"We Started our own Bigfoot Museum"

0:00 Either you're listening to the Big Fust Society podcast and I'm Jeremiah Bron. Every week I talk to individuals who have experienced Sasquatch in some way or another, so you won't want to miss an episode. Make sure you're subscribed on the platform that you're listening to, and share this episode with a friend. Does not cost a thing, and it helps the show continue to grow. If you'd like to hear Bigfoot Society episodes early in ad free, you can do so by becoming a Patreon supporter or a YouTube channel member. Links to those are in the show notes in Bigfoot Society. I've taken far too much of your time so far, so let's get on with the show. Morning.

0:45 You're listening to an episode of Big for Society recorded more than three years ago. Interviewing skills in audio quality have improved since then. Please don't judge the podcast on this one episode. All right, So thanks for coming back to the Bigfoots podcast. We have the pleasure of having Melissa Brickman as the person we are interviewing today, which is amazing. Thank you for a greening to come on, Melissa for having me. Yeah, definitely, and would you mind sharing a little bit about who you are. If people are not I do not know who you are, which I would be surprised, but it's a possibility. So, oh jeez. I don't think anybody knows who I am, but it's really hard to put it in a description because I think we're all so many different things. But I am. I'm married to Cliff Brickman. That's probably more people know. Yeah, he was on Finding Bigfoot and I actually met him on the show as I worked in production, and so we started up a museum. We own, the North American Bigfoot Center in Boring, Oregon. We've owned that for about a year now. And I also do special effects makeup, and I sculptures and pretty much anything I could just create. I'm into that. So that is fantastic, very very cool. So I was listening to a few few podcasts. You haven't been on a lot of things, so, but you've been on some interesting things.

2:19 You've been on the dive Bar podcast, which is kind of fun. And then there was a gentleman who interviewed you in Cliff, who you had done like some commercial work for in the past or something of that regard. But that was pretty interesting. He I wanted to ask you this. This is kind of like a off the cuff question, but I don't want to forget it. You'd mentioned that you were a counselor in Connecticut. That feels like there could be an interesting story there. Is that anything that you could I don't. So I grew up at a summer camp and I am very like drawn to that atmosphere. But can you tell me more about that?

3:00 That's very cool? Yes, I love you know, growing up, I never actually got to go to any summer camps. But I was working at Hollywood Video during the summer between college break, you know, and my friend Mike Newall he called me up and he said, hey, we you know, we're short staffed up in Connecticut. You know, how do you feel about coming up here? And I, you know, I say yes to pretty much everything and that could be terrible, but I thought, you know, I've been a Hollyween Video for how many years now or whatever. I just felt like, what a great opportunity to get out of where I grew up and experience something I'm not used to and do things that scare you. And that kind of did. Because I didn't have a background, so I was like, well, what's a summer camp like? And it was so fun and pretty much every eighties movie you've ever seen about it. He totally is, Yeah, totally is. And we were up to no good, no good at all, sneaking out, lots of different things, a lot of things you can't you know, you don't want to put on audio or video, but right, but yeah, it's a lot of fun stuff, is it? Was it the setup where it's like a mixed camp or like you got the boys camp across the lake and the you know, sneak across type deal. It's like all those these movies. It's totally like that.

4:18 I mean, I know, I was called a nit NOOI and I had ten to twelve year old girls and I was cabin eight A and there was eight B and it was mostly all you know, there's just separated by you know, sex and then also with age, just like in the movies. So it was really fun. Like Britney Spears was really popular. So I came home and they would be like dancing and jumping around and it was it was really cool to bond with some of them and I wonder where some of them are right now? You know, it was a really good experience for me. I get that. Yeah, and it was creepy because Blair Witch came out that summer and we had to oh that's right that yeah, yeah, yeah, totally. Oh my goodness, So did you was that before the before you worked at the camp or after or daring that it came out?

5:10 Was storing? Storing? It had to have been or like right before I went. I can't remember what a month it was released, but it was a summer, you know, and we had to go on one overnight. They stayed with us for two weeks and we would take them on one overnight as a group tent camping, and every time we would get up in the morning, they'd be piles of rocks outside of our It was really scary. I love it. That is so funny. Yeah, it's a great film. I love that film so much. It's as creepy as I'll get out. And I guess that guy who wrote it is coming out with another found footage film. It was just it's in another podcast, was it' I haven't listened to it yet, but whatever, it's not important, but it's out there. It's like, Okay, this is terrible. Someone's going to get mad at me, but it's fine. I can never think of any titles or names when I'm being in. Every years we're talking about it, I've been like, five minutes later, I'll have it. So yeah, okay, I'll wake up at three am and I'll be like that was the one and the weird stuff happens. So you are you said Boring, Oregon is right outside of Portland, Is that right? Yeah, it's about i'd say forty forty five minutes east towards Mount Hood, that really huge volcano snow capped all year. It's beautiful. And my husband and I live in Sandy,

6:42 so you know, Boring is actually a little closer to Portland, but it's only like fifteen minutes away. Okay, and you actually so you used to live in in Portland? Then yeah, we did. We did. We moved here about I want to say, three or four years ago. So okay, remember man, that's one of them. We were so close to almost moving there, but my wife has well so health condition that is not good in that type of climate. So that put the kabash on that, which is too bad. Because we fell in love with southeast Portland, my goodness, like that is the hipster heaven? Right, Oh, it totally is. So. Something I've been I've been curious about is so you got hired onto Finding Bigfoot as like it was like a was it production assistant or yeah? Actually it was yeah, And then I took it because it was such a good opportunity to you know, and be on a big show like that. And I thought, you know, yeah, I'll say yes like I usually do. And it's just I had no idea I would end up you know, putting me together and with my future husband. You know, It's just it's just crazy the way the universe works like that. I was totally not in a place to even be there, you know, honestly.

8:07 But it was panned. So for some of our listeners, let's say that, like they're totally in The Bigfoot and they have no idea what production assistant is. Oh, maybe a summary of that. Basically, you do it's the first job you get what you know, if you if you want to go and work on a set, you know, you just I want to be a PA. And most of the time, you know, I lived in Pittsburgh, so you didn't really get paid for a lot of stuff. But you're the grunt. You're you're doing all the things for every department. You're throwing away trash or you know, just it's like a base level. And I have been in the business for like almost two years or I'm ten years at that point, but I you know, that was a step below obviously, but before I was. But I always say, if you're modest, you'll always have a job, and you know what I mean.

8:54 And it's just like, I'm not too good to do any job. Honestly. After TV, I was a janitor at a zoo on the midnight shift. Like, I don't know, that sounds awesome. It was awesome. Yeah, how has that never come out anywhere? That's fantastic. I think you're the first person I've told. All right, let's get into it. So what did you were a janitor at a zoo? I was. I realized that I could make more money because I knew I was going to come out here because we were dating for almost two years and this was like the endgame. It was like me coming out here sure, because I could not get him to come to Pittsburgh, that's for sure. I don't know your husband, but I can guess that will never happen exactly. You're right. You're right about that. So I figured, you know, I worked a couple of shows in Ohio and then I realized, like I was driving all the time, not making the money, and I found out that you make so much more money as a janitor in a union for the zoo at midnight, and I thought, well, that's interesting. And I love gorillas, I love old primates, I just love all of that stuff. So I figured we was kind of interesting. And there were like two or three of us on at night. We worked independently of each other, and we had zones, and it was if you're an introvert, like I pretty much am.

10:07 I mean, I can be extroverted when I'm comfortable enough. But it was a perfect job because it was quiet. They were like, you know, there was an energy there that was weird and creepy, and I just loved it. Yeah, what do you mean by that? Just like the weird like animal energy or like, yeah, I mean there have been people who had been attacked and killed by lions to elephant. Actually African painted dogs killed somebody, so there's a little bit of like a weird energy. Yeah, what kind of was this out in West Coast area, Pittsburgh. Oh, Pittsburgh, that's right, Okay, man, that's crazy. Yeah, And I remember And it was perfect though, because I was dating Cliff, who was, you know, three hours time zone behind me, and i'd have to work at midnights. I'd call them and have time to talk to him before I started my shift. You know. It was like a nice stal and I always remembered pulling in and thinking, you know, I don't really know that there's not a lion out there, that someone forgot to close the gate because there's nobody here but me, and that used to freak me out. Yeah, that's crazy. Is did you the jobs? Did you ever hear like you probably would hear like the animals, like at night, they probably go nuts? What you do? Oh? Man? Yeah.

11:31 The the snow leopard was the most terrifying. And I worked with this kid. I would train him, you know, he was going to be a new cleaner and I trained him and he shadowed me. He wouldn't get out of his car because I said, Oh, where'd you go? He says, I I heard something and here was a snow leopard and it would just do this really weird high pitched thing. And I knew what it was because I was used to it. But he was like, I'm not getting out of the car Melyssa, do you know what it might have been? Do they do infrasound? Oh? You know, I just some bigfoot related Yeah, because some of the bigger predators, right, they do the low things that affect people. Yeah. Yeah, I mean this was more of a higher pitched interesting but it wasn't Yeah. I can't even do it with my own vocal ability, but it was. It was. It was creepy.

12:30 But if you know what it is, you know. I mean I knew what it was. I wasn't scared, but this poor kid, I was like, oh, you poor thing. And I walked them down in the dark and we went and looked at it and it still did the sound. I said, that's what you're hearing. Don't worry, You're good. That's awesome. Yeah. So another question I had is, so is have you have you been interested in cryptis throughout your life or is it a thing where it's like, oh, I just happened to get this job, it's finding bigfoot. Okay, this stuff is kind of cool, let's get into this, or like, were you kind of interested in that sort of stuff beforehand too, growing up. That's a very good question. I get that not as we well well said, as you just now, that was really good.

13:18 I can't even think right now, sorry, but that was really well put. That was a good question. I got to say. I was more into ghosts and as as far as cryptos, I think the most you know, interested I was was Mothman because I was from Pennsylvania. That was in Pleas in West Virginia. Yeah, yep, so episode comes back to man. Yeah, yeah, so, but I had seen the show. I was a fan of it. I thought, I thought, what are these four doing? Like, what is going on with these people? I thought it was hilarious. I thought they were so fun and then you know, an opportunity, I thought. Yeah. But I got to say when I was in turn our main for the episode, that's the first vocalization I heard, oh man, And then I started to change my opinion on whether or not they exist. And I do think they exist. You know, live with Cliff for a month, and you know he can there's somebody.

14:16 You know, we have so much evidence at our house right now. You know, we have over three hundred don't casts and you know there's even if one of those are you know, that's crazy. Three hundred original casts. Ye, that's got to be like your garage is just full of casts or I don't know, you probably have something, uh weight to to store them. Yeah. He actually uses uses baking racks, which is really because they have trays you just pull out. It's it's so cool. He's probably like, don't tell anybody my secrets, but whatever, blessed you're giving away the tools of the trip. That's awesome. So like it's like those these old shows. I used to uh watch it as a little kid, Like they're in the Smithsonian. They pull out the rack so like the bones. So it's like that, but with big Foot footprints on or cast on a bacon TRAYCE, that's awesome. We'll be back with more Bigfoot Society after these words from our sponsors. Yeah, that's exactly, and it's a great way to store them actually really Yeah, he's got quite a system. So does it have to be like a certain climate to keep those like from you? I mean we use we use an ultra or no hydro cal it's a plaster and it's you know, as long as you're not you know, getting them wet all the time. As long as it's a dry, cool place, you're

15:48 good, Okay, cool. So it's more of like, you know, I wouldn't want to get them wet because plaster will break down eventually because it's water soluble. So it makes sense. Yeah. Cool. What's it like having Bobo for just showing up at your house? For that's just kidding. I love you, Bobo, You're my brother. He was so you know, and I could say that about all four of them. You know, they're just very kind and welcoming and I and you know, Cliff and Bobo are really close in real life too, and uh, you know, he cruises up here and we'll couch surf for a while and you know, and that's okay, Like he's always welcome, and uh, he's just he's just such a Bobo is an anomaly, you know, yes, and he forever will be. Just love the guy. Probably one of the best anomalies you can hope for. I mean, yes, yes, he seems like he's a cool guy from what you know. Yeah, he would give you the shirt off his back, he would support you. He he's so kind, you know. And actually Cliff and Bobo have a podcast too, called A Big vanand Beyond and it's fantastic. It's listen to it. Yeah, that's so nice. It's it's you know, I was going to say it eventually, but I didn't want to come off as super fan boy, but like it's really good, Like kudos to your husband and Bobo. They're good.

17:19 Yeah, they're having really you know, they're just having so much fun with it, and you know, with all the guests, really interesting guests, and I don't know, it's going pretty well so far. Yeah, and they seem like they are. They're they're kicking it up a notch with who they're starting a partner with, which is it's very encouraging to see that. Yeah, I think they got a revolver. I think that's the work or something like that. I hope I'm not saying it wrong. But because they have like ads come up in the middle of their episodes now, which is cool. So yeah, and they read them, right do they read them? Some of them? Some of them it's like, hey, next podcast on iHeartRadio and you're like, whoa, this is glo Okay, I had no idea. Yeah, that's kind of I need to listen to the newer ones. I guess, yeah, they're good. You should check out your husband's podcast. So hmm, let's see. Oh, another thing I was curious about is so have you always You're big into creating different things right now, you create I think I've heard that you've created like fingers, Bigfoot fingers for the Museum, stuff like that. You're very into like special effects and like, uh, you know, horror makeup, and your Instagram has some crazy stuff. Like I every once in a while I'll see a picture from it. It's like, Holy mackerels, some guy got bit by the shark.

18:42 It's like, oh, it's just Melissa making some guy like amazing, Thank goodness. But have you always done that stuff growing up? Or is that something you got to like you went to college for or you just like that was your thing? You know. I got to say I always had a passion for horror, and I think what I didn't even know like special effects so much, because I think the first taste I got of something like seeing something being put on would be Michael Jackson's thriller Rick Baker, you know, doing the makeup for the music video, which Stoke is kind of creepy to me at forty one, I'm still a little scared. But the way that they turned him into that I could not even I had no idea how you could do that, and that that to me was the starting point I think where I started to notice, Oh, this is makeup, this is someone else's vision. They created this. And then there was a nineteen I think it was eighty seven and I saw a movie called Summer School and it had Mark Harmon in it, and he was like, freak double bit way from all there. Yes, I think it's yeah, it has to be the same Yeah, Mark Harmon the same guy if not, but whatever, Yeah, I'm thirty. I totally we're similar in like, yeah, yeah, I think it is. Yeah. I think Carl Ryan I think directed them. But it was just so fun, like they had to go to school and they didn't want to be there, so they made like eyeball like poking out their eyeballs with the pencils and then eating it because it was you.

20:10 That movie was kind of the start of it too. I just remember those eighties, you know, and you're like, I could do that too. I could make that. Yeah, But I never thought that I could go to school for that because I mean we're still old enough now that that wasn't an option really. I mean, I went to school for communications journalism whatever. But I mean, yeah, I mean it's good. I jumped through the hoops, I did the thing, got a degree whatever. But honestly, I would have tried to go to Tom Savini's school in Pittsburgh. Actually it's like south of Pittsburgh. He has a whole special effects really you know school there, and I would have done it differently. You know, I didn't know. I know, my family we couldn't have afforded to send me there. I mean, it's real expensive. And honestly, I tell kids now, you know when I work on marshals or movies, they say, like if they're an extra, they say, you know, how do I get more acting jobs or how do I get into this? I said, volunteer to be a PA because guess who you work for? A director?

21:14 Guess who casts in movies? Directors, you know, do all the hard work, do all the production stuff exactly, and then you understand you'll be a way better actor if you do production because you know kind of like how everything works and even with like effects. You know, just volunteer. I probably wouldn't even gone to college, no offense, but I probably would have just started making things in volunteering and getting jobs that way. That is legit. That is awesome. Yeah, just do it when you're young and work at it and just try to connect with people and you will get a job. You know. That's good advice. That's really to throw away college. No, college is so good too, guys. Just get it. It's crazy go to school. Yeah, what would you say? You're so it's obvious you have a big love for horror. When did that? When do you think that started out? M M? Probably in the eighties.

22:15 I'll be more specific, like as a little kid, or like is there something so for me? Like with Bigfoot. It's like I can remember watching In Search of with Nimoy with my dad like boom. You know you're into it? Yeah, yeah, and I think mine too. Exorcist and Amityville Horror. I saw those way too young. Honestly. I had an older sister and she'd have our girlfriends over and that, Yeah night Mary in Elm Street, you know, Michael Myers, all those good You know. I was just really into it, you know, And like I said, I didn't know that you can actually do something with it or try to get a job or you know. But I just figured if you just you know, when I make stuff, you know, and I'll bring it in the museum to sell, like a severed Bigfoot finger magnet, or I have these monster teeth mandibles that I paint up real gross and they're wet looking, and that's awesome, and Cliff's like, Okay, we'll see if they sell, and then you know, maybe somewhere will come in and buy it. But most of this is like, that's not my crowd, you know. I know that that's probably not my people that are going to be into that. Like I think horror conventions and things like that, that's like, that's my people.

23:25 Yeah, sure, totally. Do you go to horror conventions then, or like set up a booth or non. I usually just work with Cliff, like when we do something, I just work as stable. Like I said, it's it's good because we're interested in different things, but we run the business and we have different roles in that business. But we work really well together, so I think, which is good. If I was obsessed with Bigfoot and I knew everything and I had such a strong opinion about what I think it is or they are. I think that wouldn't really work out so well. It would be tricky, wouldn't it. Yeah, Yeah, And I honestly think it's a great mayor it's because well, oh, double meaning, but it's it's just because we both let ourselves do our own things and be who we are, and I don't know, it works out well, very cool, can you? I guess? Kind of leading into I know you've talked about this in other places, but let's so let's talk about like, why was it that you guys felt compelled to create the North American big Foot Center. We kind of led into that well, you know, we moved out here and the show had been you know, off the air for about two years at that time, I know, and we had you know, we had so much, so much stuff. You know, he's collected for thirty years. You know, he's got so many things. And

24:55 we just discussed about what's our next move? What do you think? You know, do you want to go who? Do we want to work for ourselves? We want to try does he go back to teaching? Like what you know? That means he has to go back to school and get credit, you know, all that kind of jazzure. And you know, my film work here is very hit or miss. You know, I don't get jobs, you know, one after the other. I am available, and I say yes because I love working in that industry. Anyone listening, But I think we just sat down one day we was like, you know, let's have a Let's create a place where people can come and talk about their experiences or learn about sasquatches and they don't have to feel like they're being judged or laughed at, because that it's a weird thing that people are, oh a bigfoot, but it's such a normal thing in our lives that I was like, there has to be people out there that would really love to come into a center and learn. And so we just decided to pull together and and make it happen. And we have a really great contractor Keith. Okay, oh it's his last name, but Keith. I'm sorry, I don't know his last name right now, but Keith listens to this podcast. Don't worry. Well, I'm all on too. Okay, cool, hey, Keith. But he did an amazing job getting He does carpentry, He builds like all our exhibits, and he does a great job. So he really helped us do all that on the in the back end of things. And then Cliff decides what, you know, what exhibits. I help with that too, and then if he needs fake rocks, you know, I made

26:27 a big foot plaster foot with hair and a bone coming out of it. It's like just weird things like that. Yeah, like we're just what do we want to build? What do we want to make? You know, what's a skull look like? So yeah, it's been really really fun and we've met so many amazing people and the support has been amazing. So we thank you everyone who supports us. So there's a there was a question where I'm just I'm filling in questions I have from other interviews. Oh yeah, who's who's the person that walked through the door at the North American big Foot Center that you were like, I wasn't expecting to see you here today?

27:07 Is there anyone cool that comes to mind? They're like, oh, oh cool, Oh okay, I'm like, okay, I thought you met like the guy who brought in he thought a foot or maybe poop that's happened. That's cool. Well, you know, I would say, so far, there's amazing. Now now he's one of our friends and he's really nice. His name is Kelly Elemiu and he came in with this big energy and he's just like wow, what's going on. And he's like the funniest guy, and he's got energy and he's telling us all about Bigfoot and I was like, wow, this guy is such a big personality and he's such good energy, you know. And uh and he started talking about touring and everything else.

27:52 And we're like, oh, you're in a band, you know, and he's like, yeah, but Cherry another Band's one of my favorite episodes of Bigfoot beyond so good. He is so good. I love that guy. Do you love him? Yeah, he's so good. I was not expecting all that, you know. And and he's just such a fan of Bigfoot. He knows a lot, you know, so smart. I was surprised that day. Yeah, he's totally smart. And he's a rad bass player and you know, you know, and just just people who are ninety seven. You know, a man coming in who's ninety seven. That's so cool, you know, and we let him in for free because you know, you're ninety seven. I mean, come on it, Yeah, you're not going to charge a ninety seven if you're if you're still going, I'm not going to charge you. You know, I know, I feel bad even charging, but we have to make a living, you know, I know. Yeah, but I yeah, just just just nice people who you just you know. Kelly was his personality is so great and like I said, now I can call him a friend. He's a good guy. And you know, and I it's nice because Cliff plays music too out Oh really, Oh no, no, no he does. Yeah. I knew that he guitar, is it. Yeah, yeah, he could play. He could play drums, chew O cool. Okay, he doesn't really do much with that, but yeah, he's more guitar. But yeah, so you just never know who you're going to meet and hang out with. And yeah, that's awesome. That that is is really cool. So it looks like

29:25 there's some changes. So right now there's some fantastic So I've never been to the North American big Foot Center because truth be told, I live in central Iowa. It's not I'm just going to ask you where you're from. Okay, okay, but we have gone over to Portland and Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Stuff beautiful area. We live in Iowa for now, so it's cool. Nice. So you've got some fantastic exhibits in the center. Is there anything cool coming down the road that people could look forward to show up that they might want to return to see. We'll be back with more Bigfoot Society after these words from our sponsors. Yeah, we're adding six more panels this this week. We're you know, it's going to take some time with electrical, but we're having a thermal imager. So along with Stacy Brown, we have a whole entire exhibit with Stacy Brown footage from Florida. One of the best infrared shots of a big foot at night. It's really epic. So we're working on that now. I just prof reread it two nights ago, so I think it's at the printers. It's good. So then we're going to hook up an infrared camera so that people can see what they look like.

30:48 And I like that. Yeah, so we're trying to like when we first open, we just were so you know, excited to be open, but it wasn't polished. I gotta be honest, you know, it was as good as it was going to get for that time, but as we've worked so much more into it now that it's more polished and professional. And we even have a cabin theater inside that's actually a little movie theater that people can go in and watch a chapter of about a Clackamas River photo from a trail cam that's really good. Yeah. We we have a life sized patty that we have. It's a picture, but with the foot attached to it, there's some really nice visuals. Okay, so people can like stand out next to it and be like yeah, actually really big. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We have the mattress prints and then we're going to add some audio step pad stuff that I'm really into haunted houses, so I'm like, honey, we need to make this like more. So I got freight Freight Props. I believe that's where I bought everything from. But they have like this mega screen box and this this pet and this step on. So we're gonna get all in nuts and crazy in there. If it's up to me, I'd be all out. But I don't want to like have anyone have a heart attack because they're scared, so I have to Well, that's true.

32:04 You can put a warning on the door, I guess, but yeah, I know, he's like, it's not Halloween all the time. I'm like, oh, oh, yeah, I guess that because, Yeah, in the other interview you had mentioned and I think this is pre COVID that you did that interview, but you were thinking about doing like a bigfoot haunt thing. Maybe yeah, that's probably it's not going to happen. Yeah, but I think that we are going to happen, Thank you so much. And I know we're going to eventually have We're probably about two clicks away from doing the Yetti cave. Behind all the exhibits, there's a cave that we're going to be building eventually. But we're kind of waiting to see, you know, how this whole thing works out with COVID, and you know, we don't want to put a whole bunch of money into something if we're not really sure if it can stay open. So we're trying to kind of hold off on that. But it's it's you know, it's coming. If everything works out, keep it. So yeah, keeping the lights on. Yeh.

33:05 You had mentioned or you were a cliff mentioned that there is like the potential of a patrion. Oh yes, we okay, so I should mention also yes, you know that it would be just like, it would be amazing if you set that up. You know, it'd be like, I'm so excited to start that. Yeah, because membership, I mean, I'm so excited about that. But we try to figure it out. We're not real techy people. But I will say we just hired Connor Anderson from Colorado. He's just moved here and he's currently living with us, and we love we love that guy, so we really trust him. He's been doing really great work. He's mature, he's modest. That's what like most importantly, I want someone in there who's not going to be like I know it all.

33:51 You know, he's so nice, and so we brought him in. And not only is he going to do a lot of shooting videos because he has a you know, a good film background, and he's he's twenty nine, so he can like text stuff. Yeah, he could figure out Patriot. I'd way quicker than Cliff and I get so now that we have another person on board, Connor Anderson, you know, it's going to be so nice because Cliff and I, A, we're gonna have a little more time to do other work that we have coming. But also somebody who loves Bigfoot as much as we do and wants to the business to excel, so so excited that he came. Yeah, very cool, very cool. Yeah that's good to know that you guys are still going towards that, because I think that could really help give the center and the extra boost that it might need during this time where I'm sure people are starting to come back. But I mean, I know everything is affected as well, you know it is.

34:52 You know, we're just kind of like day by day. That's why I just keep telling myself just day by day. You know, don't get don't read the news three times day because I'm obsessed with like, well's going on now? You know, but day by day and people have been coming, you know and supporting every day. Our numbers are good, and that's you know, we can't say it enough, how grateful. And I can't even believe that, like a I own a business and two like it's a Bigfoot museum, but that people come and I mean we've been building it for so long that it's just you could like cry about it because you're just like I can't believe people want to come here, and then hearing them in the back laughing or enjoying it. It is like so heartwarming. I can't say it enough. That's awesome. And you know it's because you you totally hit the nail on the head where it's just so people in this field are just they're looking for a place where they're not going to get judged or like say you're crazy, get out of here. Like it's just a place that they can go and they're like, oh, okay, everyone here is cool, I can be. So I have a ton of people around the world that listen to this podcast, but I'm very selective who I tell in real life that yes, I have a podcast called Big for Society, because I know some people are just going to be like, dude, what are you doing?

36:12 And you know, it's whatever, but yeah, they just need a people just need a safe place. And for us, it's the North American big Foot Center. So yeah, and families too, Oh you're welcome, and families. You know, it's it's it's been so amazing because honestly, you know, summertime, kids are home, they've been home for a very long time. Now we get so many families, real people from out of town Texas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, lots of Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Washington obviously, but it's just so nice that they come in and it gives a family something to do because there's really not that much besides eating, you know or whatever. I'm around here. There's a lot.

36:58 Yeah. Well, because you're right next to a pizza place, right we are. Yeah, it's really good pizza called Nuts on Sports. Yeah. Cool. There's chesters next to us too. Oh nice, that's actually that's good to know. So there's a place you can get a drink, right, I like that because there's a room that you sometimes rent out above the public the pizza price and have like, yeah, special speakers maybe sometimes. Yeah, we had doctor Yeah, I think we had three. We had Doctor Meldrum. I think twice. Maybe I'm wrong. I think we did at least three of these. So you would buy a ticket and you know, say it's like twenty five bucks or forty bucks. I don't actually remember what we charged, but you get free access into the museum and then the speaker is there selling his books, he'll sign, he'll talk to you, take pictures, whatever, And we let that go for like an hour and then we all hit over the pizza place upstairs banquet room and then he does a you know, one or two hour presentation and then people are eating and cool. I love doing those and I miss it. We can't do it now, you know, obviously, but when things get better, we'll we'll be bringing that back because that was super fun. We had Tom Powell.

38:10 Do you know that guy. I've heard a few things with Tom in it. Yeah, yeah, Oh, I love Tom. He's one of our friends, one of the first people I met when I lived here, and he or when I moved here. He's he's he's amazing. He's so good at speaking, and he's paranormal. And that's just proof right there. One of Cliff's best friend, but he's paranormal and doesn't share the same ideas. Oh that's a true best friend. Well, Cliff always says that I don't have to agree with someone in order to hang out with them, which I think is a huge thing that our culture has forgotten, that it's okay to hang out with someone you don't agree with exactly, not freak out like. So I've always respected Cliff for saying that. That's really cool, thank you.

38:53 Yeah, he's he's just yeah, he said it. He nailed it on the head there. I don't know. Yeah, he's That's how Cliff is. We have the strangest friends, some of them here, I know, you know what I mean. It is like an array of amazing people who know no one's like the other. You know, there's there's just such an array of amazing people in my life and they're all different. And oh yeah, I bet I love the people out here. They're so fun. That's a really cool culture out there. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, you got something cool in Oregon definitely. So it's beautiful. I know, there's so there's a lot of people in this community that you know, they like places like the North American Bigfoot Center, and there's others across the the US as well. But how can let's say, let's say there's people that they can't come to your center. What are ways that they can help support you guys? Oh yeah they could, well, yeah, they could share posts, they can go on and I mean they can make a donation. I mean, we've had people do that, but that's we really appreciate. It's not necessary though. Also there's on our website. We do have a store, so we sell t shirt stickers, I don't even know what's up there right now. But that's also why Connor's here, so he can help us get more stuff up there. We ship anywhere, even casts. Cliff has a certain amount that he has the intellectual property for and that people can get a cast from Cliff will ship it out. So like that boy, it's

40:31 intellectual property for a cast. So he can make like copies of the cast. Yeah, like he has mother molds of all the originals he has, you know, he has to get their permission. Like, we don't sell anything that we don't have the rights to. That is so smart. So like, oh man, that's super super smart right there. Yeah, he's a smart guy. Yeah, yeah, so that that is you know, so of the ways I guess buying stuff or just telling your friends or sharing posts like anything. It doesn't have to be buying or supporting us with money, but even just supporting us by sharing or liking or whatever, you know, and we're we're probably gonna do another Facebook live and those are fun.

41:15 I like those those are fun. Yeah, thank you, And especially if you're if you're making new stuff, like you know, that's a great time to do another one of those. I think. But yeah, very cool. Yeah, did Cliff ever figure out like the whole Facebook thing getting locked out of Facebook? Or no, he's still using mine? Maybe Connor. Maybe Connor has magic regard in that. Yeah, I speak. That's terrible. I'm going to have to bring that up to him. Maybe he Yeah, maybe he can figure it out. It's been such a weird thing. He just they can't verify that he lives here, and so I just said, just sign in online and then now I'm an admin on his page. But like, I don't even I don't even have to do that. So yeah, all right, very strange. Before we transition to something else, So I like to close out the main part of the episode or the main episode. Bye. So let's say, if people are listening to this and don't know who you are, what is the best way that they can How would you like them to keep you know, if they want to keep up to date with what you're doing? Oh, like myself. Okay, I'm Melissa Brickman. I love all things horror and sculptures and bigfoot whatever. You can find me on Instagram Melissa dot Brickman, Facebook, Melissa Barrickman, Twitter, Melissa Brickman. So that's where I'm at. Yeah, and the North

42:45 American Bigfoot Center best waits. Oh yeah, yeah, North American Bigfoot Center dot com. If you, if anybody out there has a sighting, has a picture, has something, please email us at North American Bigfoot Center at gmail dot com. Because Cliff or I read those so nice. Possibly Connor, Now I don't know, but you know, we look into everything. Cliff is actually at a location right now looking not far from here. There was a sighting, so really I know. Yeah, and so we always follow up on any reports. But anyway, other than that, we're North America Bigfoot Center on Instagram, Twitter, I think it's NA Bigfoot Center and then Facebook North America Bigfoot Center. It's a very long word, a very long title for a business, but it works. But you're exactly right.

43:36 It makes the Instagram game a little interesting America O. Yeah, and the acronym is NABC, which is on our logo too. It stands for a National Association of Basketball or something like that. Yeah, it's got to be something, you know, that's got to be something. Yeah, that must be fun. Oh we love it so thank you for coming on here. At Bigfoot Society, our goal is to provide a platform for those that have encountered Bigfoot to share their encounter and a safe and respected environment. But we need to hear your story. If you've experienced something that you just can't explain, please send me an email at Bigfoot Society at gmail dot com. Then we can start the conversation. And I know a lot of you have not shared your encounter at all. It's been twenty years and it's time that you get this off your chest and then you can get some well deserved for rest, because I know you haven't been sleeping. I understand what you're going through, and I appreciate every one of you listening