Whitehall Declares Sasquatch its "Official Animal"

Sketch of a Bigfoot reported along Abair Road

Whitehall, NY is famous in the cryptozoological community for supposed Bigfoot sightings that occurred there in the 1970s, and is sometimes called "Bigfoot Capital of the East Coast." Over the years, Whitehall has embraced the stories and has also been featured on documentaries. And now, this news comes from the town:

An Upstate New York community this month declared Sasquatch - commonly known as 'Bigfoot' - the community's official animal.

The Whitehall Village Board unanimously passed the resolution at its June meeting. The resolution notes that there are four prominent Bigfoot statues in the community and that the 'annual Bigfoot Half Marathon and a Sasquatch Festival draws people from 200 miles around the Northeast U.S. and Canada, all making Whitehall [a] tourism destination-point for Bigfoot searchers,' reported the Albany Times Union.

 The resolution also declared that the last Saturday of September will be "Sasquatch Appreciation Day" in Whitehall. The "Sasquatch Calling Festival" will be held on Sept. 30th.

Whitehall is famous for sightings that occurred near the town in 1976. Three teenagers reported spotting a 7-8 foot tall creature "covered with hair" as they drove along Abair Road. They got a friend and he spotted it as well. They went to the Whitehall Police Station, and when officers went out to investigate, they reported seeing it as well.

SOURCE: Upstate New York