Workers tell stories of doors slamming, muffled laughter.

Halloween is still five months away but there's talk of haunting spirits, ghostly happenings and unexplained mysteries at one of Macomb County's liveliest nightclubs.

The Locker Room Saloon in Utica on Tuesday will celebrate the 102nd anniversary of the fire that destroyed the village of Utica, wiping out 50 buildings and leaving more than 150 homeless.

There will be a psychic for customers in the main bar area but a small select group will attend a private séance in an effort to determine whether the bar on Auburn near Van Dyke is haunted.

"We have a ton of weird stuff happening here," said Dave Pittman, whose family has owned and operated Locker Room Saloon for the past 25 years.

A massive fire in 1904 swept through what was then a tiny village, wiping out much of the business district and St. Lawrence Church. The epicenter of the fire was the former Exchange Hotel, which was located on the property now known as Locker Room Saloon.

Legend says a local tramp had been tossed out of both the hotel and its barn. Minutes later, flames were seen from the barn. Driven by strong winds, the fire spread to the hotel and then to other structures. Lacking modern-day firefighting equipment, villagers formed a bucket brigade to fight the fire.

The tramp was later arrested on charges of "incendiarism," according to The Source newspaper, because he had been smoking in the barn before the blaze broke out. Another fire broke out a year later.

"People think the tramp set the fire on purpose or maybe feel asleep while he was smoking," said Utica Mayor Jackie Noonan, the city's unofficial historian. "But it's impossible to tell. They didn't have forensic science tools in those days."

Although no one died in either fire, strange things have been going on at the Locker Room Saloon, which formerly was the Utica Steak House until Phil and Kathy Pittman purchased the site. Their sons, Dave and Phil, now run the saloon, which is known for the lightweight drumsticks patrons use to beat on the bar.

Dave Pittman said it's not unusual when the bar is empty and silent to hear footsteps coming from the second floor or the sound of muffled laughter. Keys and tools often disappear only to be found years later hanging from hooks in the ceiling.

Employees routinely say they feel someone is standing next to them or see the cash register open without being prompted. Some claim to have been pushed or had their hair pulled by an unseen force.

On Tuesday night, a Clinton Township minister will conduct a séance in an attempt to reach out to "the other side" to see if in fact there are spirits residing in the saloon -- and if so, what they want.

"I'd like to figure out what is going on and where all of this comes from," Pittman said, adding he's not afraid if there are ghosts inside the bar.

"I guess the good thing is, these folks don't want to leave," he said. "They must be having a good time."

The bar is located at 7790 Auburn Road, Utica. For more information, visit www.lockerroomsaloon.com.

The article above was found on Google and was published originally on Macomb Daily