The fourth annual Shadows of Ogdensburg Ghost Tours starts up Friday night, and it is safe to say that it is a well-known event.

That goes as well - and then some - for organizer and guide Mary T. Lajoie. She has a story to tell about a man who approached her recently on the street.

“He said, ‘Omigod, You’re the ghost lady!’” she said Wednesday. “‘I got a story for you!’”

Ms. Lajoie was flattered by the recognition. She was also taken aback.

“I am a normal person,” she said with a laugh.

Little has changed since the tour’s 2009 launch. On Fridays and Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. from this weekend until the end of October, Ms. Lajoie will spin up to 18 ghostly tales as she leads the morbidly curious on a 90-minute walk around 15 blocks of the city’s waterfront starting at the Frederic Remington Art Museum, 303 Washington St.

The dark, paranormal stories and tales often literally hit home with the tourists who usually number about 100 for each walk.

“They believe there’s nothing in their back yard,” Ms. Lajoie said.

But there might be. Ms. Lajoie’s tales include the unsolved murder of her 18-year-old great-uncle, Fred Compeau, in 1891.

The tour groups aren’t just informal mixes. Ms. Lajoie also books parties who are celebrating retirements, birthdays and weddings.

Ms. Lajoie hopes to publish a book of her tales in fall.

Tickets for the tour are $8 for adults, $5 for children ages 7 to 16, and children under 6 are free, but Ms. Lajoie cautions that some of the tales’ subject matter might be too much for young children.

Reservations are required and may be made by calling 393-4041.

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