Follow the Foot

STORY BY JOHN JAROSIK | PHOTOS PROVIDED

In January 2020, a video surfaced of a hairy ape-like creature, stalking Salt Fork State Park in Guernsey County. The video, entitled “Salt Fork Ohio Grassman - Bigfoot - Sasquatch” and uploaded on YouTube by We Do It Outdoors, caused a stir, receiving statewide media attention.

The video gained a lot of attention, despite how common Bigfoot sightings are in Guernsey County and the entire state.

According to BFRO.net, a website that records the number of Bigfoot sightings across North America, Guernsey County had 14 reported listings in 2020–the second highest in the state, only to Portage. Ohio ranked fourth in most reported Bigfoot sightings across the country in 2020, with 302 listings.

“If you take 100 reports, 85% of those are flushed immediately, the next 7% are hoaxes and the remaining 7% you have to take seriously given what they’ve found, the measurements, and whatever has been said to the media,” Marc DeWerth, head of the Ohio Bigfoot Conference, says.

Salt Fork has hosted the Ohio Bigfoot Conference since it began in 2005. One of the speakers from this year’s

RIGHT: A gathering of Grassman enthusiasts from 2019. The Ohio Bigfoot Conference was canceled for 2020, but plans to continue in 2021.

ABOVE: Bigfoot enthusiasts gather for the search.

conference, Dr. Russ Jones, a certified master naturalist, says alleged sightings wouldn’t be as common if people knew what Bigfoot truly looked like. “95% of people misidentify him,” Jones says. “He has wrinkles in his eyes, can be smaller or bigger, has no hair on his face, long hair on his arms (about three-four inches) in a reddish-brown color, and can come in all colors because Bigfoot is a species.” Jones is a regular when it comes to the Ohio Bigfoot Conference. He’s been a guest speaker three times in the past several years. “There’s not one day I don’t deal with something Bigfoot related,” Jones says. Though the conference began as a public event to discuss Bigfoot, it has since grown into the largest Bigfootrelated conference in North America— a three-day event with guest speakers, hikes along trails where Bigfoot is said to have been spotted, along with presentations on findings and research.

“The Bigfoot conference blows every other conference out of the water. Every year we have around 5,000 to 6,000 people show up for the entire weekend … All 144 rooms and 40-50 cabins sell out in less than five days when we announce the dates for the conference,” DeWerth says.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the conference didn’t have the usual turnout, with only 400-500 registered guests for the weekend. However, DeWerth says he has new ideas for the conference in the future.

“This year, we used up all three levels inside the lodge for people selling Bigfoot apparel, had guest speakers run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and had food trucks outside for people and thought it worked better than expected … We’re definitely bringing the food trucks back next year,” DeWerth says.

The next conference will be held the weekend of May 1, 2021. DeWerth, who’s been involved with Bigfoot for over three decades, says he hasn’t had to work a single day.

“Researching Bigfoot isn’t a job, it’s supposed to be a hobby, and a hobby is supposed to be fun,” DeWerth says.

May 1-2, 2021 Salt Fort State Park 14755 Cadiz Road Lore City, OH 43755

WEBSITE: ohiobigfootconference.org