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Eric and Tim Vogel talk about footprint castings done in search of Bigfoot at a presentation at the Dalton Library last week.

Believers, Skeptics Hear Tales of Elusive Bigfoot

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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There was an overflow crowd for the Bigfoot talk, with people coming from Vermont and around Western Mass. 
DALTON, Mass. — The library's "Bigfoot! In The Northeast" event last week was a success, attracting more than 60 people from all over the county. 
 
The Vogel brothers, Eric and Tim, presented and answered questions about their almost 20 years of experience and investigations into bigfoot, or sasquatch, a hairy folklore creature said to inhabit dense forested areas. 
 
"The Dalton library is simply located in a great area, the environment, the Appalachian Mountain ecosystems, productive farmland, streams, rivers, and wilderness areas," Tim Vogel said. 
 
"Locally, it checks all the boxes and has enormous potential for providing what a bigfoot's needs are, for something that large."
 
People filled the main floor and looked down on the discussion from balcony on the mezzanine. The audience was respectful and attentive, and many of them were believers and had many questions, Tim Vogel said. 
 
"It was pleasantly surprising to have that many people interested in the topic enough to drive to Dalton, traveling from out of town to listen and possibly participate in a subject not typically talked about, openly, anyway," he said. 
 
The Vogels retired from outdoor education and now do research and investigations of Bigfoot as the Cobble Mountain Critter Project in Russell, which raises funds for outdoor programs for youth.
 
The event exceeded its scheduled time as participants from various regions, including Vermont, spilled into the library's parking lot and continued the discussion on bigfoot in their communities, Vogel said. 
 
Library Director Janet Forest said when she looked out into the audience, she saw many new faces, which is not a common occurrence. 
 
"Anytime you get new people to come into the library, it is a win," she said.
 
The audience was diverse, welcoming, and fun, full of believers and skeptics, Forest said. 
 
"The atmosphere was light, it was fun. People were engaged with the topic of Bigfoot. We had many people discussing and sharing their own stories before the talk even started," Vogel said. 
 
"They were eager to hear our story, they were there to get information, and we provided as much as we could through our almost two decades of experience. We believe it was well received, and at the end of the night, everybody enjoyed their time."

Tags: legends,   mythical animals,   

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Soccer Hall of Fame Adds Members, Awards Scholarships

Community submission
PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- The 2026 CIAO Soccer Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place at Berkshire Hills Country Club on Thursday.
 
The Hall of Fame's mission is to preserve the sport's history in Berkshire County, to honor excellence within the game and to make a connection between the generations that bring communities together. With players who last played on a soccer field in Berkshire County in the 1960s to the scholarship winners at the banquet on May 14th who played their last high school game in the fall of last year, we are achieving our goal. 
 
It is worth noting that this class of inductees is stellar. We have four County MVP selections, 14 All-Berkshire selections, eight All-Western Mass selections and, and nine captain honors, five four-year varsity starters and one five-year varsity starter. 
 
The players were introduced by committee chairmen Al Belanger and Patrick West. The scholarship winners were introduced by Chris Dumas, a member of the CIAO Soccer Hall of Fame committee. The photographer for the evening was Ricco Fruscio. Over the past 21 years, the scholarships awarded to high school seniors in Berkshire County have topped $250,000.  
 
The 2026 Inductees:
Katie Dumas Sturm (Wahconah 2015) was a hard-nosed, and relentless four-year starter for Wahconah. She was a two-year captain in the middle of the field, scoring and assisting on clutch goals in big games. She was rewarded with being named All Berkshire, and All Western Mass in her senior year. She is married to Brent Sturm (who is also being inducted into the hall of fame this year) and has a son Banks and a 7-week-old Everett Michael. She works at General Dynamics. 
 
Brent Sturm (Wahconah 2009) was named to the All Berkshire Team in both his junior and senior years and won a Western Mass championship during his time at Wahconah. He also went on to have a stellar career at Wentworth Institute. He and his wife, Katie, are the first husband and wife inductees into the CIAO Soccer Hall of Fame in the same year.  After college, he helped coach the Wahconah Soccer and basketball teams. He works at General Dynamics.
   
Nicole Gamberoni (Lenox 2019) was an impact player on her team for five years while at Lenox making All-Berkshire teams four times. She was captain twice, finished with 107 points, and was the league MVP two times. She also went on to play soccer at AIC. She is working at Lenox High School while she is getting her master’s degree. 
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