Non-believers and anyone curious about the paranormal will get the opportunity to learn how to hunt down ghosts at Ashmore Estates’ Paranormal 101.

Guests will familiarize themselves with ghost hunting from 6 to 10 p.m. and again from 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. on Friday.

There will also be a witching-hour special from 12:30 to 4:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Ashmore Estates has hosted an annual haunted house since 2006, but this is the first time it will open its doors to amateur ghost investigators, said Michelle Baker, paranormal investigator and member of the Mid-Illinois Ghost Society, one of the groups hosting the event.

Since 2010, according to Ashmore Estates’ website, 31 paranormal groups have ventured into the building and claimed there were several signs of supernatural activity.

Baker also said she thought she once heard a ghost roaming around the building. She had no intention of looking for ghosts that day.

“I walked into a room that was completely empty, and I heard a very young woman say to me, ‘Well, hi there!’” she said. “I can’t prove that happened, but I know it happened.”

She also said members of MIGS once stayed in the building overnight to find out if Mary, one the building’s famous ghosts, really haunted the building.

To find out if Mary haunted the building, Baker said they propped a board in front of her old bedroom door hoping her ghost would open her door.

“Sure enough, she did open the door, and we have that on video,” she said.

When tracking down ghosts, investigators like Baker use audio recorders, video cameras and EMF meters, which are used to measure electro magnetic fields, and thermometers to measure changes in temperature.

Students—because the event is a class—will learn how to use equipment similar to what the professionals on shows like “Ghost Adventures” use when searching for ghosts.

Sometimes, Baker said, some people carrying electronic devices note that their devices’ batteries run out upon exiting the estate.

Elisha Woolridge, another member of MIGS, said this program is geared for people who are passionate about the paranormal but cannot find an outlet that will help them further their knowledge of spirits and ghosts.

However, with all the enthusiasm for the show, the two paranormal enthusiasts said there are always people who come into the building and end up leaving scared for their lives, swearing never to return to the building.

The building is known for apparitions, ghosts, phantom smells and a strange odor that cannot be attributed to its source, Woolridge said.

MIGS, the Illinois Metaphysical and Paranormal Society and Ashmore Estates will host the event.

Tickets can be bought online at Ashmore Estate’s website for $50.

Jaime Lopez can be reached at 581-2812 or jlopez2@eiu.edu.