A Big Birthday at Yakima Bigfoot Con

Attendees of the October 2022 Yakima Valley Bigfoot Con enjoyed a very special opportunity to meet the legendary Bob Gimlin of the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film. 

Fifty five years ago this month, Gimlin and his friend Roger Patterson captured just over a minute of film of a large, hairy creature, now known as “Patty,” striding through the trees in Bluff Creek, California. To this day, this brief footage is considered to be one of the strongest pieces of evidence substantiating the existence of Sasquatch beings. 

Dressed in his trademark cowboy hat, jeans, belt and boots, the now-91-year-old Gimlin received a Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Yakima Bigfoot Con event host Craig Yahne and created by Sasquatch The Legend. 

Audience members, conference speakers and Gimlin family members all sang Happy Birthday to Bob and then enjoyed a delicious, homemade chocolate cake baked by Yakama tribal member and conference speaker HollyAnna DeCoteau Littlebull. 

Gimlin said a few words, told conference attendees he loved them all, smiled at the cheers and whoops from the audience and then patiently posed for pictures. “I’m so glad you’re here,” one audience member was heard to say. “I’m so glad YOU’RE here!” Gimlin responded. 

(If you'd like to watch a brief video of Bob Gimlin's birthday, check out the She-Squatchers' Youtube clip of the event here.)

Conference attendees appreciated the presentations of many additional speakers at the event, including Tobe Johnson, Mel Skahan, Tom Sewid, the producers of the film A Flash of Beauty: Bigfoot Revealed, Sasquatch Sisters Northwest, She Squatchers, and more. 

Vendors from across the country offered a diverse array of merchandise, from T-shirts to books, handcrafted jewelry, posters, coffee mugs, toys, stickers, buttons, blankets, artwork and much more. 

Thank you to everyone involved in making this wonderful event happen. 

For information about upcoming events, be sure to check our event page, here: 

by Christina Hebert 

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