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OUR YUCAIPA | OCTOBER 2015 13 By Natalie Palmer It's October. Time for Halloween, spooky stories, haunted houses, and scary folklore. And lucky for us, our own Yucaipa is rich with tales of ghosts, supernatural sightings and scary sites for us to explore. Even luckier, Yucaipa psychic, Marie Feuer, Ph.D. has agreed to give her expert opinion on Yucaipa's haunted sites and fabled places. So on a sunny Thursday afternoon, (it is most definitely not spooky weather), I pick her up and she happily jumps in the car for an afternoon of ghost hunting. Feuer, a retired college professor and psychic intuitive, is a vivacious blonde in her 60s. She keeps busy in Yucaipa teaching meditation classes, doing energy healings, and giving psychic readings. She is cheerful and congenial, and puts me immediately at ease. She has an easy flow of conversation that is both college professor and most definitely psychic, as she effortlessly tells me things I specifically need to hear, not just for this stories sake, but for situations playing out in my own life. But today is about hauntings. "First off, there's a difference between ghosts and spirits," Feuer declares as we take off. "Spirits have crossed over. They can still stay in contact with us, but they are at peace. They can give you a message, but don't try to disturb you. Ghosts, on the other hand, are confused. They often think they have had something taken from them. They think they still have a job to do. They are the ones who scare you, move things, and make you nervous." Yucaipa Little Theatre The building on California Street dates back to 1936 and is one of the oldest in Yucaipa. For years actors rehearsing at the theatre have reported hauntings and suddenly feeling fear as they enter a room. There are stories of switched off lights coming back on, props flying propelled by unseen hands, and ghostly figures appearing behind the production booth. "I was alone working late one night and the speakers started hissing," said Darren Prescott, a former YLT board member. "I went into the tech booth to turn them off but they weren't on to begin with." The speakers continued hissing and Darren said, "I said to the room, 'If you have something to say, just say it.' Nothing happened. Then I said, 'If someone's here, show yourself.' That's when the strobe light went on by itself. I decided to call it a night." The day Feuer and I visit, the theatre's resident ghost was there, and he was ready to talk. "I saw him as soon as we approached the building, looking out the second floor stained glass window," said Feuer. "He's a 35 to 40 year old man with a goatee and thinning hair." Once inside, YLT Theater Board Member Chris Collette shows us around, and takes Feuer to the "bat cave," the make-up/staging area at the front of the building, where by all reports, the ghost "lives." Once in the room Feuer is obviously communicating with someone. She shakes her head affirmatively and listens intently. She stops to give us updates as he talks. Feuer reports this ghost is from the 1960s or '70s and had a love of theatre. "He was a closeted gay man with a polite marriage and a daughter who died at a young age. He loved the theater and wanted desperately to introduce her to that world. After she died he began spending his time at the theater here and at another one in Redlands with another gay man who became his confidante," said Feuer. "The theater is his "church" in a way, and he stays here at Yucaipa Little Theater now to protect his church and help those who love the theatre feel at ease." He tells Feuer he wants actors to "make it," even in a small way, even for a moment, at Yucaipa Little Theatre. But he's a ghost, not a spirit, and Feuer said he's not happy with those who disrespect his theater. "He says he'll cause things to happen to the irreverent," Feuer said. "He'll make them sick or aggravated enough to leave." She said he even admits to manufacturing one accident where he had to "hurt someone to get them to leave." Collette says this report jives with the dozens of stories he's heard over the years, and after our encounter he makes sure he locks up and leaves when we do. Even on this sunny Thursday afternoon, he's not about to be alone in the theatre. Yucaipa High School Yucaipa High School was the site of a death early this century. Naturally the tragedy spurs ghost stories, with both students and online sites reporting hauntings at the school. And although the campus was empty of students when we visited, a custodian was well aware of the story and pointed us in the direction of the incident. But Feuer said she felt only peace at the spot. Ghost stories can cease and the area is clear. "There are no vibes here," Feuer said. Pendleton Road The Southwestern Ghost Hunter's Association Website lists Pendleton Road (just off Oak Glen Road) as a ghost hot spot. The story goes that Pendleton Road is haunted by a woman who died in a car accident in the 1950s. It is said she crawled out of the car and drug herself along the road looking for help. Police found her a half-mile away, dead in the street. It is not known if the lady was "red" from a red dress, or from being soaked with blood, but the color red is everywhere for the intuitive, and the land there needs cleansing, Feuer said. "If this was my property I would cleanse it well," Feuer said. "There's no ghost here but certainly a vortex of emotions. There is sadness and confusion and misery here." 10th Street and Yucaipa Boulevard The "Chapman Heights ghost story" is about a group of teen boys who were killed in small aircraft crash when the property was an airport from 1938 to 1952. It is said that the landing strip is where hole number seven lies at Yucaipa Valley Golf Club now, and that golfers often see ghosts or feel a chill upon teeing off at the hole. As we peer through the iron fence today though, Feuer sees ghosts alright, but from a much, much earlier time. "I don't know anything about an airport, but in the 1600s or so there was a homestead here where a couple lived with their five children. While the father and oldest son were away, there was a house fire. The mother and four younger children all died. The mother crossed over, but the four younger children hung around to comfort their older brother and father, whom they loved very much. When the father and brother eventually died and crossed over, the four children still stayed here. It's their little piece of heaven." Feuer says the children are what she calls "earth angels," who keep and protect small spots clear of development, and enjoy visiting with live children from time to time." "They are not angry or mean. They are happily playing and not ready to move on," Feuer said. Psychics and light Although Feuer said she enjoyed our haunted Yucaipa excursion, ghosts and those who have crossed over are of little interest to her. "It's always a surprise to me when they show up," she said. "But I'm not too involved with them. I'm much more interested in how to successfully get through this life." Feuer chooses to focus on positive energy, prayer and healing. She offers twice weekly meditation classes, private sessions, and life path healings. Visit her website at mariefeuer.org or call her at 818-439-9929.

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