Tell your neighbors you’ve seen a ghost and they’ll tell you that you’ve lost your mind.

Tell Chris Wiener you’ve seen a ghost and not only will he leave your sanity unquestioned, but he may even come to your house to check it out.

That’s because he’s the lead investigator of Chippewa Valley Paranormal Investigators, an organization that looks into possible paranormal activity — from noises to apparitions — in search of answers.

“The first thing out of their mouths is ‘This is going to sound crazy, but … ,’” Wiener said. “We reassure them they’re not crazy. We deal with this on a daily basis.”

The 15-member group investigates everything from homes to businesses to cemeteries whenever someone feels something fishy is up. Common indicators include noises, cold sensations or even apparitions.

However, Wiener said that four-year-old CVPI does not go in search of places. Instead, people come to the group.

“People call us first,” he said. “We don’t want to be seen as a bunch of crackpots. People will still look at us like, ‘Really, you do that?’”

Wiener said that the typical investigation begins with an interview of the client.

A tour of the property then follows. Wiener said the team looks for logical explanations at this point, such as creaky floorboards.

The team will also take audio and visual evidence of the scene with their arsenal of equipment that includes thermal scanners, infrared cameras and electromagnetic field meters.

Wiener said that if there is a logical explanation, it usually ends at this point. However, the team will show the audio and visual evidence to the client and point out possible paranormal explanations if needed.

If the client wants more information, the free CVPI investigation continues. If not, the investigation could end there. Either way, Wiener and his team are there for possible explanations, not to rid properties of unwanted elements.

“We don’t claim to be paranormal eliminators,” Wiener said. “We’re not ghostbusters.”

It all goes back to CVPI’s main belief of helping people come to an understanding of what’s going on around them, whether the explanation is that an old house is simply settling or that there is a ghost.

“We’re just here to give them peace of mind,” said Clarence Rice, a CVPI team leader.

Freaky Chippewa Falls

As resident experts on the paranormal, Rice and Wiener said that Chippewa Falls is home to plenty of creepy places. They listed off a few that sprung to mind.

Eisold’s Irvine Bar was named a favorite of both Wiener and Rice.

The main story of the bar involves a former owner who was killed there. His favorite bar stool now comes with a word of warning, as those who have sat in it have felt their hair tugged, their shoulders tapped and some have even said they saw an apparition staring at them.

The Sheeley House has seen a variety of haunted activity, ranging from flying silverware to lights going on and off to the sounds of children laughing.

Flag Hill at Irvine Park remains a personal haunt of Wiener’s. He said that he and a friend used to run in the park, and one time they saw an apparition of a man standing at Flag Hill. At the time, neither talked about it. Years later, however, Wiener told his friend about it and both realized they had seen the same thing. Wiener then found out that a man had committed suicide on Flag Hill in 1910.

Chi-Hi was home to another Wiener incident when he was a student. It occurred when he was in a dark makeup room by himself. Wiener said he felt a cold sensation and saw a very tall shadow standing behind him. Out of instinct, he darted for the light switch. However, Wiener said that in doing so, he should have ran right into or through the person causing the shadow. Instead, no one was there.

Haunts nearby

Ghosts don’t have an affinity for just Chippewa County, however. Wiener and Rice said that neighboring counties have their fair share too.

The Stones Throw building (though the bar is no more) has been a popular ghost story in Eau Claire and much of it focuses on a person who hung himself in the basement of the building. Rice said that people have felt a strange presence down there and some have reported seeing a figure.

Fire Station No. 10 in Eau Claire has been haunted by a fireman named Alex, according to some. The story says he still resides there and will play with lights and unravel hoses.

The Devil’s Punch Bowl in Dunn County is a creepy outdoor location, Wiener and Rice said. They said that people get a weird feeling there and that CVPI’s electromagnetic field meters oftentimes spike despite no nearby electricity.

Wiener said that some of the well-known Dunn County haunts such as Tainter Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Stout and the Mabel Tainter Theater could be more folklore than paranormal.

This story first appeared in the October/November issue of Etc. magazine, a publication of Chippewa Valley Newspapers.

Read about it

WHAT: Chippewa Valley Paranormal Investigators Chris Wiener and Clarence Rice and contributor Terry Fisk have written a book called “Haunted Chippewa Falls.”

GET A COPY: Buy the book at www.createspace.com/3403616 or at Amazon.com.