Sasquatch festival looks to make believers out of skeptics

WHITEHALL, N.Y. — Do you believe in Bigfoot?

If you're a skeptic, perhaps a trip to Whitehall this weekend will change your mind! The village is hosting it's 7th Sasquatch Festival on Saturday; a family friendly event featuring vendors, food trucks, beer garden, bounce house and everything Bigfoot.

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Whitehall is world renown as a hotspot for this urban legend with countless sightings over the years.

"There are sightings all the time," festival coordinator Barbara Spoor said. "I heard there was a sighting as recent as July. So, I think he's around. I think he's here."

The festival runs all day wrapping with it's signature event, the "Sasquatch Calling Contest." Dozens compete by giving their best impression of what they think Bigfoot actually sounds like. There's an adult and children's division.

Jennifer Burkey of Fort Ann has been runner-up for several years now.

"I was intrigued by the calling contest and how fun it was," Burkey said. "My strategy is to just bring my own uniqueness to Bigfoot and make it my own and have a good time with it."

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Burkey says she is determined to place first this weekend.

The festival also features Sasquatch researchers and experts from all over the country. That includes Whitehall's own, Brian Gosselin, who says he saw Bigfoot in the late 1980's when he was a police officer.

"He came right up to the front of my car," Gosselin said. "This thing was seven to eight feet tall, maybe 400 pounds."

Gosselin, who has authored books and still researches Bigfoot with his wife, says his account of what happened that night has been scrutinized over the years to the point where he admits he had to change his phone number. But he insists the creature he saw wasn't fictitious.

"I know what I saw," Gosselin said. "One thing that stood out was the eyes. They looked about the size of mayonnaise jar covers and they were red."

Gosselin will spend time talking to festival goers and answering questions this weekend. He's also showcasing his 'footprint casts' he says belong to a sasquatch in the Whitehall area. Two of the casts he says were collected recently.

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"We'll have them on display.," Gosselin said. "I'm really happy to be bringing something new to the festival."

Sasquatch Festival begins at 10AM at Riverside Park and ends at 5:00 p.m.. For more information, visit their Facebook page 'Sasquatch Calling Festival.'