PORTLAND (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- A fascination with the freaky and, possibly, fantasy hit Portland Saturday at Thompson's Point at the third annual International Cryptozoology Museum Conference.
The conference is spread over two days on Labor Day weekend. The event features talks from leaders in the field, an unveiling of a new exhibit, and tours at the Cryptozoology Museum.
Loren Coleman founded the Cryptozoology Museum in 2003 after collecting pieces for many years in his home.
Coleman became fascinated with cryptozoology when he was a child after watching a science-fiction movie in 1960 about Yetis in the Himalayas. He said he wanted to learn more after his teacher told him the creatures do not exist.
"They gave me three answers. Get back to your studies. Leave me alone. They don't exist. So, of course, that made me even more stimulated and more interested in trying to discover what was going on." Coleman said.
The museum holds different pieces that date back as early as 1960. For more information on the conference and other upcoming events, you can visit their website here.