Downtown Calgary has a rich history behind the buildings that our gay bars are now inhabit. Those who live and work in these venues often tell stories of strange sounds, moving furniture, and mysterious happenings. Perhaps even you have experienced it yourself. When you’re alone, you get the sudden feeling that someone else is with you; that prickly feeling on the back of your neck, or perhaps the sensation of something unseen brushing past you. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, one has to admit there is a lot that can’t be explained.
We invited local medium Niki Berthelette and friend Sabrina Naprawa out for a visit to Calgary’s gay hangouts. Time constraints prevented us from visiting MP’s, and although attempts were made to involve the Twisted Element, who have many stories to tell, our calls were not returned. We took Niki to The Calgary Eagle, The Texas Lounge, and The Backlot to see what otherworldly impressions she could sense.
“For as long as I can remember, I have always had experiences with spirits,” she explained. “I can remember being a kid and seeing them everywhere. The gift changes over time, I used to be more clairvoyant, now I am more clairaudiaul. I have always been able to tap into it.”
“I have had some very scary experiences. The reason why they were scary is because I didn’t have the knowledge and tools to know how to deal with it. In retrospect if I had known then what I know now, it wouldn’t have been that scary. I have had things thrown at me [by spirits], been yelled at, all of that.”
Our first stop was The Calgary Eagle, and Berthelette’s impression as we walked down the street to the bar was at first not a good one. That all changed when she stepped through the door.
“When we were walking outside, all that energy is like a funnel coming from the St. Louis hotel. It was terrible I thought my head was going fall off. I try not to come in this area…because there is just so much tension, you can feel it. The bar feels good though, it actually feels protected. The problem is not this place, but the area and what it attracts. There have been 10 – 15 deaths in this area alone. It is not nasty energy, not anything that is upset.”
Taking her further in, the energy she read was warm and welcoming.
“What has been created here feels good to me, it is warm and inviting. I think you still have some regulars who hang out here, there are quite a few [spirits] here. …There have been some deaths, and regulars, people that like the place are still floating in and coming for pleasure purposes.”
Berthelette had the strongest readings of actual people at the Eagle as well.
”I don’t know if the name Sheldon or Shelby means anything connected to here. He feels like a taller guy, sandy blonde hair, really cute, blue eyes, nice body. I was picking up on him before we even got here. There are two guys that were murdered out front, many years ago, not related to the bar, and one of them was native. He still comes in here and is lost. He wouldn’t hurt anybody but he is angry. There is an older gentleman walking around who was affiliated with this building. He still keeps an eye on things and is protecting it... There seems to be a connection with this building and the hotel. The energy outside is wandering back and forth. There is also someone sitting by the back bar who gives off a very protective energy. There is an astral dog in here too. I wasn’t expecting to see that. A little white dog with a little brown strip, like a Jack Russell but bigger.”
For those who have read so far and are skeptical, it is easy to understand why. However, if you had been with us, your skepticism might have been erased when she began speaking of an event in recent history of the bar. For privacy purposes, we can’t write about it, but bartender Kevin seemed stunned as he confirmed the tale.
We snapped some pictures from the stage at the front of the bar, and discovered what are called “orbs” in the room. Orbs are transparent balls of light that show up in photographs that many feel represent spirit activity. In one photo, a small orb can be seen right by our editor Rob’s feet. “That’s likely the dog,” Berthelette explained.
“I really feel like you are being supported here. I feel more welcome here than I have in any pub in so long. The Eagle staff is brilliant at what they do it is like a family and that comes through in the energy.”
The spirits in Goliaths were not quite as friendly. We spent exactly two minutes in the front lobby of Goliaths itself before Berthelette needed to step outside. While the staff in the front room welcomed us, unseen others were not so hospitable .
“Just standing in the doorway, I felt an energy that was negative. There was a gentleman standing at the foot of the stairs literally screaming ‘get the F out.’ He is not a pleasant ghost, not a fun guy. I think he would be that way with some patrons. He is very protective of what Goliaths is and I did not feel welcome there at all. It is not what [Goliaths] is, it is me being a woman. It was nervous energy about women coming in there.”
Bartender Perry had a pretty good idea who it was. “One of the ghosts down here is a person that had a heart attack that used to be here every day. He is very friendly, maybe not to Niki but to all of us he was a pussycat.”
The older gentleman is not the only one who haunts the building. There is a younger man who Nikki says died within the past six years, who enjoys messing with people. That may explain some of the goings on – staff told of ashtrays that have gone flying down the hallway when no one else was around to throw them, bar stools have moved inexplicably, and staff have walked by lockers that were closed one moment, only to turn around and find all of them wide open.
“He gets enjoyment from messing with people and freaking them out. But it is not malicious, he is actually very nice.”
We returned to the building to visit the Texas Lounge. Once we stepped into the lounge itself, Berthelette’s discomfort dissipated.
“This area feels happy, it is just in the stairwell and outside that is a creepy feeling. A completely different energy, people come in here and have a good time. The patrons here feel good, business feels good, just the ghosts are unhappy.”
We wrapped up our tour with the Backlot. The bar had the least amount of supernatural energy, although staff have still experienced their share of strange occurrences.
“It is peaceful, not a lot of bigtime activity. This is the calmest bar of the three. There is a fire connected with this area but I am not sure where. The energy is very laid back here, not frazzled at all. There isn’t anything negative here. This property…has a lot of history to it.”
That isn’t to say we didn’t find anything. Niki sensed the ghost of a tall redheaded man sitting in a booth in the front room, and when we went upstairs she instantly saw children playing. Photos taken in the area definitely showed more orbs. As we were preparing to leave however, someone else made an appearance.
”Wow, a large muscular heavily tattooed man just popped in here and pointed next door. He is very angry, he won’t do anything but I definitely get a feeling like he has been to prison. He isn’t associated with this building at all, it’s another building attached to this one.”
The building next door offers low income housing on the second level, which seems to fit with this man’s appearance.
“I really enjoyed this evening. It is so good to be out of a certain reality for awhile,” Berthelette said as our evening ended. “I really thought it was fun, I enjoyed the different frequencies in every location, I feel like I have learned a little bit.”
There is much to learn from this experience, and perhaps next year we can expand further. With some research and discussion, we can learn more about some of these ghosts that haunt the bars, from a very interesting past.
To book Niki Berthelette for readings, reconnective healings, events or personal inquiries, call 403-875-9664.
