For decades, many people all over the United States have believed in a strange creature known as Bigfoot. Many claim to have seen him while camping, hiking, or even in their own homes. These believers have shared their ideas earning Bigfoot some popularity.

One believer, Harriett McFeely, has put together a Bigfoot conference, for believers and nonbelievers to discuss their ideas with each other in Hastings, Neb., which took place on Feb. 18. The conference had many speakers, which included: Lyle Blackburn, author of The Beast of Boggy Creek; Mike Johnson, founder of Sasquatch Investigations of the Rockies (SIR); and Robin Roberts, SIR Investigation team member. There was also a showing of the movie Something in the Woods by producers David Ford and Stuart Miller.

“The reason why I’m here is to make sure when they do come out, I want it to happen naturally and respectfully,” Johnson said during his presentation. He also discussed the evidence he found on his expeditions and demonstrated how the creatures communicate. The way the creatures spoke to one another, according to Johnson, was “OOODAHBOYAHDOYA!”, which means that they are hungry. “I know Bigfoot is real, I have seen him,” Roberts said. She claims to have been touched by one and to have smelled him. Blackburn touched briefly on his book, The Beast of Boggy Creek. He talked about how he drew inspiration from the film, The Legend of Boggy Creek, which is about a Bigfoot-like creature that has been seen by members of an Arkansas community since the 1940’s.

Personally, I thought the trip was really fun. Well, except for the 5 a.m. drive to Hastings. Upon arrival, I was very sleep deprived, which made it difficult to pay attention at times. The conference overall was really interesting and it was very intriguing to hear everyone’s experience. My rating for the conference is 8 footprints out of 10.