Jack Warren knows a thing or two about preserving evidence of a large, furry, apelike creature said to be lurking in wooded areas across the country.
Jack Warren knows a thing or two about preserving evidence of a large, furry, apelike creature said to be lurking in wooded areas across the country.
The co-founding member of Coshocton County Bigfoot Group has been documenting evidence of the Sasquatch for years.
Warren, of Hambden Township, shared his findings July 19 at the first annual Gone Squatchin’ Bigfoot Festival at John’s Country Nursery in Middlefield.
“They are here in Geauga County,” Warren said. “I’ve found footprints and credible stories.”
A steady stream of skeptics, as well as faithful Big Foot believers filtered inside the free event, which included a “Tales from the Trails” talk by Doug Waller, a “Bigfoot Mushrooms” presentation by Joseph Dalhausen, as well as a “Bigfoot Encounters” talk by Buckeye Bigfoot Research’s Ed Wiland, Bill Rigby, Jim and Leona Florence and Ohio Night Stalkers Mike Miller.
Warren also provided a casting demonstration on preserving evidence.
Cleveland Square Dance group performed during the festival, which hosted 25 vendors and held contests, raffles and rides on The Wildwood Express, a train of small, wheeled cars.
“It seems like Geauga County always has a lot of great festivals like this one and we are so glad to live in a place that has such a supportive community,” said Emily Godbey, of Burton, alongside her husband, Eric, and two young children. “We were surprised to see so many Bigfoot enthusiasts nearby.”
Ohio is fourth in the nation in number of people claiming encounters with Bigfoot — falling behind only Washington, California and Florida in number of sightings, according to Fodor’s Travel Guide.
The Bigfoot Researchers Organization also claims Bigfoot has been spotted in all of Ohio’s counties, including ones with major urban centers.
“In Geauga County, I’ve received reports of sightings, vocals, rock clacking and wood knocks,” Warren said, adding there are claims of footprints in the Burton and Claridon Township areas.
He shared his personal experiences with the Sasquatch prior to his talk, as curious people lined up to ask questions and share their own thoughts and experiences.
“I’ve had many encounters as far as vocals, wood knocks, trees being pushed over and a 30-pound rock thrown in my direction,” Warren said. “I’ve seen two, both in Coshocton and one during daylight hours. A young one about 5-foot-tall…(I) watched him and it watched me for about three minutes before returning to the woods. The other at night, same area on night vision binoculars. This creature was massive and over 9 feet tall in a cornfield walking away from us. I (also) had the 30-pound rock thrown in my direction at Salt Fork Hosak’s Cave area in the creek bottom.”
The Florences, of Windham, shared their personal encounters with Bigfoot, as well, crediting the creature for playing Cupid.
The couple met on Facebook eight years ago.
“I saw that (Jim) was a Bigfoot researcher living in Washington state and we began to communicate about our mutual interest in Bigfoot, as well as the similarities in our encounters,” said Leona.
One thing led to another and Jim decided to move from Washington to be closer to Leona.
“Somewhere in the course of all this, we fell in love,” she said.
They got married and their best man and matron of honor were Ed and Vanessa Wiland, a couple they met during Creature Weekend at Salt Fork State Park — a three-day event focused on cryptozoology, the study of hidden or undiscovered creatures like Bigfoot.
“We even had Bigfoot on our wedding cake,” said Leona, who spearheaded the idea of John’s Country Nursery hosting the Bigfoot festival.
The Florences have had eyewitness encounters of Bigfoot, found field evidence in tree structures and footprints, and have heard roars and chatter between the creatures.
“The reason Jim and I believe in Bigfoot is because we are ‘knowers,’” Leona said. “We want to let people know that Bigfoot is real and has a presence in Northeast Ohio.”
The Bigfoot community is both tight-knit and far-reaching. Warren noted he has made friends all over the world who have a similar passion for Bigfoot.
“Sharing information and theories is a much-needed thing to be successful in the field,” he said. “Anyone with a story or wanting to know something or has questions, feel free to send me a message — safe and confidential.”
