Bozeman Magazine

This year's conference commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the capture of the iconic Patterson-Gimlin Film footage with an emphasis on the history of bigfooting. The event offers a unique chance to meet and learn from some of the country’s foremost researchers. Film screenings, music, vendors, kids’ activities, exhibits, prize giveaways, and book signings will be ongoing throughout the conference. Conference proceeds will benefit Tom Yamarone, a Big Sky Bigfoot '16 guest speaker who suffered a stroke earlier this year.

The conference kicks off Friday evening, Sept. 22, at 6:30 p.m.with a movie screening and presentation by independent filmmaker Seth Breedlove and a witness town-hall meeting hosted by Montana researchers. Events continue Saturday, Sept. 23, with lectures beginning at 10 a.m. Tickets for the entire conference are $25 for adults and $15 for children and are available now at www.bigskybigfootconference.com.

Walk-in tickets will be available for Friday's events as space allows for $5 per person.

Presenters:

Bob Gimlin, guest of honor – Fifty years ago on Oct. 20th, 1967, Bob Gimlin witnessed history as a bigfoot later nicknamed "Patty" walked into the forest alongside Bluff Creek, in California. The resulting film taken by Gimlin's research partner, Roger Patterson, has been the object of intense study and debate ever since. This living legend will be our Guest of Honor for Big Sky Bigfoot 2017.

Dr. Jeff Meldrum – Idaho State University professor of anatomy and anthropology Dr. Jeff Meldrum is a world-renowned expert in footprints and foot morphology. He has conducted extensive research worldwide, has appeared on numerous television and radio programs, and presented at conferences around the world. Meldrum is author of Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science, and editor of The Relict Hominoid Inquiry, an online journal

Misty Allabaugh, event emcee – Misty’s journey with bigfoot began in 1993 after a sighting that left her fascinated and intrigued. From New Mexico to the Yukon, and from the Pacific Ocean to the Great Plains, the Columbia Falls researcher has seen it all, spoken with many and experienced wonders that she will never forget. Today, she can boast over 20 years of research experience and has published two bigfoot novels.

Becky Cook – Becky was born in Pocatello, Idaho and was raised on a farm on the Shoshone Bannock Indian reservation the first part of her life. She started hearing stories about bigfoot when she was quite young when her father, a Pocatello policeman, would bring the stories home from work. She has written two compilations of bigfoot sighting reports which she has collected over the years: Bigfoot Lives in Idaho and Bigfoot Still Lives in Idaho. She is currently at work on her third book, Bigfoot Lives in Montana.

Seth Breedlove – Seth has written, edited, produced and directed shorts and features about a variety of topics. He is best known for his production company and the award-winning films they've produced under the Small Town Monsters banner, including Minerva Monster, Beast of Whitehall, Boggy Creek Monster: The Truth Behind the Legend, and Mothman of Point Pleasant. Before film, Seth wrote for a number of websites, newspapers and magazines, and learned some of the skills he employs as a director while working as a reporter. Seth has also appeared on numerous television and radio programs.

Marc Myrsell – Marc is a land surveyor and public aquarist in SW Washington and, after spending much of his life researching and writing on the unexplained, has apparently found his specialty in historical monster attack research. Marc will be analyzing the 1924 Ape Canyon, the Thompson Flat Monster incidents, and the Butchertown Murders (1875-1905) to discuss historical document and field research techniques that are used for in-depth, detailed investigation of long-standing episodes of the unexplained.

Joe Hauser – Joe is a wildlife biologist and environmental consultant with over thirty years of field experience. He is also an avid outdoorsman and has taught primitive survival skills for many years. Over the years Joe has had many experiences in the field that didn’t fit into the normal parameters of wildlife biology and came to believe that there was an intelligent yet unidentified bipedal creature roaming the woods. A former Curator with the Bigfoot Field Researchers' Organization (BFRO), Joe had the opportunity to investigate many bigfoot reports and learned a lot about their behavior. Joe and his wife Tammy now live near Glacier National Park.

Tom Brodhead and Thomas Ertz – Brodhead and Ertz are active research-based field investigators for the BFRO in Montana. Together they follow up on reports, encounters, and stories from the Montana forests. Brodhead grew up in the Catskills Mountains of New York and now lives in Livingston with his wife, Alexis. Ertz, a native of Washington state, lives in Butte with is wife Caiti and daughter Nell.