Let the 'silly season' begin!

When I first started out in the paranormal back in 1996 there were very few people that I was friends with that I told I investigated ghosts. Many in my family had no idea I was into such a thing and I even hid this interest from a girlfriend as much as possible back then as well. Over the years the paranormal has become mainstream and those of us that make our rounds at paranormal conventions or libraries have become in demand. Those strange paranormal people have now become "rock stars" and everyone wants to know about what we do. While many of us do this all year round October seems to be the popular time of year when libraries and other mainstream sources want to hear what we do since it coexists with the time of the year with Halloween.

For the first time since I began speaking yearly at public events I will only talk about cryptids this year. My first stop for the "fall tour" will be at the Floyd E. Younkin Branch of the Pickaway County Library located in Ashville, Ohio on Sunday, September 30th from 2-4 PM. I had done a similar event at the main branch earlier in the year but have customized this presentation just for this appearance as I normally try to do. The focus here will be the basics of cryptozoology as the well as the most popular creatures and will then focus on Ohio based cryptids.

My second stop will be the following weekend, October 5-6, 2018, at the Un-Con XII (Unconventional) in Piqua, Ohio, discussing cryptozoology as part of the theme of "Alien Freak Show". This event is part "comic-con" but also just for those geeks and nerds that like to hang out with others with like interests. This will be a first for me to attend an event like this and I will focus on connection of cryptozoology and UFOs to sync with the theme of the event.

My third stop of the fall will be on October 13, 2018 at the Albatwitch Day in Columbia, Pennsylvania. I have always wanted to attend this event and am very excited to be able to speak here along with friend Rick Fisher and fellow researcher Tim Renner. The event centers on the Albatwitch which is described as a 4 foot tall hairy bipedal creature that seems to enjoy apples with Chickies Rock seemingly the center of their historical sightings.

Westerville Public Libarry in Westerville, Ohio

My fall tour will then wrap up at a library located in Westerville, Ohio, which is just northeast of Columbus and will take place on October 30. This year, 2018, will mark the tenth consecutive year that I have appeared at the Westerville Public Library and I am deeply honored to make this appearance. The Westerville Public Library is the only library I am aware of that has my books in it. This year I will present a look at Ohio based cryptids instead of my typical ghost presentations I have done in the past. My theme is "Ohio cryptids and strange creatures" and will be the second time I have talked cryptids at this library with the last coming in May of 2016, but this will be a new presentation.

After that I will be looking forward to 2019 where I am already booked at a few events in Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, with the biggest one I am looking forward to taking place in Farmington, Pennsylvania being the 3rd Pennsylvania Bigfoot Camping Adventure which boasts 12 speakers and a number of special guests including the Appalachian Investigators of Mysterious Sightings, AIMS, or in other words the guys from the Mountain Monsters television show, making their second straight appearance. Bill Brock, host of the television show “Monsters Underground", Dr. Jeff Meldrum will be on hand as will Cliff Barackman of Finding Bigfoot.

Welcome to Ohio Cryptid

I had been holding off creating a new Cryptozoological organization in Ohio until I had the time as well as some help, but I decided to begin the slow building process while there is still snow on the ground in Northeast Ohio.

What is Ohio Cryptid and why a new organization?

There are a few Ohio organizations that specialize in Bigfoot/Sasquatch and a lot of very good investigators/Cryptozoologists that man them or are a part of them. While there is a lot of work being done out there I have noticed a couple of startling things about these groups.

First, they don't seem to work together. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but they are not aware of the findings and investigations of their neighbors. Coming from the ghost investigation camp I can fully understand how things got this way, but the cryptid field needs people working together to create a successful overview of the state in regards to sightings and other evidence to help tie things together. Many of these creatures are elusive and and constantly on the move and it will take a team of individuals and groups to help uncover findings.

Second, many of these groups are closed to outsiders. Imagine my surprise when I e-mailed not one, not two, but at least four groups in Ohio that I had interest in joining or assisting and was met with a stiff arm or was directed to their site which read that it was a closed circle of investigators. Again, being from the ghost and U.F.O. camps I understand this. You can't have every wanna-be out bushwacking the local woods causing problems while wearing a hat and shirt with your logo on it...not a good idea. My credentials were pretty straight forward with my 12+ years as a paranormal investigator, my outdoor and animal experience, etc., but I didn't fit in the circle. So, now Ohio Cryptid is born.

Ohio Cryptid is beginning as a series of blogs that will feature Ohio researchers, investigators and those who have had experiences with Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Grassman or other cryptozoological creatures in the state of Ohio, nothing less. Ohio Cryptid will serve as an online group for now as it grows with contributors, investigators, researchers, readers and supporters. Eventually, if this venture takes off I have many other ideas and directions in mind. The obvious next step will be a home page for all of us to call home. With a home page I have a plethora of plans and ideas for. Along with this will come monthly meetings, possibly regionalized or centralized, who knows. First we have to get this bird off the ground.

So, what makes you so qualified to start this?

Well, I have operated my own paranormal group, Ohio Paranormal Investigation Network since 1996. In that time I have also trained under the M.U.F.O.N. Field Investigator's Manual that they use in their investigations into U.F.O. sightings and other related phenomenon. As far as cryptid investigations go, my first one was only in 2001 and did not yield much in the way of evidence, but I was hooked. I learned from various books and other resources over the years and made an attempt to work with others in Ohio and elsewhere. I became a part of the Sasquatch Research Initiative to help as an investigator in Ohio and most recently I became the Ohio representative for the Crypto Squad U.S.A. which is the U.S. representative of the Centre for Fortean Cryptozoology based in the U.K. which is the biggest organization in the world devoted to these studies. My current home site for that group as well as my personal paranormal site away from my group is the Paranormal News Insider, which began as a newscast within a podcast that I do for the Grand Dark Conspiracy (yes, I'm very busy). I have been an avid backpacker in Ohio and Pennsylvania for almost two decades and have learned plenty about animals and their sign along the way.

If you wish to take part in Ohio Cryptid or have another inquiry about it please e-mail me and we'll get started...