Vina Rae’s Grill ‘n Graze
Vina Rae’s Grill ‘N Graze is home to several past residents of the tiny town of Avard, Oklahoma (population: 34), as Tulsa Ghost Investigators (TGI) discovered during an investigation on Halloween, 2003. Avard is a rural town located between Alva and Waynoka in northwestern Oklahoma. The café is located in the old high school gymnasium. The property was donated to the town in the late 1940s to build a gymnasium. With such a small population, the gym eventually closed down. Nan Wheatley set up her café in the west end of the building in 1995. Since then, she and her patrons have experienced voices, footsteps, objects moving, and mists. Many photos taken inside reveal orbs and plasmoids. In 1995, shortly after the café opened, a ghostly woman in a green dress was seen sitting in one of the booths. Also a headless woman was reported floating through a wall. Our group arrived at Vina Rae’s at approximately 3:30 p.m. and began a preliminary walk-through of the building after a light supper of Witch’s Brew Stew. Great Plains 147 The ELF and Profi meters were very quiet—surprising because I was expecting them to behave radically due to the recent solar flares hitting the earth during the previous week. After the seemingly quiet walk-through, we slowly headed up the staircase leading to the attic area. Much energy was captured on camera in the form of orbs and plasmoids. However, the meters remained quiet. Temperature was maintained at 55 to 65 degrees. That evening, our schedule included a set of three 30- to 45-minute presentations by TGI and subsequent tours of the main hallways. During the first walk-through, the area designated “vortex” was active. The air, upon approach of the vortex, was clear, but upon entering the vortex, our eyes fogged over. Members of the tour group also experienced the “fog.” Thinking this optical event may have been caused by a single black light set up at the end of the hall, we turned away, but the fog was still enveloping. There was no fog, smoke machine, or foggy weather reports. This fog was very dense in spots, but not visible unless you stood directly in it. I sensed it was indeed the “vortex.” During the second expedition, the fog appeared at the same location. On this tour, researcher Amy Plank walked through one of the side rooms with a small group of folks from the tour. Her ELF meter spiked to five and a feeling of oppression overcame the group, Amy’s chest tightened, and boxes fell on the floor, blocking the path into the room. The group quickly ran out and a few screams were heard. During the third group tour, the fog came and went again. The tour group was advised not to enter the rooms along the main hallway, as the managers were concerned somebody might get hurt. There are many supernatural phenomena still waiting to be discovered at this very haunted café in the small town of Avard.
Written by — Vicky Glidewell Psychic/Medium and Founder, Tulsa Ghost Investigators
VINA RAE’S GRILL ‘N GRAZE
1026 NORTHERN STREET
AVARD, OKLAHOMA 73717
TEL: 1 (580) 435-2382
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of Haunted Places -Ghostly Locales from around the World – Compiled & Edited by Jeff Belanger – Copyright 2005 by Jeff Belanger
