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 Patterson/Gimlin Bigfoot Cast Autographed by Bob Gimlin is hosting an on-line auction to raise funding for our on-going travel and education projects. The auction will be filled with fantastic items ranging from signed books and original art to services and other merchandise.
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters and corporate sponsors we are able to create our unique trips and outreach programs. This year the team will be embarking on two adventures we’re calling “Old Haunts” – the first part will be in Michigan and the second takes us to Hungary. Please help us make these programs possible today by bidding on your favorite auction item.
Visit: http://bit.ly/bid-now
to view a listing of the items available
 Champ Camp at Lake Champlain This August treat yourself or your entire family to a fun-filled weekend with Believe It Tour at Champ Camp along Lake Champlain in beautiful Vermont.
Join Believe It Tour for this cryptozoology inspired camping adventure that everyone will enjoy. Whether you are an experienced researcher or someone just looking to learn more about the local legends around Lake Champlain’s very own lake monster, Champ, there’s something for everyone at this unique weekend extravaganza. Also in keeping with Believe It Tour’s strong environmental commitment we’ll be promoting an eco-friendly camping experience this year.
August 12-14, 2011 Button Bay State Park, Vermont
The exciting activities planned include lectures, evidence gathering workshops, educational demonstrations, a cookout, arts and crafts, and a 1½ hour boat cruise around Lake Champlain. All modules for Champ Camp are ala carte, so you can pick and choose what you want to do to customize your experience. This customizable format will allow you time to explore the lake and surrounding nature areas on your own via canoe, hiking, or biking. The campground also has a swimming pool and play ground if you want to stay close to camp. If you’re lucky you might even catch a glimpse of Champ if you decide to take a relaxing walk along the lake.
There is a limited number of VIP camp sites reserved next to the base camp, first come first serve. Other spots available through Vermont’s Button Bay State Park campground. Hotels are also available nearby. To lock in a VIP spot or to get tickets for any of the other functions visit: believeittour.com/champ_camp
 Champ Camp Lake Champlain This July 23-25 treat yourself or your entire family to some old fashioned summer camp fun centered around the legend of “Champ” the famous lake monster of Lake Champlain.
For the family or individual that’s interested in cryptozoology and creatures like Champ, Believe it Tour is promising a weekend that any level believer will enjoy. Together with Cryptomundo we will have an exciting schedule of events that campers can sign up for.
Some of the extras we’re planning include a 1½ hour narrated scenic lake cruise on the Spirit of Ethan Allen, which had the largest mass sighting of Champ in 1984. We’ll also have a lecture, evidence gathering tips, educational demonstrations, arts and crafts, campfire stories and so much more. There are lots of fun activities planned, but everything is optional with plenty of free time mixed in.
In your free time you can explore beautiful Lake Champlain and Button Point Natural Area, a small mature hardwood forest. You can take a hike, bring a mountain bike, or rent a canoe, kayak, or rowboat to experience this amazing area. Fishing is also allowed at the lake. The park even has a play area and a swimming pool with lifeguards.
Advanced VIP Tickets are available for $45. Price includes a spot at one of the VIP camp sites, the lake cruise on the Spirit of Ethan Allen, and the Believe It Tour workshops. Camping gear and food are not included. Space is limited, so reserve yours today to be part of the fun.
Use the PayPal button to reserve your VIP space.
For additional information visit believeittour.com/events
 Mothman painting by Michael Esordi It’s the weekend and a time when many of you are gearing up for a late night paranormal investigation or packing up to hit the trail searching for cryptids.
However, for those of you, like myself, that will be at home tonight instead of having a exciting investigation or adventure, we can at least feel a part of the exploration by watching a Syfy original movie tonight. The premiere of Mothman, staring Jewel Staite and Connor Fox, has the legendary creature returning to West Virginia to show five childhood friends how revenge was really won. While it may not be quite as thrilling as a real adventure it might be a close second.
Other movies on Syfy today include Boogeyman, Headless Horseman, and Ghost Town.
If Mothman is one of your favorites check out the Mothman original painting in our updated Believe It Tour store. You can also find Mothman and other paranormal and cryptozoology creatures I’ve created at zazzle.com/believeittour.
 America’s Wolfman We already know that there’s a popularity war going on between werewolves and vampires. Now we’ll have a chance to see how the half-man, half-beast size up to the always captivating Sasquatch.
MonsterQuest, on the History Channel, always captures a large audience with episodes relating to Bigfoot. Yet, on Wednesday night, they’ll finish up their season with “America’s Wolfman.” Will this episode pick up a wider range of viewers because of the popularity of werewolves from movies and shows like HBO’s “True Blood” and “The Twilight Saga – New Moon?” Is anyone willing to take a guess at this point?
No matter what the outcome is I can say that I know the reason I’ve enjoyed watching these episodes on MonsterQuest. These episodes have truly explored the classic cryptozoology legends. If you’re at all like me and a true cryptozoology explorer you’ll enjoy this final episode.
I should say that you’ll enjoy the show if you can watch with an inquisitive and open mind. As with most cryptid stories, there is always some controversy around it being a reality or a hoax. Have no fear, this time won’t be any different. With the focus surrounding the Gable Film and the Michigan Dogman there have been many new questions that have come to the surface that go beyond the historical werewolf beliefs. Questions about the motives of people to maybe go a little too far when perhaps wanting to make a buck or to pull a prank on others. Again it all boils down to drama and drama equals good tv – right?
Believe It Tour’s suggestion is to just watch MonsterQuest for the fun of it. Then do your own research on Native American folklore about werewolves or skinwalkers to really get into the spirit of this fascinating creature.
When it comes to blogging on cryptozoology sometimes it’s difficult to decide what to report on and what to let go. This is especially true when it relates to a sighting that smacks of a hoax with the sole purpose of commercializing an icon.
However, for me, as long as something sheds a positive light on the subject then it’s good for the cryptozoology community and helps bring awareness to all of the possibilities.
For instance, take Quatchi the Olympic mascot. The fact that he’s extremely popular with kids of all ages (me included) helps people to question a number of different things. What is it? Why did they choose a Sasquatch? Questions like these can lead to a better understanding of the history of this legend in Canada and the neighboring States.
 Sasquatch! uses an image from BigfootSurplus.com at the 2007 festival The concept of cryptozoology in the spotlight brings me to what I wanted to share in the first place. On Monday, one of the top searched phrases on Google was for “Sasquatch! lineup”. Sasquatch! is a music festival held each year at the Gorge Amphitheater in Washington. What does this have to do with cryptozoology? Well, it is named after one of the most famous figures in cryptozoology after all. However, I also used my previously mentioned criteria to justify writing about an event that I have attended many times and feel does bring a positive awareness to the subject. Maybe not as directly as Quatchi, but the art for the event, that has been created over the years, has generated a lot of fans and awareness for the big guy.
I hope you’ll agree that the more popular events, like Sasquatch! Music Festival and the Olympics, can make cryptids, the faster cryptozoology will gain in acceptance and in its level of legitimacy.
 Schneemann 1976 Innsbruck With only a few days until the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Winter Olympics, I thought it would be interesting to share some of the background I discovered while researching Quatchi, the Sasquatch mascot.
Apparently, the first appearance of a character associated with the Olympic games dates back to 1968 when Schuss made it as the unofficial mascot of the winter games in Grenoble. Schuss was a simple cartoonish guy on skis, but he was fun enough to catch on. Every Olympics since, except for the 1972 winter games, has had an official mascot selected.
Sure Quatchi is great, because he is a Sasquatch, but I have to say I have another favorite. Schneemann from the 1976 Innsbruck Winter Olympics. Schneemann, which is German for snowman, looked more like a snowball with huge hands and feet. Oh and he also had a great hat! No matter what you think of this mascot, you have to laugh at least a little just seeing him.
Others include Vucko, the little wolf, Magique, the snow imp, Gliz, an ice cube, and Neve, a real snowball. Those are just a few of the Olympic mascots over the many years. Some have been based on folklore and now cryptozoology, but all of them have a special place in Olympic history.
• Do you think we will see more cryptids in the years to come?
• What’s your favorite or least favorite Olympic mascot?
 Bigfoot Art at the Bigfoot Film Festival Believe It Tour was excited to attend the recent Bigfoot Film Festival in Millersburg, PA that was held from January 29 through the 31st at the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art. It was a film festival put on by the Ned Smith Center and a film group called Moviate with the purpose of raising some money for the nature center and exploring Bigfoot and the folklore surrounding the creature in film. Bigfoot has long been a popular icon in films and has been portrayed in ways ranging from terrifyingly ferocious to sweet and lovable. The three-day event was guided by Alexis Dow Campbell of the Ned Smith Center, who made sure things ran smoothly and that everyone had a great time.
The film festival was an interesting merging of a serious nature center with an indy film group and movie makers who saw Bigfoot as curious and artsy, the public who was interested in having fun and learning something new, and serious cryptozoologists who had insightful and educational information to share. The end result of this interesting conglomeration of people was the Bigfoot Film Festival.
We weren’t able to make it to the start of the festival on Friday, but when we got to the festival on Saturday we were regaled by stories about the movies and an interesting misadventure that resulted from an unscreened movie. There was a lecture by a film maker, Jim Hollenbach, on Bigfoot in films and the day featured four movies. The movies were “Bigfoot Comes to Lunch,” “Yolanda,” “The Hairy Horror,” and “The Creature from Black Lake.” Apparently, the screening of “Yolanda” was a memorable moment for the Friday festival attendees with some unexpectedly risque scenes that were not for the feint of heart.
Believe It Tour arrived Saturday and we were ready for a fun and exciting day. When we got to the film festival we were greeted with an art exhibit by Garrick Dorsett. The exhibit theme was, of course, Bigfoot shown in a variety of moods, but all with some great graffiti inspired design. There were two fantastic lectures from Eric Altman, the Director of the PA Bigfoot Society, and Loren Coleman, founder of the International Cryptozoology Museum and renowned cryptozoologist. After the lectures, we had the chance to see the fun and campy “The Curse of Bigfoot” and the famous “The Legend of Boggy Creek.” The day also featured the Discovery Channel documentary “Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science.” Throughout the day, we had opportunities to talk with the Bigfoot experts and a few festival attendees. As a result, we got to hear a few fascinating personal encounters and some interesting stories about recent Bigfoot sightings. The day ended with a great discussion over dinner with some cryptozoologists and people just attending the film festival where we all discussed what we believed in. The overwhelming consensus was that most of the people did believe in Bigfoot and that the others were at least willing to be open, even if they weren’t sure what they thought, to the existence of such a thing. However, everyone agreed they were enjoying the film festival.
Sunday brought a shorter, family inspired day to the film festival with a costume contest and a screening of “Harry and the Hendersons.” During the two days that we were there, everyone at the film festival seemed to be having a great time, enjoyed a few Bigfoot movies, and learned some new things about Bigfoot. Maybe there were even some new believers after hearing the lecturers tell some pretty amazing stories.
We loved that the film festival organizers decided on a Bigfoot inspired theme. We also enjoyed that they decided to bring such a great group of people, believers and non-believers, together to enjoy some interesting lectures and to see an eclectic collection of movies that showed Bigfoot in a variety of different ways. The festival seemed to really inspire discussions among everyone and encourage the sharing of what people believed in. That’s what Believe It Tour is all about, so we certainly appreciated this aspect of the event. We’re definitely looking forward to the next Bigfoot Film Festival and the exciting new stories we’ll hear and the next collection of movies that will be screened.
 Kraken Black Spiced Rum by Proximo Spirits A recent discovery of mine is for the collectors of all things cryptid out there. Well, collectors over the age of 21 that is. I came across something that caught my eye and grabbed my attention the other day. Named for a sea beast of myth and legend, “The Kraken Black Spiced Rum” is the latest and most unique product bottled by the Kraken Rum Company and sold by Proximo Sprits.
As many of our readers know the Kraken is a legendary sea creature that lurks in the northern waters off the coast of Scandinavia. This monster is said to be large enough to pull down an entire ship and has struck fear into the hearts of many sailors throughout history.
Being a cryptozoologist and having a career in marketing and design my interest in this new discovery is two-fold. I’m honestly intrigued by the commercial use of this classic sea creature, the Kraken. Don’t get me wrong, I bring this up because I think it’s brilliant. The beautiful replica of a Victorian Rum bottle, the wonderful design and illustration of the Kraken’s label, and all the ingenious marketing ideas behind it were plenty to make me pick up a bottle for my collection.
Sure, the Kraken Rum Company is having fun and taking some creative license with the subject, but they are doing an amazing job of marketing. Looking beyond the business aspect, one of the most exciting parts about this discovery is that it provides even more evidence that cryptozoology and folklore are gaining in mainstream popularity faster than ever.
 The title of this blog is a quote from Dr. Roy Mackal that came up in conversation while we were having dinner a few years ago. We were discussing the possible continued survival of previously-believed extinct animal species into modern times. This is a subject with which Dr. Mackal is especially knowledgeable, having written three books based upon his research and personal experiences: Searching For Hidden Animals: An Inquiry into Zoological Mysteries, a compendium of cryptozoological enigmas ranging from prehistoric whales in Canada to man-eating plants in Madagascar; The Monsters of Loch Ness, chronicling his six years investigating the mysterious denizens reportedly living in the United Kingdom’s most famous body of water; and A Living Dinosaur? In Search of Mokele-mbembe. It is the subject of the third book upon which I would like to focus.
By now the whole “birds are dinosaurs” thing is old news with reams of scientific data backing it up, but to tell you the truth, in my own humble opinion, birds are kind of a step-down when compared to the likes of Allosaurus, Velociraptor, and my personal favorite: Continue reading Everybody Wants Godzilla
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