Pleasant Hill Lake Park will host its first-ever Bigfoot Base Camp on September 9-10. Matt Moneymaker, founder, and president of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) and host of Animal Planet’s Finding Bigfoot will present at the event. Charles Kimbrough, investigator, and author of Squatchin’ 101 will also be attending. This is an event for all avid bigfoot hunters.
“This will be a family-friendly and educational event open to anyone interested in learning more about Bigfoot and their habitats. Even if you are a Bigfoot nonbeliever, we will have something for everyone to enjoy this weekend,” stated Louis Andres, Program Specialist.
Ohio ranks 5th in the nation with over 315 sightings. There have been five recent sightings in the Pleasant Hill and Mohican areas in the last two years. The event will be the first time they will use HD thermal drone cameras during an active search, during a LIVE stream from around the park.
The weekend will kick off with a VIP dinner on Friday with Moneymaker followed by a meet and greet. Afterward, settle in with your blanket and pillow to watch Harry and the Hendersons (PG) on the big screen. Later there will be a night hike with naturalists and BFRO volunteers to learn about Bigfoot sightings in the area. You will want to make sure you are using all your senses to find wildlife.
Andres continued to say, “This event will give people a safe place to share their Bigfoot experience with professional Bigfooters from the area.”
Moneymaker’s first experience was in northeast Ohio. He describes his first encounter (found on YouTube) as a “tall hairy thing stepping out of curtain-like growth, and it growled.” Because of this face-to-face incident, they created the BFRO.
In his recent data collection of bigfoot sightings, he noted Pleasant Hill Lake Park and Mohican have seen a recent dramatic increase in activity and incident, which is leading him to explore the area to gather evidence.
According to the BFRO, the term “sasquatch” is an anglicized derivative of the word “Sesquac,” meaning “wild man.” Many believe that Bigfoot’s body features include height ranging from 6 to 10 feet, reddish-brown, gray, or black fur. The creature has piercing and reflective eyes (like deer at night). Bigfoot calls can sound similar to ape-like howls, wood knocks, screams, moans, chatter, and growls.
Make sure you stop by the Welcome Center to purchase your souvenirs, Bigfoot Root Beer, or a Squatch Orange soda. A variety of local food trucks will be onsite to provide food, drinks, and ice cream with a “Bigfoot” theme.
For more information about tickets and scheduled events throughout the weekend, visit www.mwcd.ticketleap.com.
