QUOTE
Sasquatch, saucers and spirits! Oh my!
By Jeff Himler - Staff writer - Friday, February 24, 2006
He also spoke at the Fourth Annual PA Paranormal Conference last year in Gettysburg.
With the new year now upon us, Gordon has checked in with his annual report on alleged area sightings of unusual phenomena such as Bigfoot and UFOs.
While noting that he's never personally met up with either strange element, he says years of sifting through thousands of cases from across the state has convinced him they may exist.
He passed along the following account of a hairy encounter in the early evening hours of Jan. 2, 2005, in an unspecified locale near Westmoreland County's Chestnut Ridge.
According to Gordon, an unnamed male witness reported hearing the sound of brush snapping in a field about 40 feet away and expected to find a deer.
Crossing the road to take a closer look, the curious fellow instead came upon "a huge man-like creature with dark hair and huge arms." The witness sized up the broad-shouldered, shaggy being at well over 7 feet tall and about 500 pounds.
It "moved uphill, and covered a large distance quickly with its huge stride."
Gordon continues to investigate the mysterious Kecksburg UFO case. The main topic of the afore-mentioned History Channel show, the case involves reports of an acorn-shaped object crashing near the village south of Latrobe. Gordon is seeking information from witnesses to the 1965 incident as well as purported photos of the object.
Interest in the incident is as strong as ever. Hundreds of folks from as far away as Canada gathered at the Kecksburg VFD social hall Dec. 10, for an event commemorating the 40th anniversary of the UFO controversy.
If you've spotted something strange, you can let Stan know about it by e-mailing him at paufo@westol.com. Or: write him at P.O. Box 936, Greensburg, PA 15601; call his 24-hour PA UFO Hotline at 724-838-7768.
You can peek into his latest files at www.stangordon.com.
If you'd rather see him in person, he'll be making a presentation on the Kecksburg incident and will be autographing copies of a DVD he's produced on said subject--"Kecksburg The Untold Story"--March 21 at 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Route 30 East, Greensburg.
In a similar, though otherworldly, vein, Ghost Researchers in Pennsylvania (GRiP) will be offering a ghost hunting workshop Saturday through IUP's office of continuing education. The event includes an optional evening field experience at an undisclosed local haunted location.
Based in Indiana, GRiP uses video footage and photographs in an attempt to document the presence of ghosts. The members also listen for EVPs (Electronic Voice Phenomena).
A university spokesman indicates all seats have been taken for the popular workshop this time around, but another session is being planned for the Fall 2006 semester--just in time for Halloween, perhaps?
WORD UP: An alternate name for the mysterious Bigfoot creature, "Sasquatch" reportedly has its origin in Native American terminology, but it was coined by an early 20th century researcher.
While serving as a school teacher at the Chehalis reservation in 1920s British Columbia, J.W. Burns compiled Native American tales of large, hairy creatures that were said to live in the wilderness and were considered totem animals by the local clan. Burns' native sources called the creatures a variety of similar-sounding names. He finally settled on Sasquatch, which resembles the word for the monstrous being in the Chehalis dialect: "sesqac," with the the final letter "c" pronounced as "ts."
The term Sasquatch initially was used primarily in the Pacific Northwest. It became more widespread in the 1950s, when reports of Bigfoot sightings in California gained national attention. Because it is less associated with sensationalistic tabloid coverage, Sasquatch has become the term of choice for many researchers.
Jeff Himler can be reached at jhimler@tribweb.com or (724) 459-6100, ext. 13.
By Jeff Himler - Staff writer - Friday, February 24, 2006
He also spoke at the Fourth Annual PA Paranormal Conference last year in Gettysburg.
With the new year now upon us, Gordon has checked in with his annual report on alleged area sightings of unusual phenomena such as Bigfoot and UFOs.
While noting that he's never personally met up with either strange element, he says years of sifting through thousands of cases from across the state has convinced him they may exist.
He passed along the following account of a hairy encounter in the early evening hours of Jan. 2, 2005, in an unspecified locale near Westmoreland County's Chestnut Ridge.
According to Gordon, an unnamed male witness reported hearing the sound of brush snapping in a field about 40 feet away and expected to find a deer.
Crossing the road to take a closer look, the curious fellow instead came upon "a huge man-like creature with dark hair and huge arms." The witness sized up the broad-shouldered, shaggy being at well over 7 feet tall and about 500 pounds.
It "moved uphill, and covered a large distance quickly with its huge stride."
Gordon continues to investigate the mysterious Kecksburg UFO case. The main topic of the afore-mentioned History Channel show, the case involves reports of an acorn-shaped object crashing near the village south of Latrobe. Gordon is seeking information from witnesses to the 1965 incident as well as purported photos of the object.
Interest in the incident is as strong as ever. Hundreds of folks from as far away as Canada gathered at the Kecksburg VFD social hall Dec. 10, for an event commemorating the 40th anniversary of the UFO controversy.
If you've spotted something strange, you can let Stan know about it by e-mailing him at paufo@westol.com. Or: write him at P.O. Box 936, Greensburg, PA 15601; call his 24-hour PA UFO Hotline at 724-838-7768.
You can peek into his latest files at www.stangordon.com.
If you'd rather see him in person, he'll be making a presentation on the Kecksburg incident and will be autographing copies of a DVD he's produced on said subject--"Kecksburg The Untold Story"--March 21 at 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Route 30 East, Greensburg.
In a similar, though otherworldly, vein, Ghost Researchers in Pennsylvania (GRiP) will be offering a ghost hunting workshop Saturday through IUP's office of continuing education. The event includes an optional evening field experience at an undisclosed local haunted location.
Based in Indiana, GRiP uses video footage and photographs in an attempt to document the presence of ghosts. The members also listen for EVPs (Electronic Voice Phenomena).
A university spokesman indicates all seats have been taken for the popular workshop this time around, but another session is being planned for the Fall 2006 semester--just in time for Halloween, perhaps?
WORD UP: An alternate name for the mysterious Bigfoot creature, "Sasquatch" reportedly has its origin in Native American terminology, but it was coined by an early 20th century researcher.
While serving as a school teacher at the Chehalis reservation in 1920s British Columbia, J.W. Burns compiled Native American tales of large, hairy creatures that were said to live in the wilderness and were considered totem animals by the local clan. Burns' native sources called the creatures a variety of similar-sounding names. He finally settled on Sasquatch, which resembles the word for the monstrous being in the Chehalis dialect: "sesqac," with the the final letter "c" pronounced as "ts."
The term Sasquatch initially was used primarily in the Pacific Northwest. It became more widespread in the 1950s, when reports of Bigfoot sightings in California gained national attention. Because it is less associated with sensationalistic tabloid coverage, Sasquatch has become the term of choice for many researchers.
Jeff Himler can be reached at jhimler@tribweb.com or (724) 459-6100, ext. 13.