MANSFIELD – A weekend packed with unforgettable Bigfoot experiences, hunts and workshops welcomes travelers to Mansfield and Richland County, Ohio this fall. Taking place at Pleasant Hill Lake Park, events include one-on-one meet ups with Matt Moneymaker, founder and president of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) and host of Animal Planet’s wildly popular “Finding Bigfoot” series. Famed Bigfoot Field Researcher and Organization Investigator Charles Kimbrough, author of “Squatchin’ 101,” will also be on hand. A $15 per car charge gets visitors entry to most events. Some others are ticketed with an additional charge.
Ticketed events include an exclusive dinner at nearby Mohican Lodge & Conference Center where Moneymaker will speak about his bigfoot encounter and sightings in Ohio, demonstrating for visitors how the most advanced HD thermal imaging technology is used to track Bigfoot. Open to the public, tickets and details on the family friendly weekend, which is expected to sell out, are found at mwcd.org/bigfoot Complete traveler information, including on lodging, dining and other attractions is available at DestinationMansfield.com.
Ohio ranks fifth in the nation with more than 315 reports of Bigfoot sightings. With at least 13 recent sightings in Richland and Ashland Counties, the north central region of the Buckeye State is a mecca for Bigfoot followers. The nation’s first park ranger to report a Class A Bigfoot sighting detailed his experience in 2020 at Pleasant Hill Lake Park in Richland County. A qualified encounter with Bigfoot is characterized as a Class A encounter. With Class A accounts, the reporter saw Bigfoot clearly and misinterpretation is unlikely. To be categorized as a Class B encounter, the reporter has to have discovered clear evidence of Bigfoot in the area. Class C represents a hearsay account of a Bigfoot sighting. In 1899, Cyrus Gatton reported the first sighting in Ohio in the nearby Clear Fork area on the Mohican River.
Bigfoot calls are described as ape-like howls, whoops, wood knocks, screams, moans and chatter. In 1994, Matt Moneymaker recorded a loud, eerie moan along the Ohio River near Wellsville, Ohio. Now known as “The Ohio Howl,” the original recording, which can be heard in the link, is being used for Bigfoot call blasting. Call blasting is when the sounds are played to encourage a response from Bigfoot in the wild.
