Ray Wallace's alleged confession that he was the original Bigfoot apparently has not made a dent in the faith of believers who gathered in Willow Creek last week to offer what they say is evidence that the Hairy Man indeed exists. They came from far and wide. From Russia; from England; from around the country. Journalists came from Los Angeles, and one writer from the Times of London crossed an ocean and a continent to attend. With the lofty title of the International Bigfoot Symposium, Willow Creek has been put on the map. Some in the little town may not be happy with the Bigfoot brand, but it is all the more certain to stick after last weekend's conference. Unbelievers should suck it up: Bigfoot is here to stay. While doomed to be written about tongue-in-cheek, all things Bigfoot are not the notion of bonafide weirdos. Many of these folks are surprisingly normal. It's understandable that anyone who has had a run-in with a creature he just can't explain would seek the company of others who've had similar experiences. He would naturally be more curious and willing to delve into an arena shunned by others. Those Bigfoot believers who haven't had such an experience are drawn to what seems to be a good mystery.

The academics approach the mystery in various ways. Some have tried to lure Bigfoot with particularly stinky pheromones, others seek him with forensic technology, while still others reach back to the past to drum up an anthropological smidgen that shows Bigfoot's been there all along.

View: Full Article | Source: Eurkea Times-Standard