Karl Forehand and members of the Night Owls Paranormal of Missouri #2 investigation team took a look at the “otherworldly” aspects of The Opp Hotel in Rock Port, Missouri, Saturday, August 26, 2023. (Submitted photo)

Carmen Burns and Night Owls Paranormal of Missouri #2 and Karl Forehand of Rock Port, Missouri, performed a paranormal investigation Saturday, August 26, in the Opp Hotel in Rock Port.

In Karl’s blog of the experience, he stated, “From the cameras, we quickly realized that the family of raccoons that came and tried to steal our pizza would help us rule out most loud noises that were heard throughout the hotel as they knocked over cameras and acted like usual raccoons. From the cameras, we also could observe various inconsistencies that were fun to speculate about; but, the real fun came when we went out into the dark to investigate.

“Our first room was what we called the ballroom. All the normal ghost hunters carried devices that they positioned throughout the room. They also had other handheld devices and apps on their phone that helped with detection. Two of the devices, a REM Pod and a Music Box, alarmed almost instantly. Although it was amazing to me that this was happening, it was even more exciting when they seemed to respond to what we said or to the 1920s music I played. I would describe this experience as mesmerizing, more than fearful. The only time I felt fear was when the raccoon appeared underneath my chair and when the fog machine (that detects shadow figures) came on unexpectedly.

“Later, we had an experience in an upstairs hotel room. I suggested we investigate the area where other people had felt something before. When we got to the spot, once again the detectors (that don’t always activate) came on. As we investigated the hotel room where the activity was, the EVP detector app was delivering messages that seemed to be in response to what we were doing. Messages of where to look and which direction to go and where not to go seemed to be in direct response to exactly what we were doing. When the investigators followed the directions, they found an antique toy and documents from 80 to 100 years ago.

“Later, one of the investigators played the piano for the spirits and received an amazing response, even though the keys were sticky and it didn’t resemble much of a tune. We returned to the ballroom, which was in close competition with the upstairs hotel room for the most activity. By 1:30 in the morning, we were all exhausted. Even the raccoons had turned in for the night, so we decided to call it a day.”

Karl Forehand is a local author and has written a novel, “The Hotel,” loosely based on The Opp Hotel.