Bigfoot enthusiasts visit Grand Midway Hotel to hear paranormal investigator speak
Aug. 21—WINDBER, Pa. — Flanked by plastic skeletons, vintage-style Halloween masks and unsettling puppets, Bigfoot enthusiasts and those interested in the supernatural gathered on Saturday at the Grand Midway Hotel to hear otherworldly investigator Stan Gordon speak.
"I'm here to see what kind of content he has," Chad Livengood said. "I'm a believer."
The Cairnbrook man said he was excited to be there and thought Gordon, the host who's investigated Bigfoot, UFOs (unidentified flying objects) and other supernatural goings on since the 1960s, was great.
He chatted with Jennerstown resident David Wyatt prior to the start and the two swapped stories.
Wyatt said he was familiar with Gordon's work and had seen video interviews with him, but never in-person. He looked forward to his presentation.
He said he wanted to attend and hear what Gordon could speak on regarding the supernatural activity of Chestnut Ridge, the westernmost ridge of the Allegheny Mountains that touches Westmoreland, Fayette and Indiana counties in Pennsylvania.
Gordon said that area of the state is largely considered a hotbed of reports — with more and more coming in for that and the southwestern portion of Pennsylvania from the end of July through this past week.
Those sightings range from cigar-shaped metallic UFOs to low-level triangular crafts and other strange accounts, Gordon said.
Gordon is a trained electronics technician who specialized in radio communications and has cultivated an interest in the odd phenomena, especially Bigfoot, since his youth.
He's spent his life investigating stories of strange hairy creatures standing 7 to 9 feet tall throughout the commonwealth and has become the foremost authority of such occurrences.
During the event, the "Strange Aspects of the Elusive Bigfoot," he spoke mostly about what he considers a special time in his history, 1973, when sightings of Bigfoot and UFOs skyrocketed.
He said in that year, the state had the largest reports of unidentified flying objects and the biggest outbreak of Sasquatch sightings.
Oftentimes, an investigation leads to nothing, but not always.
"A lot of things we can explain," Gordon said, "but a lot of reports we can't explain."
Throughout the presentation, Gordon flipped through a slideshow of sketches, generated renderings and shared some of his favorite stories of investigations from the past few decades.
He also provided a description of what many people claim Sasquatch looks like.
Color ranges from brown to those with a reddish tint, while others are white or black and sightings happen often during daylight hours.
The creatures are always towering feet above the average person, sometimes with eyes that appear to glow and fangs. Several people reported a stench that follows the cryptid, or creature whose existence is disputed.
However, Gordon suggested to the audience that Bigfoot may be more than just an elusive animal.
He shared stories of eyewitness claims that half the creature was translucent or disappeared completely upon confrontation.
That may also explain why no bodies have ever turned up, Gordon suggested.
Blair Murphy, owner of the Grand Midway Hotel, was thrilled to have the famous investigator on site, which itself has a history of paranormal activity.
"He's just been on the radar for years of 'That's somebody I've got to get,'" Murphy said. "I think it's a great fit for this area."
He added that providing the opportunity for the community to hear Gordon speak was a great pleasure and his body of work appeals to a lot of people.
"It's a real treat that we got him," Murphy said.
In closing, Gordon said Cambria and Somerset counties have historically been active with supernatural accounts and listed reports from Berlin, Carroltown, Confluence, Jennerstown, Paint Township and several other local areas.
For more information, visit www.stangordon.info.
Joshua Byers is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5054. Follow him on Twitter @Journo_Josh.
