Star 105.5 radio hosts accept Volo Auto Museum challenge

What started as a challenge could turn into the fright of a lifetime for two McHenry County radio personalities at the Volo Antique Auto Museum.

Joe Cicero and Tina Bree, the hosts of Star 105.5's morning show, will spend Saturday night in the auto museum's allegedly haunted 163-year-old barn.

The barn, which has been converted into an antique mall, has been the center of ghost stories ever since the property was purchased in 1960, said museum director Brian Grams.

Those stories have grabbed national headlines, and even prompted the Discovery Channel to center an episode of its television show "Ghost Lab" around the barn.

During Ghost Lab's two-day study, crews were able to document paranormal activity in the barn, including capturing a "shadow man" on film, officials said.

Cicero said he was hesitant to accept the challenge when Grams made the offer at the grand opening of the museum's haunted trolley tour earlier this year.

But, he said his curiosity got the better of him.

"You hear the stories from other people out there about the barn, then you see the television shows out there about ghost hunting, and you can't help but be curious about it," he said. "Who doesn't want to look at the unknown?"

Because of the "Ghost Lab" show, and the curiosity and questions about the hauntings, the museum owners developed a one-hour tour using a replica 1915 Victorian Trolley that takes riders past the antique barn and other supernatural hot spots on 36 acres of farm land.

Bree said fans bombarded Star 105's Facebook page with more than 200 posts urging them to accept the challenge.

"We never say no to a challenge," she said. "I'm going to do my best to stay in there all night, but I won't guarantee I'll make it."

Cicero and Bree will talk about their experiences on their radio show at Star 105.5 Monday morning.