Is there a paranormal side to Oklahoma?

By Christian Price, News9.com INsite Team

Everyone knows a ghost story, but few people know as many as Hayden Hewes. The author and paranormal researcher said Oklahoma has plenty to offer those curious about the paranormal.

"You could probably go to any small town in Oklahoma and somewhere in that area, something's been seen that they can't explain, whether it's a ghost, whether it's a haunted house" Hewes said. "It's somebody that knows somebody. They have either seen, or they know of somebody who has, it's that common."

Hewes has been researching Oklahoma's paranormal claims for more than 50 years.

"Over the years we had some good and not so good UFO photos," Hewes said.  "One of the best and still unexplained was taken over Oklahoma in 1965."

UFOs are not the only unexplained phenomenon in Oklahoma Hewes has investigated.

"I've gone to eight states looking for Bigfoot, a 6 to 7 foot tall being," Hewes said. "There have been excellent sightings here in Oklahoma."

For every person that believes, there is a person that doesn't. Hewes welcomes the skepticism.

"Every time a skeptic comes fourth, they're adding information to it, to help us understand," Hewes said. "Skeptics are important by showing different ways people look at the subject."

Oklahoma City University's Dr. Bryan Farha is that skeptic. Farha has traveled the nation debunking paranormal claims.

"Just because we perceive something to paranormal, doesn't mean that it is paranormal."

According to Dr. Farha, it's easy for people to misconstrue what they actually experience or witness.

"There was a classic case of a UFO," he said. "They thought that it was a UFO, an alien space craft at a great distance. And what it turned out to be was a fire fly about 50 feet away."

 Farha said he also doubts psychic abilities.

"If anybody had the ability to do what a psychic said they could do, they would have a million dollars," he said.  "James Randi, with the Educational Foundation, has a million dollars that he will give to anyone who can demonstrate psychic abilities under controlled testing conditions. And for 10 years nobody has been able to take that money."