Derry Borough issues tall order for Bigfoot portrayal

If you’re at least 6 feet tall and weigh more than 150 pounds, Derry Borough has a role for you.

Borough officials are searching for someone to appear in costume as Bigfoot as they look to tap into the growing interest in the hairy creature and the local history of reported sightings, with the goal of enticing more people to visit the town.

“It doesn’t have to be a Derry resident, but it would be nice,” said borough council President Barbara Phillips. She also serves on a committee focused on developing the town’s Bigfoot appeal, pursuing community relations and promoting local business development.

“We want someone to go to parades and participate in other events,” said Phillips, who purchased a Bigfoot costume on Amazon and donated it to the borough.

Newly appointed council member Rich Eikenburg, who has the stature for the job, might be a fallback choice for Bigfoot appearances. But, Phillips said, “We don’t want that to overshadow him being a councilperson. We don’t want him to be in the Bigfoot persona and not participate with council at events.”

Those interested in taking on the Bigfoot role can contact the borough by visiting derryborough.org or calling 724-694-2030.

To help bring attention to the borough’s new spotlight on Bigfoot, Eric Altman, executive director of the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society, agreed to appear in the costume as part of a Derry contingent in the recent 4th of July Celebration parade in neighboring Latrobe.

“The crowd and the children loved it,” said Altman, who is just over 6 feet tall. “It was fun to wave at the kids.

“I think the crowd overall liked it because of the long history of Bigfoot sightings in the Latrobe, Derry and Ligonier areas.”

Being Bigfoot comes with its challenges.

“I was really hot and sweaty in that costume,” Altman said. “They were worried about me getting dehydrated.”

Luckily, he was able to hitch a ride in the bed of a Derry council member’s truck.

While the parade appearance was a more lighthearted moment for Altman, he and his group are serious about documenting and investigating Bigfoot-related sightings and evidence.

Altman and two Greensburg researchers of Bigfoot and other unusual phenomena — Stan Gordon and Ron Murphy — participated in this past weekend’s Kecksburg UFO Festival. The three are set to appear at the inaugural Area 217 Bigfoot/UFO Expo, set for Aug. 3 at the Kingston Veterans and Sportsman Club in Derry Township, and are expected to take part in the annual Railroad Days festival Sept. 19-22 in Derry Borough, where new Bigfoot-related features are planned.

Mix of events

While planning for Railroad Days is underway, organizers are proposing Bigfoot presentations over three days of the festival and are hoping to have an initial related installation in place.

Phillips said Derry officials have been in contact with chainsaw artists, seeking a wooden sculpture of a Bigfoot figure that could anchor a small park proposed on a borough-owned lot at Second Avenue and Chestnut Street. Other ideas for the park include a reproduction of footprints that have been collected in Bigfoot investigations and some type of interactive feature, she said.

“We’re looking for a landscape designer to help us lay it out in a cohesive manner,” Phillips said of the park.

Development of a Bigfoot-related museum and gift shop also has been discussed.

Councilman Nathan Bundy, who serves on both the Bigfoot and Railroad Days committees, thinks the two topics can dovetail successfully in what has been the town’s signature annual event. He suggested those who come to celebrate and explore Derry’s origin as a key maintenance depot along the Pennsylvania Railroad might also be intrigued by the area’s mysterious creature sightings, and vice versa.

“I think it’s great,” Bundy said of the Bigfoot addition to Railroad Days. “It’s a lot of fun, and it can be for skeptics and believers alike.”

Sightings in region

As for Bigfoot sightings, he said, “It’s a subject that maybe 50 years ago people didn’t feel comfortable talking about. Now people are a lot less hesitant to share their stories and experiences.”

Gordon has noted that 2023 was a prominent year for sightings of Bigfoot, UFOs and other anomalies in the region. On his website, stangordon.info, he recorded several reports that year from sites along Chestnut Ridge.

At about 12:30 p.m. Aug. 30, a woman walking her dogs saw a figure about 7 feet tall covered in black and brown fur and with arms hanging down at its side among trees in the woods. When the creature stared in her direction, Gordon wrote, “She left the area quickly and never looked back.”

“The Chestnut Ridge area, this is kind of like an epicenter for all things strange and things that go bump in the night,” said Murphy. “If you go back in the historical record, you can find things happening in the late 1800s.

“As researchers, we’re trying to get together to solve these questions: What is actually out there and are we alone?”

As sightings and interest in Bigfoot have increased, the number of related events has grown.

Altman is organizing a Pennsylvania Bigfoot Camping Adventure Sept. 6-7 at Benner’s Meadow Run Camping and Cabins near Farmington. The annual event, which began in 2016, is returning after going on hiatus at the height of the covid-19 pandemic.

The event will feature hikes to areas of reported sightings and appearances by presenters who have appeared on Bigfoot-themed TV shows. It will raise money for local organizations that assist animals and children, Altman said.

“It used to be a really unique niche,” Altman said of interest in Bigfoot. “Now there’s an event every month.”