SEQUIM — After the Irrigation Festival’s Grand Parade, things might get a little hairy Saturday night.
For three hours, local researchers, authors and outdoorsmen will share their experiences and insight about elusive Sasquatches.
Ron Morehead and Pat Neal will speak at the first Rainshadow Bigfoot Conference from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday in the Sequim Civic Center’s City Council chambers, 152 W. Cedar St.
Admission will be $10 at the door, with children 10 and under admitted free of charge. Space is limited.
“People are seeing (Sasquatches) more and more often,” said Morehead, a Sequim resident. “It’s not the butt of jokes like it used to be.”
Both men said they’ve encountered Sasquatch, or Bigfoot, for years.
Neal, a fishing guide and Peninsula Daily News columnist, said he first saw Sasquatch 40 years ago.
“At first, I tried to prove to people that the Sasquatch exist,” Neal said. “Now I try to prove to the Sasquatch that I exist.”
Morehead has researched Sasquatch since 1971 and is known for Sierra Sounds, or “The Bigfoot Recordings.”
He says his recordings of Bigfoot are the only ones that have been scientifically studied, time-tested and accredited as being genuine.
Morehead said in 2008 a crypto-linguist found a complex language within the Sasquatch’s sounds.
“I don’t try to prove their existence,” Morehead said of his presentation. “I share what I’ve encountered and the science behind it.”
Over the years, he’s produced two CDs and a book, “Voices in the Wilderness,” about his research.
More than 10 years ago, he was told to share more about the science side of his research to be taken more seriously.
This led him to write “The Quantum Bigfoot,” which explores the quantum-physics aspect of Bigfoot and why the creatures may be so elusive.
“Sasquatch stay away from people as much as possible,” he said. “(The book) explains why they can’t be found.”
Morehead said Bigfoot may be living in and outside of our frequency of vision.
To further his understanding of Sasquatch, Morehead has traveled the globe to such places as Nepal, Bolivia and Russia to study reported sightings and the science behind the man-like beasts.
Morehead and Neal will speak about their experiences for about 45 minutes each on Saturday night, followed by an opportunity for others to ask questions and/or share their own experiences with Sasquatch.
Books and CDs will be available at the event, too.
“There’s a huge interest here,” Morehead said. “A lot of people come to me and tell me their encounters.”
Morehead retired from the hospitality business and says Bigfoot is “my lifestyle” now.
He moved to Sequim four years ago with his wife Keri and he briefly lived in Port Townsend. Much of his research took place in California.
Morehead continues to speak at numerous conventions and events nationwide and he’s been featured on various television programs. For more information about him, visit www.ronmorehead.com and find his books on Amazon.com.
Neal continues to lead fishing trips on the Hoh River on the North Olympic Peninsula’s West End and write for the Peninsula Daily News. An historian and humorist, his “wilderness gossip ” column is featured on the Peninsula Daily News’ commentary page.
Neal’s documentation of the history of the Peninsula earned him recognition with the state Special Achievement in Historic Preservation in 2018.
His books appear on www.iUniverse.com.
For more information about the conference, see www.facebook.com/events/796176830761871.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him at mnash@sequimgazette.com.