LABOR DAY WITH BIGFOOT

A weekend of barbeque, beer, blues

Looking for something really different this Labor Day weekend?

How about the firstever Big Foot Barbecue & Blues Festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 2 in Jemez Springs.

The free event will feature guest speaker and Bigfoot researcher, author and University of New Mexico professor Christopher Dyer.

Springs resident Felix Nuñez is credited with inventing this event. Organizers said he has been fascinated with the idea of the elusive Bigfoot creature, following several unexplainable sounds he’s heard and documented in the Jemez Mountains over the years.

“Although I don’t want to hang my hat on Bigfoot’s existence, I think there’s been a lot of fascinating audio and video clips that can only be described as ‘unexplainable’ but real to those who have had personal encounters,” said Nuñez in a news release.

“Whether you believe in Bigfoot or not, this event is for everyone who wants to enjoy live music, the beautiful Jemez Valley and hear from one of New Mexico’s top Bigfoot experts.”

Dyer will discuss Bigfoot and share evidence and photographs of Bigfoot tracks and sightings, beginning at noon in the Jemez Springs Conference Center, located in the Village Plaza. Time will be allowed for questions and open discussion from eyewitnesses and skeptics, organizers said.

Beginning at 11 a.m., D.J. Julian Trujillo will spin popular music until noon at Fitzgerald Park in the plaza then return from 1:30–2:30 p.m. Live music by The Bluetones Band begins at noon until 1:30 p.m., while the Trainwreck Blues Band will play beginning at 2:30 p.m.

Barbecue from Nomads BBQ and Marley’s BBQ will be on sale as well as handcrafted brews from New Mexico breweries in the beer garden for those 21 and over. More than a dozen vendors will also sell handmade items, along with wood carvers.

In 2012, Animal Planet aired a series titled, “Finding Bigfoot,” which homed in on the Jemez Mountains and Valles Caldera, showing “video evidence” of a hairy, humanlike creature. The footage was originally shot by students who captured a thermal image of the creature in 2011 while doing a project.

For more information about the Big Foot Festival, contact the village office at 575-829-3540 or 575-829-3345.