The 1st Annual Nebraska Bigfoot Convention is Friday evening and Saturday at the C3 Hotel and Convention Center in Hastings. The organizer is 71 year old Harriett McFeely who became interested in Bigfoot when Sir Edmund Hillary climbed Mount Everest in 1953 and reported seeing large bare footprints in the snow.
McFeely says that led her and her husband Dick to many Bigfoot conventions across the country. She tells NewsRadio 1110 KFAB Dick was more of a skeptic until the camped in Colorado about five years ago. She says he couldn't sleep and looked out the window of their camper and saw a Bigfoot looking back at him.
McFeely says it was later she had her firs experience with Bigfoot. She was with researcher Robin Roberts and were on a Bigfoot hunting trip. The two went out into a clearing where several showed up.
McFeely says, "They came walking down toward us. There was bigger one and smaller one, like a male and female and two smaller ones. They were about my size and I'm 4'10". You could see their outline but you could really see their eyes. Their eyes were red and when they blinked you could see it as clear as anything. That was the weirdest feeling I've ever had in my entire life." She says that lasted for about ten minutes before they left. That was the first of two experiences with Bigfoot.
Guest speakers at the conference include Robin Roberts, Lyle Blackburn, the author of Beast of Boggy Creek, Mike Johnson with Sasquatch Investigations of the Rockies, Scotty Plowman who is a Bigfoot researcher along the Missouri River and the Rez Community Research Team from Macy, Nebraska.
Friday at 6 p.m. there will be a free showing of the movie "Something in the Woods" along with actors and producers of the film. This is for students and the event is free.
The convention starts Saturday at 9 a.m. and runs until 5 p.m. Tickets are $10 and available at the door.