Bigfoot is Back at Chautauqua Lake, NY

Peter Wiemer, of The Chautauqua Lake Bigfoot Expo and We Wan Chu Cottages, has announced the 2^nd Chautauqua Lake Bigfoot Weekend & Expo will take place April 26^th, 27^th & 28^th, 2013.

The Chautauqua Lake Bigfoot Expo will be held at Chautauqua Suites in Mayville, NY again, but more events are being held to make this a true Bigfoot weekend. There are events planned on Friday and Saturday before the Expo. This will be a weekend filled with interesting information about Bigfoots which nearly 30% of Americans believe are real as reported by LiveScience on March 21, 2012.

On Friday, April 26^th, there will be a Town Hall Meeting at the YMCA Camp Onyahsa on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in Dewittville, NY. This will take place from 5:00 – 9:00 pm and is available by entrance fee. Anyone who comes will be able to talk about Bigfoot and experiences they have had or just listen to others who have had Bigfoot encounters here in Western New York and Pennsylvania.

On Saturday, April 27^th there will be a Chautauqua Lake Bigfoot School (CLBFS), at Camp Onyahsa. This will take place from 10:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M. and is available by entrance fee. There will be classes on how to make footprint casts, how to interview eyewitnesses, how to collect evidence, and a class on equipment from the bare necessities to more complex tools and equipment. These classes will teach the young and old the skills needed when searching for Bigfoots or other animals and in talking to those who have seen them. Finishing the day will be a kids fishing class starring kids teaching kids and you how to catch fish conducted by the iKidsFishing Show. Each participant will receive a CLBFS diploma and a CLBFS green ribbon.

“We are very excited to be expanding our event and giving people more opportunities to talk and learn about Bigfoots”, said Peter Wiemer. “The YMCA Camp Onyahsa is allowing us to host two of our three weekend events on their property right on Chautauqua Lake. It is a beautiful and ideal location for the Town Hall Meeting, the Chautauqua Lake Bigfoot School, and an iKidsFishing class”.

These events culminate with the expo being held Sunday, April 28^th at Chautauqua Suites in Mayville, NY. This event will have National Bigfoot Researchers including Larry Battson, Billy Willard, Steve Kulls and Melissa Hovey. Special Bigfoot speakers coming in from the west coast and Washington state are Bob Gimlin, from the famous Patterson – Gimlin Bigfoot Film, and Tom Yamarone. The Patterson – Gimlin Film is a short motion picture filmed in 1967 in Orleans, CA where the two men encountered a Bigfoot and captured it on film. Tom Yamarone is a Bigfoot researcher and Bigfoot singer from the San Francisco, CA area who will also be speaking and singing at the Expo.

A detailed agenda for the whole weekend can be seen below.

Tickets for all of the events will be on sale starting March 1^st, 2013 at the website. The cost is $15 for adults and $10 for children 15 and under per day for Friday and Saturday. Sunday’s Expo is $20 for adults and $10 for children 15 and under. There is a maximum of 200 tickets per Friday and Saturday and 800 tickets for Sunday.

Larry Battson will be doing his Wildlife Educational Services animal show again this year with excited animals for all of the children to see. Larry’s Wildlife Educational Services does school assemblies in his Indiana area teaching kids about wildlife as well as working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The iKidsFishing Show joined Larry at the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Kids Fishing Day in Washington DC on June 2^nd, 2012 in giving away 400 DVDs to the kids which attended. Larry’s show is available the days prior to the Bigfoot Weekend for any area schools wishing to see it. Contact Larry directly at (765) 739-6719 for availability and rate.

In addition to the speakers, there will also be vendors and merchandise to purchase such as posters, t-shirts, buttons, post cards, paintings and carvings. Thomas Finley, a Bigfoot researcher and enthusiast from Great Britain, has designed a Commemorative Chautauqua Lake Bigfoot postcard that will be raffled off during the Expo.

All of these events are intended for children and adults of all ages. “We really focus on making it something you can do as a family. Last year there were many children who attended and had a great time. We are trying to teach everyone about these beings that they are not scary or troublesome and are living already among us in peace and harmony.”

Last year, the 1^st ever Chautauqua Lake Bigfoot Expo had over 320 people in attendance and more viewing it on streaming video. Since it is the only Bigfoot convention in New York State and the only Bigfoot convention in the world available on streaming video, it has attracted a lot of media attention. “Bigfoots are not a paranormal, they are for real” says Peter.

There is a 12-minute trailer of the streaming video from last year’s convention online with the rest of the four plus hours for $1.99 at http://prolibraries.com/bigfoot/registration/event. But this year they will be taking it a step further. “We will be offering streaming video from all three days for only $4.99 (or $1.99/day) for those people who would like to attend, but are just unable to.”

Presale tickets and waiver forms will be on the website beginning March 1^st, 2013. More information can be found at www.chautauqualakebigfoot.com

Chautauqua Lake Bigfoot Weekend Agenda

Friday, April 26^th – Town Hall Meeting – YMCA Camp Onyahsa

4:30 – 5:00 pm Attendants sign in

5:00 – 8:00 pm Personal Accounts of Encounters

8:00 – 9:00 pm Q & A with the Experts

 

Saturday, April 27^th – Chautauqua Lake Bigfoot School – YMCA Camp Onyahsa

9:30 – 10:00 am Attendants sign in

10:00 – 11:00 am How to Cast Footprints

Led by Melissa Hovey

Assisted by Billy Willard & Tom Yamarone

11:00 – 12:00 pm Interviewing Eyewitnesses & Collecting Evidence

Led by Steve Kulls

Assisted by Larry Battson

12:15 – 1:15 pm Equipment

Led by Billy Willard

Assisted by Steve Kulls

1:15 – 2:15 pm Kids Fishing Class lead by the iKidsFishing Show, starring Kids teaching Kids and You How to Catch Fish.

Sunday, April 28^th – Bigfoot Expo – Chautauqua Suites

11:00 am Doors Open

11:00 – 12:00 pm Attendants sign in

12:00 – 1:00 pm Tom Yamarone – “Bluff Creek – Then and Now” and Bigfoot Songs

1:00 – 2:00 pm Steve Kulls “What would Sasquatch Do?” -Sasquatch behavior and relation to primate behavior

2:00 – 2:45 pm Larry Battson Wildlife Services’ Show

2:45 – 3:00 pm Intermission

3:00 – 4:00 pm Melissa Hovey – “Bigfoot Eyeshine – What is it?”

4:00 – 5:00 pm Billy Willard – “Sasquatch in Virginia”

5:00 – 5:15 pm Peter Wiemer – “Bigfoot Sightings in Chautauqua County”

5:15 – 6:15 pm Bob Gimlin Q & A with Larry Battson

6:15 pm Closing statements, Autograph and Picture taking session

Peter Wiemer graduated from Chautauqua Central High School in 1976. In 1979, he and his family purchased We Wan Chu Cottages on Chautauqua Lake. Even though he was busy with their new cottage resort, he still found time to be a part of many other organizations and projects around the Chautauqua Lake area. From 1982-1986 he was the chairman of The I Love NY Windsurfer Championships. He was appointed as the first chairman of the first Ice Castle Extravaganza (I.C.E.), which took place in Mayville, NY, February 14^th & 15^th, 1987 and drew more then 25,000 people. In 1988 the I.C.E. grew to a 10-day event drawing more then 75,000 people over the two weekends. Peter held that position or co-chairman for five years along with many other co-chairman volunteers. In 1987 he was awarded the President’s Award from the Chautauqua County Vactionlands Association for new festivals and special events from his Chairmanship of the first I.C.E. Peter and his wife, Kathy, created in 2006, Milt the Talking Musky. Milt the Talking Musky is a pre-school – 2^nd grade Sight Word learning tool with a sing along and read along karaoke kind of song and alphabet in an underwater mesmerizing scene. In 2008, one of Peter’s employees showed Milt to two twin six-year-old Autistic boys and for the first time ever, one of the boys attempted speech. Milt is listed on AutismSpeaks.org website Peter and Kathy started another video endeavor in 2009. They created The iKidsFishing Show which is a children’s fishing show starring kids teaching kids and you how to catch fish. With fishing in the USA for 2011 estimated at upwards of 115 Billion Dollars spent by anglers, the iKidsFishing Show remains the only Kids’ Fishing Show starring Kids teaching Kids to Fish in America. Both of these video projects are available on DVD for purchase on www.miltthetalkingmusky.com and www.iKidsFishingShow.com. His newest endeavor was in 2012 when he created the first annual Chautauqua Lake Bigfoot Expo. This event brought in four national Bigfoot speakers from around the country to talk about their knowledge and experience with Bigfoots and included the number one female Bigfoot researcher in the Country. More than 320 people attended the 2012 Expo with 28% of them being Kids 15 years of age and under. Peter announced on May 8^th, 2012 that there are Bigfoots living in Peace and Harmony here in Chautauqua County. It is still the only Bigfoot convention in New York State and the only Bigfoot convention in the World available on streaming video.

Peter Wiemer, wewanchu@wewanchu.com, (716) 789-3383