The members of Paranormal Sightings Pa. have fun, but they take their work seriously.

They provide home and business owners with paranormal investigations, and if necessary, cleanse the building.Last weekend, they welcomed the public to try their hand at paranormal investigation in a building where they have observed some unexplained activity, the Clyde R. Houser Jr. Building in Lehighton, aka the borough’s former high school.About 20 people explored the darkened halls of the historic school Saturday night. Using a lot of the same equipment that has been made famous on shows like “Ghost Hunters,” they noted every unexplained noise or meter reading as they went.“We try to guide them, and it gives them the opportunity to do ghost hunting,” Todd Weaver of Lehighton said.Believers and skeptics got to observe some unexplained phenomena for themselves, and tap into the folklore of the area, all while benefiting Lehighton Borough’s 150th anniversary celebration. So far, the ghost hunts have raised more than $1,000 for the 150th.“Of all our fundraisers, this is definitely the most historic,” said Autumn Abelovsky, who serves on the executive committee for the 150th.In their previous investigations at the school, Paranormal Sightings members have reported hearing footsteps, seeing moving shadows, and even uncovering some voices on tapes taken in the building.Several of them were back for their second time to follow up on observations made during a previous ghost hunt. Beth Kalbach said she’s not skeptical about paranormal activity.“I’m kooky though. I lived next to a cemetery all my life,” she said.Paranormal Sightings doesn’t know if any notable deaths occurred in the building. But because the basement extends out under Third Street, members believe the building is haunted by the spirit of a girl who was killed in a traffic accident more than 70 years ago.Dan Strohl of Packerton, a longtime paranormal investigator, communicated with “Molly” and asked her some questions — gauging her responses by the activity on a “K2” meter, one of the most popular pieces of ghost hunting equipment.The group tried to keep the amateur explorers “in the dark” about some of things they’ve observed. If they report the same observations, then it’s really something worth exploring.“For our sake, if you don’t tell them and they hear something someone else did, then that just helps us verify,” Weaver said.Strohl said in the past “Molly” has done more unexplained things, like de-powering batteries in the team’s radios and equipment.“It gets a little creepy if you’re in a place and the walkie talkie doesn’t work because the batteries are dead,” Strohl said.In the group’s day-to-day investigations, the observations can be even scarier.They offer paranormal investigations in any building — usually involving the team staying overnight and watching for unexplained activity.“I got choked, at the Carbon County jail. When we were there, we had a member so freaked out that she ran out. The next day she woke up with a rope burn on her neck,” Paranormal Sightings member Keiran Pryor said.For those investigations, they use much of the same equipment that the amateur ghost hunters got to try out at the high school.They have done ghost hunts at hotels and B&Bs from Ocean City, Maryland, to Provincetown, Massachusetts.Some hotel owners like the distinction of saying that they had paranormal activity observed there. Others are not so excited about it.They work with a local medium, and even conduct spiritual cleansings of properties if requested by the homeowner.While the primary goal is investigating the unexplained, they try to use their passion to help others, as evidenced by the fundraisers for the 150th. They’ve also donated to groups like Carbon County Friends of Animals.Weaver said the 150th was a natural cause for the group to embrace, given the close link between the folklore they explore, and the area’s history.“Lehighton does have a lot of history. I’m personally hoping this 150th really brings attention to it,” Weaver said.And they may have converted some skeptics in the process. Abelovsky, the 150th committee member, said she came into the experience as a skeptic.“My son loves it. I don’t really believe it,” she said. “But I can’t explain what I have seen down there.”