By Jamie Norton
If there was any question about whether the mystery of Bigfoot in Whitehall was still a topic of interest, the 300 people who packed the gym at the Whitehall Athletic Club on Saturday answered it with an emphatic “Yes.”
A subject that has seen its share of national exposure – and even ridicule – was given new life with the premiere of the 40-minute documentary “The Beast of Whitehall” at WAC last weekend.
With such a big, enthusiastic turnout of both believers and skeptics, it showed that even though the “Sasquatch” story has been told thousands of times over the last 40 years, people are still talking about it.
“The interest is here – it’s an intoxicating phenomenon,” local Bigfoot expert Paul Bartholomew said. “It’s just fascinating. But with television, there may be a point where it’s been oversaturated. It’s on all the time, so it isn’t quite as special, but an event like this was kind of neat for the community, and it’s a good way for the community to embrace the phenomenon.”
“It’s fascinating to me,” said Seth Breedlove, the film’s writer, director and producer. “What isn’t there to love about a giant, undiscovered ape wandering around? I think that’s the coolest thing. As a kid, that’s what got me into it – the mystery of it all.”
Other iterations of the story, which focuses on an account by three teenagers who were driving on an isolated stretch of Abair Road in August of 1976, have been told in writing and on television. The story of this encounter with a big, hairy creature varies depending on who you speak to, but Breedlove wanted to get to the bottom of it by talking to people who were there at the time.
“What Seth did was be able to go back to the original witnesses, or as close as you could get – a lot of them have passed on now – and get the story as close to the original account as you could get,” Bartholomew said. “He took a lot of time to do that, and I think that was really the strength of this documentary.”
“There are a ton of questions, but when you talk to someone like Brian (Gosselin) or Dave and Pam Gibson or anyone (who claims they saw something), how can you just write them off?” Breedlove said. “Especially guys like Cliff Sparks who had nothing to gain.”
The movie did a fantastic job depicting Whitehall in a favorable, if not intriguing, light. It captured many of the beautiful aspects of the area, including the canal, the golf courses, Abair Road, and of course, the infamous Bigfoot statue. It also noted some of the history and highlights of the area and included interviews with a number of local “celebrities” such as Bartholomew, Mayor Kenneth Bartholomew, and Gosselin, who was the brother of the late Paul Gosselin, one of the names in the original account back in 1976.
The documentary also included audio from other witnesses such as Martin Paddock recorded by author and investigator Bill Brann.
“Isn’t it nice that people could come forward and talk about their experience?” Paul Bartholomew said. “The witnesses have everything to lose and nothing to gain. For people who have professional positions, this is a negative, so it’s important to realize that, so there was a lot of courage.”
A big part of the documentary was addressing the ridicule many alleged witnesses claim to face. Be it broad skepticism, blatant teasing, or general questions about a witness’s mental well-being, there are many reasons why a person may be reluctant to share his or her story.
“I don’t get the ridicule thing,” Breedlove said. “I’ve had that interaction with people who are extreme skeptics – we call them ‘scoff-tics.’ My reaction is, I get being skeptical; I don’t get being a jackass about it.”
“For the skeptic who says there’s nothing to it, I would say that there’s a phenomenon going on here that is global that many people are reporting, and from a sociological, anthropological point of view, this is important to study,” Bartholomew said. “If these creatures aren’t real, why are we seeing them (everywhere)? No matter which side of the coin you’re on, it’s an important phenomenon to be studied.”
Apparently, the hundreds of people who came on Saturday felt the same way.
“I did not expect this many people,” Bartholomew said. “I was glad to see it, and I think it really shows that there is an intense, acute interest in this phenomenon. It’s nice to put this all in a positive light, and I think that’s where we’re headed with this.”
“Going into this, I’d be happy if 100 people showed up, because my perception of Whitehall’s perception of Bigfoot is that they’re kind of over it – they don’t necessarily care,” Breedlove said.
“And I think it’s a vital part of the town history, so for me, that’s kind of why I make these. So, to have this kind of a turnout is awesome.”
“The Beast of Whitehall” is now available on DVD, and it contains a variety of special features, behind-the-scenes featurettes, extended interviews with witnesses, and more. More information about the documentary or the Small Town Monsters crew that produced it is available at smalltownmonsters.com or facebook.com/smalltownmonsters. The DVD and other merchandise may be purchased at shop.smalltownmonsters.com.
