the murder trial of Alan Dean at the Snohomish County Courthouse on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Bothell cold case trial now in jury’s hands

In court this week, the ex-boyfriend of Melissa Lee denied any role in her death. The defendant, Alan Dean, didn’t testify.

A speed camera facing west along 220th Street Southwest on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Washington law will allow traffic cams on more city, county roads

The move, led by a Snohomish County Democrat, comes as roadway deaths in the state have hit historic highs.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.