A ghostly reunion

A high school reunion is getting everyone ready for an out-of-this world time.

A Kinston High School reunion will take place July 23-24 for classes that graduated from the school from 1971-79 — and it will feature a paranormal investigation as part of the fun.

Since 1987, the Preservation of the Grainger Complex Inc., a volunteer group of concerned alumni and friends, has raised more than $700,000 to renovate, restore and manage the auditorium of the former Grainger High School, which has been re-named the Grainger-Hill Performing Arts Center.

Despite fund-raising over the years, more is needed, reunion organizer Allison Merritt said.

“I saw that Grainger-Hill has been trying to do fundraisers, and what better way than to get all the graduates back that have memories here and love it here,” Merritt said. “Lots of graduates remember this high school and enjoyed their time here, so we thought we would invite everyone back.”

What sets this high school reunion apart is there may be some unexpected, even paranormal activity on display. George Matthis, an alumni of Kinston High School and the president of National Society of Paranormal Investigation and Research, will be leading an investigation of the building.

The investigation will involve using a variety of equipment, including electromagnetic field detector technology, cameras, voice recorders, thermometers and thermal imaging to detect shifts.

“It has to be a combination of things,” Matthis said of the possibility of paranormal activity. “Any one of the signs by itself may not mean anything, but if several happen at once, that could be a sign of some sort of activity.”

Matthis, a 1972 Kinston High School graduate, says he remembers coming to the auditorium in the morning and all the windows would be open in spite of being closed the night before, and reports from his classmates of seeing things or being touched by a presence that was not there.

 “There has always been talk of ghosts in the auditorium, and a lot of people know about it,” Merritt said. “I have heard from several people that they have seen people roaming around in the rafters of the building when no one else is in there. Who knows what we are going to see on the tour.”

The reunion is for anyone who graduated from Kinston High School between 1971 and 1979, though anyone who is interested in paranormal activity is welcome to attend, Merritt said.

It costs roughly $40,000 a year to keep the building running with heat, electricity, utilities and general maintenance, according to Mary Ellison Turner, of the Preservation of the Grainger Complex Inc. Half of the building is rented out, while the auditorium functions as a venue for concerts. The fundraiser, like others held at the auditorium throughout the year, will go towards the upkeep of the building.

Paranormal activity has been reported in the building, but Turner, who has spent a lot of time there alone, said it is probably just the creaks and noises of an old building.

“I have had a lot of people call me about it, even though I have never experienced anything like that myself,” Turner said. “If you let yourself be real quiet, and start thinking about it, you can imagine anything you want to there.”

According to ghpac.com, the Grainger-Hill Performing Arts Center in Kinston is one of the last remaining examples of Greek Classical Revival Architecture still standing in North Carolina. Construction began in 1925 for $555,000 as a three-story, "slow-burning complex" capable of housing 900 students. Thousands of students passed through its doors during the 69 years it was used as a public school.

On the Friday night of the reunion weekend, the classes will go to a Kinston Indians game. The following night will be the paranormal tour.

Admission for the event will be $25, and for a $100 donation, a print from artist Bob Pitman can be purchased. All proceeds go to the Grainger Auditorium effort.

For more information on the event, call Merritt at 252-560-8515.

Joel Gerber can be reached at 252-559-1076 or jgerber@freedomenc.com.

Breakout box:

Reunion at a glance

n Takes place July 23-34

n Kinston Indians game on July 23

n Paranormal tour and reunion on July 24

n $25 to attend

n For more info, call Allison Merritt at 252-560-8515