#cryptidfestival — Public Fediverse posts

“Cryptid town” gets shut down

A new Wikipedia entry called “Cryptid Town” was deleted on April 20, about a week after it was created. The effort probably had good intentions but it was poorly planned, considering that humorless and folklore-averse cadre of “rationalist” Wikipedia editors will police any cryptid content and delete it whenever they can. Also, the hammer of “Not notable” is heavily and brutally wielded when it comes to any paranormal or fringe content.

However, the effort to recognize the explosion of cryptid town festivals is notable. It’s difficult to ignore with more festivals showing up each year.

One of the Wiki commentators revealed their lack of knowledge on this niche subject by saying the following:

Alleged cryptids are not specific to towns. They are associated with unicorporated [sic] areas of counties, waterways, bodies of water, state and national forests, and even the sky.

While it’s generally true that cryptids can have large ranges, the idea of “cryptid towns” refers to specific towns embracing a creature legend associated with the town, and using that creature as the symbol for a community celebration of local culture. Or, in a few more popular cases, the cryptid association is employed as a tourist draw.

See Cryptid Town Festivals.

Another editor made this cogent point, however:

Looks like it’s more or less a neologism with no significant presence in the literature, albeit an interesting one that could be interesting to write about.

The title choice was poor and the subject matter is not yet culturally cohesive to stand out on its own. Whether the idea of cryptid festivals rises to the level of being culturally relevant to Wikipedia remains to be seen. It makes more sense to note the cultural importance, including town festivals, under the entry for each cryptid.

If you know of any additional cryptid festivals to add to the list, please drop me a message at popcryptid(at)proton(dot)me.

#cryptid #cryptidFestival #cryptidTown #Wikipedia

Pop Goes the Cryptid in April 2026

April has been a banner month for cryptids in the news. The Bigfoot emoji finally appeared and the Bigfoot faithful are still hopping mad over the Capturing Bigfoot documentary, which is still awaiting streaming release. A busy March exploded with even more headlines in April. It looks like 2026 will be the Year of the Cryptid. But not in the way that cryptozoologists would like. The focus has hardly been about finding a mystery animal (and no new evidence was found). The cryptid buzz is about making money and providing entertainment. This might be the breakout year of the Pop Cryptid.

More:

• Pop Goes the Cryptid Explained
• Pop Cryptid Spectator

Here are the big cryptid news stories from April.

West Virginia cryptid police badge

West Virginia remains the leading state to capitalize on their cryptid cred via the commercialization of Mothman, the Flatwoods Monster (also called Braxxie or Braxton County monster), Bigfoot, the Grafton Monster, and the Vegetable Man. Add to that the Not Deer which is a supernatural creature propelled by growing popularity of Spooky Appalachia tales.

The Granville Police Department released cryptid-inspired police patches that sold out in 24 hours. “The community response to the cryptid one has been crazy,” Granville Police Chief Craig Corkrean told 12 News. “Everyone’s kind of gone nuts over them.”

Oklahoma Dogman attack

A woman in a remote area of Oklahoma was attacked by an animal in the early morning hours of March 29. Originally thought to be a dog attack, by the time the story spread in the local news media, the dog scenario had clouded a bit and the attack was from an “unidentified animal”. The news was reported on April 3 which led to rampant speculation that the animal was not a dog but a dogman, or one of many other creative cryptid guesses. Even after the DNA revealed that it was a dog attack, some people insist that’s a dogman cover-up even though there is no remotely reasonable evidence that such a creature exists. Full story here.

Bigfoot redux in Ontario

In early April, there was a flurry of Bigfoot sightings over a few days in Chatham-Kent, Ontario. The sightings were strikingly similar to those the month before in Ohio. The Ohio flap propagated so much on social media that it made local news and then international news even though there was nothing more a sprinkling of non-credible eyewitness stories. The rumors got everyone in town arguing about whether the tales were legit.

Ohio state cryptid proposed

In a bipartisan effort, State Reps. Tristan Rader and Jean Schmidt introduced legislation in Ohio, House Bill (HB) 821, to designate the Loveland Frog as Ohio’s official state cryptid. Blowing past the Grassman and Minerva Monster, both of the Bigfoot variety, the Loveland Frogman has two town festivals, a horror film with sequel, and is a favorite for the pop cryptid crowd. Naming a state cryptid is a blatant tourism ploy, indicating that more than ever, locales will use their monster legends as a basis for family fun and visitor dollars.

Old Greeny festival, Cayuga Lake, NY

A new festival appears in Ithaca, NY. The weeklong arts explosion celebrates “Old Greeny,” a long-rumored cryptid said to lurk in Cayuga Lake. The serpent-like creature became popular in 1929 – exactly the same time as Nessie. That is, when every lake wanted their own legend to draw in more visitors.

Check out all cryptid town festivals here.

Contemporary Legend special journal issue

A special cryptid and monster themed issue of Contemporary Legend, Vol. 4 (2026): Monsters, Creatures, and Cryptids was release in April. All the entries are available for download including Pop Goes the Cryptid: The Evolution of Cryptozoology from Scientific to Social Download PDF. In the intro essay, Dr. David Puglia introduces the issue:

Legendary monsters are alive and well in the modern world. They are not relics of the ancient past, nor do they belong solely in the domain of fiction, fantasy, and entertainment. They endure through community, emerge through new media, attach to local landscapes, and adapt to contemporary anxieties, a persistence fully in keeping with folkloristics’ long emphasis on tradition as process and performance.

Additionally, you can hear me discuss cryptids and adjacent topics on the April 19, 2026 episode of the AP Strange Podcast: Considering Cryptids with Sharon Hill.

Bigfoot The Musical

New York City Center Stage presented Bigfoot the Musical in April.

https://youtu.be/ZafsCmfkO2U?si=p0xGloKgzzFEFl-f

• Follow the Pop Cryptid Facebook page.
• Sharon’s Strange Times on Substack

Please follow this blog for more news.

#Bigfoot #cryptidFestival #PopCryptid

The Tragedy of the Cryptids

Why are many cryptid tales associated with tragedy? Or, why are certain tragedies linked to cryptids? Some might say a cryptid is a curse, but it more likely is a symbol of the things we fear or about which we are anxious or guilty. There are plenty of examples.

Blaming the cryptid

It was Christmas, 2024. Two Oregon men “failed to return from a trip to look for Sasquatch” in the Gifford Pinchot Forest in Washington, authorities said. Rescuers spent Christmas facing dangerous conditions during the search until the men were found deceased. From the news reports, the two apparently were not equipped for the cold and wet weather.

It was never made clear if they were on a Bigfoot hunting excursion or just out for a short Holiday hike. The Bigfoot connection may have just been a flippant comment they made regarding their trip, or perhaps they were cryptid enthusiasts who hoped to glimpse the creature in an area with reported encounters. The unfortunate outcome was subsequently linked with the cryptid, often in headlines, which seemed to be out of proportion, as if belief in Bigfoot was the cause of death. Several commenters on the news stories, unsurprisingly, were cruel, mocking the men based on speculation about their behavior. Worse than that, some people took the tragedy even farther by saying that the men didn’t die from exposure, but from some other cause that officials are covering up. This is one of several examples of cryptids connected to tragedy.

There are various examples of cryptids associated with curses, death or destruction. This is unsurprising considering that cryptids are legends, and legends often have morbid twists as part of the drama. But the more surprising cryptid connections occur when the creature is celebrated in spite of or as part of the tragedy. The primary examples of these are stark: Mothman and the Pope Lick Monster. As noted in previous posts in this series, Mothman is the enigmatic, winged humanoid and the Pope Lick Monster is a Goatman. Let’s start with the cursed, evil, but maybe useful, highly-celebrated, harbinger of doom: Mothman.

AI art screengrabbed from a bad TikTok. (Not sorry.)

Mothman and the Silver Bridge

On December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge across the Ohio River, connecting Point Pleasant, WV to Gallipolis, OH collapsed. Most people know this terrible story: rush hour, forty-six people perished as their cars plunged into the icy water. The official investigation pegged the eye-bar failure. Lack of engineering redundancy meant the structure failed with it. However, the legend evolved to either blame the Mothman or its curse, or credit the creature as a warning of approaching doom.

Many people also know that the Mothman Festival is a big deal, drawing over 10,000 vistors to the small town every year to celebrate the big bird-moth-like being. How did we get from such heart-breaking tragedy to a giant town party with cosplayers and a shiny fantastical statue in the center square?

In 2008, Joseph Laycock, a scholar of religious studies, and sometimes of monsters, wrote about the weird acceptance by Point Pleasant of a legend that caused the town such pain and gave it a dark reputation. (Cite: Fieldwork in Religion, 3.1, 2008) To start, we must consider the context of the town of Point Pleasant.

So frequently, cryptid tales are backdated to the time when white settlers encountered the indigenous peoples. (That’s it’s own tragic tale – the lands haunted by Mothman and many other cryptids belonged to indigenous people who often were misappropriated by a manufactured legend, or erased entirely.) During the Revolutionary War times, a battle between the Virginians and the natives resulted in the death of the Shawnee Chief Cornstalk, who was murdered as a result of a diplomatic mission to Fort Randolph. Legend is that he cursed the land. Eventually, Cornstalk and Mothman legends were associated.

Prior to the bridge tragedy, the town suffered an economic downturn, flooding events, and a nearby mining disaster.

In the “Year of the Garuda” as labeled by The Mothman Prophecies author John Keel, the town was plagued by not only the monster, but by UFO sightings and the appearance of strangers, dubbed Men In Black by Keel. The MIB reportedly intimidated, threatened, robbed and assaulted the locals. If you lived in Point Pleasant at this time, you may have been threatened more by the UFO reports than the “monster”. Newspaper reporting leans much less on the “Big Bird” and more on the rash of UFO claims during this time. Keel’s book, from 1972, reframed the Mothman-UFO flap as a time and place of “high strangeness” with the Mothman as the star. (Cite: Dr. Jeb Card, personal comm.) [Addition: Corroborated by Richard Estep who said locals did not connect the bridge disaster to the “Big Black Bird” at the time, either. See MonsterTalk.]

With the collapse of the Bridge, the Mothman essentially disappeared from sight. The community, left in shock, tried to make sense of the disaster. Laycock notes that Mothman would have remained “a local demon” if the bridge collapse didn’t happen. But the association propelled Mothman from a mysterious menace to a supernatural death messenger – like that of the Irish Banshee. Mothman perhaps helped to fill in the vacuum of meaning felt by the residents as they struggled to move past the disaster.

In later decades, Mothman moved from being a threat to being a symbol of the town’s identity – its “monstrous patron”. While the Mothman now has a gleaming anthropomorphic statue in a prominent location in town, and its own museum, festival, and traditions, the people who died at the Silver Bridge are less commemorated. The bridge event was situated in service to the Mothman, who became the spirit of the town. With a boost from the 2002 film that rejuvenated the tale, and the growing embrace of Pop Cryptids nationwide, Point Pleasant treated the winged monster much like a religious icon that was viewed with sacred meaning. Mothman symbolized events that shook their town beyond their control.

I would gladly become a monstrous patron of a capable scholar who could write the definitive bio of Mothman and his impact – it’s crazy stuff.

Pope Lick Monster

The Fisherville area of Louisville, Kentucky, location of the train trestle associated with the Pope Lick monster, has a love/hate relationship with the infamous goatman. Legend tripping teens and tourists bypass the fences and warnings in an attempting to traverse the active train trestle bridge (which is 90 feet high and 772 long) to have their own experience. I could not get an accurate count of the dead, but, since 1968, it appears that at least 10 people have been killed by trains crossing the bridge or falling from the bridge to avoid a train. Several more were injured or nearly killed.

As with Mothman, a film boosted the legend. The 1988 short film The Legend of the Pope Lick Monster by local Ron Schildknecht put it into an easily relatable package, introducing the idea that the goatman can hypnotize you, and suggesting that you can hang from the bridge while the train passed (few people have the strength to do this). Thanks to worldwide connectivity networks, the legend spread beyond the town, becoming an attraction for thrill seekers.

Some sources say that Schildknecht regrets that the film added to the lore and that he didn’t intend to make dangerous trespassing a fad. But I’m getting mixed messages. In what seems like a brazen affront to those that have been hurt or killed, the filmmaker’s website features quotes by the Norfolk Southern Railroad about the film,

“It undermines our efforts on behalf of safety when movies like this are made.”
— spokesman for Norfolk Southern Corp.

The festival to celebrate the Pope Lick Monster legend is fairly new. There is also a Halloween attraction (that mentions the Schildknecht name associated with the sensationalized origin story). This all feels disrespectful to the memory of those who died and perhaps increases the odds that more people visit and venture into harm’s way. Supporters of the events say they don’t celebrate the darkness. I’m not sold. Imagine if you were part of an affected family witnessing a yearly entertainment event centered on the legend and location where your child met their demise. This controversy seems to be dividing the community. Sadly, cryptid capitalism will likely win out.

Because of its location, the area around the creek is said to be cursed land because of the bloodshed that occurred from removal of the native people. Do these communities still struggle with the guilt of history, past and current? Does the heavy weight of industrialism and depression help create the “monster” that haunts the town? By using monstrous symbols, communities try to find a way to compartmentalize, process, and move on.

The Pope Lick Monster appears to be the cryptid with the highest death count. Of course, no one was really killed by the goatman. It is a choice to make the effort to put oneself in harms way.

I recommend checking out Episode 3 of Out There: Crimes of the Paranormal, a recent series that covered the despair of those left to deal with the Pope Lick reputation.

Linking cryptids

Cryptid legends, when examined in depth, can reveal tragic connections that the casually interested person would not typically notice. I’ve collected more examples.

• People who disappear in rugged areas, particularly in National Parks of the US have been exploited by Bigfoot writer David Paulides under the umbrella of his book series “Missing 411”. Paulides doesn’t explicitly say that the people may have been taken by Bigfoot, serial killers, aliens, or something even more outrageous. He misleads the reader and lets your imagination fill in the gaps by mystery mongering, playing fast and loose with facts, and framing the incidents as cover-ups. It’s non-credible, mean-spirited, and ghoulish, and should be dismissed as such.

• It’s not uncommon to see news stories about people who do heinous things linked to their seemingly outlandish beliefs about aliens, conspiracies, demons, or their interest in cryptids. Sometimes the media makes spurious connections that the audience latches onto. The Christmas 2020 suicide bomber of Nashville, Tennessee supposedly believed that “Reptilians” or “Lizard People” were in charge of the government – an idea made popular by David Icke. I’d recommend, again, the Out There: Crimes of the Paranormal episode that linked the paranoid idea of Reptilians to the legend of Lizard Man of Bishopville/Scape Ore Swamp.

• The Not Deer legend of Appalachia is the relatively recent tale of deer that behave weirdly with the speculation that they are not actually normal deer but shapeshifters trying to lure you into the woods. The legend has been influenced by the spread of a prion disease or other typical deer illnesses that cause the animal to suffer and eventually die. The supernatural explanation is far more popular than than natural one.

• Ol’ Greeneyes, while a debatable “cryptid”, has its own festival now in the town where the Battle of Chickamauga took place. The creature is said to be a ghoul or a ghost of a dead soldier who haunts the battlefield. It seems a strange mascot for a cryptid celebration but the event has been successful. As with other cryptid festivals – the cryptid is the excuse to gather round the town center and re-experience the historical past.

• The legend of Zana, the wildwoman, has been completely misconstrued by those who believe that she was not a modern human but possibly an Almas (a cryptid hominid) captured in the late 1800s. It is far more likely that she was of African decent, captured, kept in slavery in Abkhazia. White male cryptozoologists treated this story of her life as a mystery for them to solve and show that relict races existed.

• The Beast of the Land Between the Lakes is a story based on fiction. But the truth of the project that formed the park lands was tragic to many families. Starting in 1964, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) began to condemn the 170,000 acres that would later be flooded. Some 800 families were forcibly removed by eminent domain. They sacrificed their land and livelihoods, their communities were ruined, and their ancestors’ graves abandoned. The consequences of that destruction still reverberates. Is the “beast” a manifestation of revenge for this callous treatment?

• The eruption of Mt. St Helens in 1980 is one of the first national disasters I recall as a child watching the news. It resulted in the death of a USGS geologist, Harry Truman, a resident to refused to leave his homestead, and 55 others who perished from the mudflows, hot ash and gas. Tales were told of Bigfoot around the mountain. After the eruption, someone started the story that the Bigfoot population had been decimated, an entirely baseless story. In the late 90s, the story of the Batsquatch encounter apparently prompted another piece of creative fiction – that the Batsquatches were let loose from their underground abodes via the volcanic eruption.

• The tale of the Wendigo (and its many variations) from Algonquin-speaking first nations in Canada and US, has been heavily appropriated in fiction, films, and as a cryptid. The brutal association with murder and cannibalism has been changed drastically for use in various media and commercial purposes. I’m not qualified to speak about its traditional use but the Wendigo wasn’t a Bigfoot, it didn’t have antlers, it doesn’t imitate human voices or shapeshift and it’s not part of Appalachian folklore. It is a spirit creature that embodies the threat of starvation for northern peoples who faced this circumstance. Yet, the creatures has become so popularized and commodified, an offensive stench rises from the fictionalized garbage content of awful fan art, horror flicks, and AI generated TikTok shorts.

The traditional vs new version of Wendigo.

Capitalizing on tragedy

There are not unreasonable arguments on both sides of the debate regarding capitalizing on past tragedies via cryptid festivals. Are cryptid festivals like those in Point Pleasant, WV and Fisherville, KY capitalizing on the deaths of others? Or are they serving as complex social means of moving beyond the haunted town histories? There likely are some instances where the intent was positive, to memorialize the tragedy in a respectful way, that later got out of control. And I have inklings that this conflict also occurs in other cultures, where monsters represent real tragedies.

The list above certainly has additional examples. Ghost stories are frequently a means of remembering a death or an unresolved tragedy or crime. Another example of banking on dark history is the commercialization of the town of Salem, where 25 people suffered and died in the witch trials that became the basis of a tourism branding as the tasteless and tacky “witch city”.

It’s difficult and often entirely inappropriate to police or suppress art (including books, films, etc.) and social responses to trauma. People will attempt to rationalize a disaster even via seemingly irrational scapegoats.

It can be difficult to reject participating in an interesting modern event because it is tainted by the events of the past. Culture evolves where we recreate or reenvision the past with a new framing. I don’t know that there is a right answer here – each person will have their own response. It’s imperative, however, that we not let the history of the tragedies be ignored, forgotten, or overtaken entirely by cryptid legends.

This is post 8 of the 12 Days of Cryptids.

#12DaysOfCryptids #Bigfoot #cryptidFestival #LandBetweenTheLakesBeast #Missing411 #mothman #PopeLickMonster #tragicCryptids #wendigo

The Tragedy of the Cryptids

Why are many cryptid tales associated with tragedy? Or, why are certain tragedies linked to cryptids? Some might say a cryptid is a curse, but it more likely is a symbol of the things we fear or about which we are anxious or guilty. There are plenty of examples.

Blaming the cryptid

It was Christmas, 2024. Two Oregon men “failed to return from a trip to look for Sasquatch” in the Gifford Pinchot Forest in Washington, authorities said. Rescuers spent Christmas facing dangerous conditions during the search until the men were found deceased. From the news reports, the two apparently were not equipped for the cold and wet weather.

It was never made clear if they were on a Bigfoot hunting excursion or just out for a short Holiday hike. The Bigfoot connection may have just been a flippant comment they made regarding their trip, or perhaps they were cryptid enthusiasts who hoped to glimpse the creature in an area with reported encounters. The unfortunate outcome was subsequently linked with the cryptid, often in headlines, which seemed to be out of proportion, as if belief in Bigfoot was the cause of death. Several commenters on the news stories, unsurprisingly, were cruel, mocking the men based on speculation about their behavior. Worse than that, some people took the tragedy even farther by saying that the men didn’t die from exposure, but from some other cause that officials are covering up. This is one of several examples of cryptids connected to tragedy.

There are various examples of cryptids associated with curses, death or destruction. This is unsurprising considering that cryptids are legends, and legends often have morbid twists as part of the drama. But the more surprising cryptid connections occur when the creature is celebrated in spite of or as part of the tragedy. The primary examples of these are stark: Mothman and the Pope Lick Monster. As noted in previous posts in this series, Mothman is the enigmatic, winged humanoid and the Pope Lick Monster is a Goatman. Let’s start with the cursed, evil, but maybe useful, highly-celebrated, harbinger of doom: Mothman.

AI art screengrabbed from a bad TikTok. (Not sorry.)

Mothman and the Silver Bridge

On December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge across the Ohio River, connecting Point Pleasant, WV to Gallipolis, OH collapsed. Most people know this terrible story: rush hour, forty-six people perished as their cars plunged into the icy water. The official investigation pegged the eye-bar failure. Lack of engineering redundancy meant the structure failed with it. However, the legend evolved to either blame the Mothman or its curse, or credit the creature as a warning of approaching doom.

Many people also know that the Mothman Festival is a big deal, drawing over 10,000 vistors to the small town every year to celebrate the big bird-moth-like being. How did we get from such heart-breaking tragedy to a giant town party with cosplayers and a shiny fantastical statue in the center square?

In 2008, Joseph Laycock, a scholar of religious studies, and sometimes of monsters, wrote about the weird acceptance by Point Pleasant of a legend that caused the town such pain and gave it a dark reputation. (Cite: Fieldwork in Religion, 3.1, 2008) To start, we must consider the context of the town of Point Pleasant.

So frequently, cryptid tales are backdated to the time when white settlers encountered the indigenous peoples. (That’s it’s own tragic tale – the lands haunted by Mothman and many other cryptids belonged to indigenous people who often were misappropriated by a manufactured legend, or erased entirely.) During the Revolutionary War times, a battle between the Virginians and the natives resulted in the death of the Shawnee Chief Cornstalk, who was murdered as a result of a diplomatic mission to Fort Randolph. Legend is that he cursed the land. Eventually, Cornstalk and Mothman legends were associated.

Prior to the bridge tragedy, the town suffered an economic downturn, flooding events, and a nearby mining disaster.

In the “Year of the Garuda” as labeled by The Mothman Prophecies author John Keel, the town was plagued by not only the monster, but by UFO sightings and the appearance of strangers, dubbed Men In Black by Keel. The MIB reportedly intimidated, threatened, robbed and assaulted the locals. If you lived in Point Pleasant at this time, you may have been threatened more by the UFO reports than the “monster”. Newspaper reporting leans much less on the “Big Bird” and more on the rash of UFO claims during this time. Keel’s book, from 1972, reframed the Mothman-UFO flap as a time and place of “high strangeness” with the Mothman as the star. (Cite: Dr. Jeb Card, personal comm.) [Addition: Corroborated by Richard Estep who said locals did not connect the bridge disaster to the “Big Black Bird” at the time, either. See MonsterTalk.]

With the collapse of the Bridge, the Mothman essentially disappeared from sight. The community, left in shock, tried to make sense of the disaster. Laycock notes that Mothman would have remained “a local demon” if the bridge collapse didn’t happen. But the association propelled Mothman from a mysterious menace to a supernatural death messenger – like that of the Irish Banshee. Mothman perhaps helped to fill in the vacuum of meaning felt by the residents as they struggled to move past the disaster.

In later decades, Mothman moved from being a threat to being a symbol of the town’s identity – its “monstrous patron”. While the Mothman now has a gleaming anthropomorphic statue in a prominent location in town, and its own museum, festival, and traditions, the people who died at the Silver Bridge are less commemorated. The bridge event was situated in service to the Mothman, who became the spirit of the town. With a boost from the 2002 film that rejuvenated the tale, and the growing embrace of Pop Cryptids nationwide, Point Pleasant treated the winged monster much like a religious icon that was viewed with sacred meaning. Mothman symbolized events that shook their town beyond their control.

I would gladly become a monstrous patron of a capable scholar who could write the definitive bio of Mothman and his impact – it’s crazy stuff.

Pope Lick Monster

The Fisherville area of Louisville, Kentucky, location of the train trestle associated with the Pope Lick monster, has a love/hate relationship with the infamous goatman. Legend tripping teens and tourists bypass the fences and warnings in an attempting to traverse the active train trestle bridge (which is 90 feet high and 772 long) to have their own experience. I could not get an accurate count of the dead, but, since 1968, it appears that at least 10 people have been killed by trains crossing the bridge or falling from the bridge to avoid a train. Several more were injured or nearly killed.

As with Mothman, a film boosted the legend. The 1988 short film The Legend of the Pope Lick Monster by local Ron Schildknecht put it into an easily relatable package, introducing the idea that the goatman can hypnotize you, and suggesting that you can hang from the bridge while the train passed (few people have the strength to do this). Thanks to worldwide connectivity networks, the legend spread beyond the town, becoming an attraction for thrill seekers.

Some sources say that Schildknecht regrets that the film added to the lore and that he didn’t intend to make dangerous trespassing a fad. But I’m getting mixed messages. In what seems like a brazen affront to those that have been hurt or killed, the filmmaker’s website features quotes by the Norfolk Southern Railroad about the film,

“It undermines our efforts on behalf of safety when movies like this are made.”
— spokesman for Norfolk Southern Corp.

The festival to celebrate the Pope Lick Monster legend is fairly new. There is also a Halloween attraction (that mentions the Schildknecht name associated with the sensationalized origin story). This all feels disrespectful to the memory of those who died and perhaps increases the odds that more people visit and venture into harm’s way. Supporters of the events say they don’t celebrate the darkness. I’m not sold. Imagine if you were part of an affected family witnessing a yearly entertainment event centered on the legend and location where your child met their demise. This controversy seems to be dividing the community. Sadly, cryptid capitalism will likely win out.

Because of its location, the area around the creek is said to be cursed land because of the bloodshed that occurred from removal of the native people. Do these communities still struggle with the guilt of history, past and current? Does the heavy weight of industrialism and depression help create the “monster” that haunts the town? By using monstrous symbols, communities try to find a way to compartmentalize, process, and move on.

The Pope Lick Monster appears to be the cryptid with the highest death count. Of course, no one was really killed by the goatman. It is a choice to make the effort to put oneself in harms way.

I recommend checking out Episode 3 of Out There: Crimes of the Paranormal, a recent series that covered the despair of those left to deal with the Pope Lick reputation.

Linking cryptids

Cryptid legends, when examined in depth, can reveal tragic connections that the casually interested person would not typically notice. I’ve collected more examples.

• People who disappear in rugged areas, particularly in National Parks of the US have been exploited by Bigfoot writer David Paulides under the umbrella of his book series “Missing 411”. Paulides doesn’t explicitly say that the people may have been taken by Bigfoot, serial killers, aliens, or something even more outrageous. He misleads the reader and lets your imagination fill in the gaps by mystery mongering, playing fast and loose with facts, and framing the incidents as cover-ups. It’s non-credible, mean-spirited, and ghoulish, and should be dismissed as such.

• It’s not uncommon to see news stories about people who do heinous things linked to their seemingly outlandish beliefs about aliens, conspiracies, demons, or their interest in cryptids. Sometimes the media makes spurious connections that the audience latches onto. The Christmas 2020 suicide bomber of Nashville, Tennessee supposedly believed that “Reptilians” or “Lizard People” were in charge of the government – an idea made popular by David Icke. I’d recommend, again, the Out There: Crimes of the Paranormal episode that linked the paranoid idea of Reptilians to the legend of Lizard Man of Bishopville/Scape Ore Swamp.

• The Not Deer legend of Appalachia is the relatively recent tale of deer that behave weirdly with the speculation that they are not actually normal deer but shapeshifters trying to lure you into the woods. The legend has been influenced by the spread of a prion disease or other typical deer illnesses that cause the animal to suffer and eventually die. The supernatural explanation is far more popular than than natural one.

• Ol’ Greeneyes, while a debatable “cryptid”, has its own festival now in the town where the Battle of Chickamauga took place. The creature is said to be a ghoul or a ghost of a dead soldier who haunts the battlefield. It seems a strange mascot for a cryptid celebration but the event has been successful. As with other cryptid festivals – the cryptid is the excuse to gather round the town center and re-experience the historical past.

• The legend of Zana, the wildwoman, has been completely misconstrued by those who believe that she was not a modern human but possibly an Almas (a cryptid hominid) captured in the late 1800s. It is far more likely that she was of African decent, captured, kept in slavery in Abkhazia. White male cryptozoologists treated this story of her life as a mystery for them to solve and show that relict races existed.

• The Beast of the Land Between the Lakes is a story based on fiction. But the truth of the project that formed the park lands was tragic to many families. Starting in 1964, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) began to condemn the 170,000 acres that would later be flooded. Some 800 families were forcibly removed by eminent domain. They sacrificed their land and livelihoods, their communities were ruined, and their ancestors’ graves abandoned. The consequences of that destruction still reverberates. Is the “beast” a manifestation of revenge for this callous treatment?

• The eruption of Mt. St Helens in 1980 is one of the first national disasters I recall as a child watching the news. It resulted in the death of a USGS geologist, Harry Truman, a resident to refused to leave his homestead, and 55 others who perished from the mudflows, hot ash and gas. Tales were told of Bigfoot around the mountain. After the eruption, someone started the story that the Bigfoot population had been decimated, an entirely baseless story. In the late 90s, the story of the Batsquatch encounter apparently prompted another piece of creative fiction – that the Batsquatches were let loose from their underground abodes via the volcanic eruption.

• The tale of the Wendigo (and its many variations) from Algonquin-speaking first nations in Canada and US, has been heavily appropriated in fiction, films, and as a cryptid. The brutal association with murder and cannibalism has been changed drastically for use in various media and commercial purposes. I’m not qualified to speak about its traditional use but the Wendigo wasn’t a Bigfoot, it didn’t have antlers, it doesn’t imitate human voices or shapeshift and it’s not part of Appalachian folklore. It is a spirit creature that embodies the threat of starvation for northern peoples who faced this circumstance. Yet, the creatures has become so popularized and commodified, an offensive stench rises from the fictionalized garbage content of awful fan art, horror flicks, and AI generated TikTok shorts.

The traditional vs new version of Wendigo.

Capitalizing on tragedy

There are not unreasonable arguments on both sides of the debate regarding capitalizing on past tragedies via cryptid festivals. Are cryptid festivals like those in Point Pleasant, WV and Fisherville, KY capitalizing on the deaths of others? Or are they serving as complex social means of moving beyond the haunted town histories? There likely are some instances where the intent was positive, to memorialize the tragedy in a respectful way, that later got out of control. And I have inklings that this conflict also occurs in other cultures, where monsters represent real tragedies.

The list above certainly has additional examples. Ghost stories are frequently a means of remembering a death or an unresolved tragedy or crime. Another example of banking on dark history is the commercialization of the town of Salem, where 25 people suffered and died in the witch trials that became the basis of a tourism branding as the tasteless and tacky “witch city”.

It’s difficult and often entirely inappropriate to police or suppress art (including books, films, etc.) and social responses to trauma. People will attempt to rationalize a disaster even via seemingly irrational scapegoats.

It can be difficult to reject participating in an interesting modern event because it is tainted by the events of the past. Culture evolves where we recreate or reenvision the past with a new framing. I don’t know that there is a right answer here – each person will have their own response. It’s imperative, however, that we not let the history of the tragedies be ignored, forgotten, or overtaken entirely by cryptid legends.

This is post 8 of the 12 Days of Cryptids.

#12DaysOfCryptids #Bigfoot #cryptidFestival #LandBetweenTheLakesBeast #Missing411 #mothman #PopeLickMonster #tragicCryptids #wendigo

Pop Cryptid Spectator 3

In this edition:

• Green Eyes and the explosion of cryptid festivals
• Appalachian folk horror
• Cryptid Media – Folk horror resurgence/British Cryptids
• Pop Cryptid – Jackalope or nope?

Hello and welcome to the 3rd edition of the Pop Cryptid Spectator – my chronicle of observing the changing appearance of and attitudes towards “cryptids” in popular culture. My interest is in exploring the expansion of cryptozoology into a mass cultural phenomenon – a cornucopia of strange entities that are labeled as “cryptids”. We can see a proliferation of popular cryptids in American culture and worldwide, largely in part to newer media and communication platforms, allowing their stories to spread (and evolve) like never before. Cryptid stories can be viewed through different lenses – a point that I make with several illustrative examples.

Green Eyes and the Explosion of Cryptid Festivals

Winter is the slow season for town festivals. Now is the time where organizers are planning their summer and fall events. A new event, the Green Eyes Festival in Chickamauga, Georgia, premiered in 2024 and was a great success for the small town mostly known for its Civil War battlefield. Old Green Eyes most certainly falls into the category of Pop Cryptid, since it has no significant provenance and is more like a ghost story. The creature’s form varies widely, being a ghost or ghoul prowling the fields of the dead, or can be more like a big cat or hairy monster. The commonality is the glowing green eyes. In a recent interview on the Monster Talk podcast, the founders of the festival revealed that they knew little of “cryptids” beforehand. The two young marketing professionals had heard the spooky stories, of course, but didn’t see it as an opportunity until they visited another well-known festival. As with most modern cryptid town events, inspiration inevitably traces back to the world-renowned Mothman Festival of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. It’s the OG event that launched a hundred imitators (and growing).

Green Eyes has no established canonical legend and, as such, its story evolves as others tell it. While some may argue it’s not a cryptid at all because of the lack of a zoological lens through which to view it, as part of the Pop Cryptid model I argue that any mystery creature that people say may exist (in whatever corporeal or incorporeal form), but can’t be pinned down, falls under the popular idea of a “cryptid” and will be labeled as such.

More: About Cryptid Festivals, and a Parade of Cryptids in Small town USA. Check the list of cryptid festivals in the US and see if one is near you.

Appalachian Folk horror

Sheepsquatch

Possibly more than any other US location, small towns in Appalachia are embracing their local legends and sprucing up the image of their local creature. Appalachian folklore, often exaggerated, is packaged and sold on media platforms. The reasons for this surge in place legends is complex and somewhat disputed – likely in response to populism, a need for enchantment, and a fascination with magic and mystery in your own backyard. Some social commentators (i.e., podcasters and TikTokkers) are suggesting that the Appalachian mountains are so old that ancient eldritch beings still exist here. Ok, then…

It might just be my TikTok feed but cryptid content goes hand in hand with claims of uncanny animals and evil zooform entities that you will encounter if you venture off the trail in the eastern forests. Eh, whatev… People have totally lost touch with nature and, therefore, it’s fairly easy to freak them out. The Appalachians are culturally rich and diverse. Unfortunately, as with indigenous folklore, legends and tales from a previous time and place are being enhanced and monetized for podcasts and videos. You might consider it visual Creepypasta as creators are taking bits from old or new scary stories and manufacturing fakelore.

Cryptid Media

Folk horror resurgence – British Cryptids

It’s not just the Appalachians experiencing rising interest in the past several years with the likes of Mothman, goatman, “not deer“, and areas of high strangeness. The folk horror genre is seeing worldwide popularity. Folk horror focuses on a place, local behaviors, traditions, and history to create a sense of foreboding, particularly to the outsider who comes into the scene unaware. Aspect of folk horror include occult figures like witches, or threats from demons or Satan itself. Monstrous beings also play a big role.

In a blend of folk horror and satire (with the occasionally ancient nude), the YouTube channel British Cryptids manufactured several new cryptids under the guise of lost documentaries from 1974. The series provides a sense of nostalgia as well as unsettling confusion about what’s real and what’s imaginary. Check out their channel where the titles include ‘Yorkshire Yeti’, ‘The Hereford Twiggywitch’, ‘Stag Men’, ’The Souter Sea Wolf’, ‘The Cumbrian Dregpike’ and ‘The Woodwose of Cannock Chase’. It’s like a sophisticated version of Fearsome Creatures made famous as North American lumberjack tales – they sound plausible, if you are out alone in the dark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0-lAdhxX7U

Pop Cryptid: Jackalope

A major theme of the Pop Goes the Cryptid model is the never-ending dispute about calling something a “cryptid”. As an example, I’m going to jump right into the deep end and talk about the Jackalope, a creature that is well-associated with “cryptid” online but that almost everyone who knows some history of the topic will say is not a cryptid because it’s a mythical creature, a hoax. Not so fast…

The world was a different place centuries (or even decades) ago. Ideas and language change. If we go by the general cryptid definition of “an animal/entity that is believed to be real but not recognized by zoology” then the Jackalope has a chance to be an official cryptid. There certainly are some people who have seen so many Jackalope depictions, yet do not know their taxidermic history, that they may assume they were a real animal. And, in the early days of natural history, the “horned rabbit” was assumed to be a real, genuine, unique animal because witnesses said so.

My reference is On the Trail of the Jackalope (2022) by Michael Branch, a comprehensive book that mostly treats the creature as a cultural creation but also briefly explores the idea of its cryptidness.

“[T]he horned rabbit is unalloyed Americana—a genuine artifact of this country’s folk culture—the mythical beast has also made its way across the oceans and around the world.”

The true home of the American Jackalope is Douglas, Wyoming where, according to the locals, about half the visitors leave believing the animals are real. Do they believe, or are they just having fun believing? Hard to judge. The same might be said about most cryptids as people like to imagine that tall tales are true because it makes life seem magical. This remains a strong theme in the Jackalope biography.

Jackalope from the video game Red Dead Redemption

One can argue that a “horned rabbit” is a real thing. Cottontail rabbits with horn-like protuberances over various parts of their bodies, particularly their heads, were found to be infected with a type of papillomavirus. There can be little doubt that such stricken rabbits would be viewed as mysterious, then and now. Branch notes that the prevalence of the horned rabbit across cultures suggests that they were at least somewhat based on these natural anomalies. Branch explains that precursors to the American Jackalope are numerous. The specific Jackalope may be a Wyoming invention, but it was not the first depiction of the horned rabbit.

Early naturalists such as Conrad Gessner, Joris Hoefnagel (16th century) and others depicted the horned hare as a real animal. Later, other natural historians weren’t so sure, but this uncertainty about its existence and speculation on the cause of horned hares undoubtedly sounds like the modern idea of a “cryptid”.

But this is the 21st century. We know better now, right?

There is ample evidence to show that most people are entirely ignorant of wildlife in their own backyard, let alone the zoological catalog of known animals. As with everything else in the modern world, we get our information from popular culture, not too much directly from qualified scientific experts. Branch quotes Loren Coleman who runs the International Cryptozoology Museum regarding his inclusion of the Jackalope in the museum: “I would read visitors’ online comments… and they would say things like ‘I didn’t know that the jackalope really existed.’ ” Coleman continues by explaining he reorganized the exhibit to depict the Jackalope along with other hoaxes. To me, there is a lot to unpack in that anecdote. Do we really know which cryptid is a manufactured hoax, which are imaginary creatures that people wish to be real, which are mistaken IDs influenced by lore and campfire tales, and which are real animals? The line is very blurry and all the information is not in. (P-G film, anyone?)

I’ve greatly expanded my idea regarding what a cryptid is in the past few years. I recognize that different people are viewing cryptids through various lenses (zoological, artistic, historical, cultural, etc.) If people wish to believe horned rabbits (jackalopes, wolpertingers, or other variations) are real animals hopping around in an alternative reality, that’s OK by me, as long as they aren’t declaring that in biology class. It’s important to recognize that horned rabbits have a history that can be legitimately viewed with a zoological lens, making them not dissimilar to the history of the “Kraken” that many assume equates to the giant squid (I don’t, but that’s another complicated story), or the merfolk, which are assumed to be misidentified aquatic mammals like dugongs and manatees. The history is muddy and fraught with flips, twists, and turns. The modern “expert cryptozoologist” statements discounting any creatures as “mythological” and not worthy of the label “cryptid” don’t hold much weight. People will believe whatever they want.

There was not a common word for creatures of dubious existence, until “cryptid”. Cryptids as general “mysterious animals” has come into its own as a useful label. We know this because that is how it’s widely employed in popular culture today. It’s your point of view about reality that may vary.

For more, click on Pop goes the Cryptid landing page. While you’re there, make sure you subscribe to all the posts – it’s always free and I don’t send annoying spam. 

You can email me with comments, suggestions or questions at Popcryptid(at)proton.me

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#1 #2 #AICryptids #Bigfoot #BigfootHuntersDie #cryptid #cryptidFake #cryptidTVShow #giantOwls #GodzillaSighting #GoogleEarth #HoodCryptids #OutThereCrimesOfTheParanormal #popCryptids #scryptids #Skinwalker #TheCryptidFactor #Wendigo

https://sharonahill.com/?p=9171

Pop Cryptid Spectator 3

In this edition:

• Green Eyes and the explosion of cryptid festivals
• Appalachian folk horror
• Cryptid Media – Folk horror resurgence/British Cryptids
• Pop Cryptid – Jackalope or nope?

Hello and welcome to the 3rd edition of the Pop Cryptid Spectator – my chronicle of observing the changing appearance of and attitudes towards “cryptids” in popular culture. My interest is in exploring the expansion of cryptozoology into a mass cultural phenomenon – a cornucopia of strange entities that are labeled as “cryptids”. We can see a proliferation of popular cryptids in American culture and worldwide, largely in part to newer media and communication platforms, allowing their stories to spread (and evolve) like never before. Cryptid stories can be viewed through different lenses – a point that I make with several illustrative examples.

Green Eyes and the Explosion of Cryptid Festivals

Winter is the slow season for town festivals. Now is the time where organizers are planning their summer and fall events. A new event, the Green Eyes Festival in Chickamauga, Georgia, premiered in 2024 and was a great success for the small town mostly known for its Civil War battlefield. Old Green Eyes most certainly falls into the category of Pop Cryptid, since it has no significant provenance and is more like a ghost story. The creature’s form varies widely, being a ghost or ghoul prowling the fields of the dead, or can be more like a big cat or hairy monster. The commonality is the glowing green eyes. In a recent interview on the Monster Talk podcast, the founders of the festival revealed that they knew little of “cryptids” beforehand. The two young marketing professionals had heard the spooky stories, of course, but didn’t see it as an opportunity until they visited another well-known festival. As with most modern cryptid town events, inspiration inevitably traces back to the world-renowned Mothman Festival of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. It’s the OG event that launched a hundred imitators (and growing).

Green Eyes has no established canonical legend and, as such, its story evolves as others tell it. While some may argue it’s not a cryptid at all because of the lack of a zoological lens through which to view it, as part of the Pop Cryptid model I argue that any mystery creature that people say may exist (in whatever corporeal or incorporeal form), but can’t be pinned down, falls under the popular idea of a “cryptid” and will be labeled as such.

More: About Cryptid Festivals, and a Parade of Cryptids in Small town USA. Check the list of cryptid festivals in the US and see if one is near you.

Appalachian Folk horror

Sheepsquatch

Possibly more than any other US location, small towns in Appalachia are embracing their local legends and sprucing up the image of their local creature. Appalachian folklore, often exaggerated, is packaged and sold on media platforms. The reasons for this surge in place legends is complex and somewhat disputed – likely in response to populism, a need for enchantment, and a fascination with magic and mystery in your own backyard. Some social commentators (i.e., podcasters and TikTokkers) are suggesting that the Appalachian mountains are so old that ancient eldritch beings still exist here. Ok, then…

It might just be my TikTok feed but cryptid content goes hand in hand with claims of uncanny animals and evil zooform entities that you will encounter if you venture off the trail in the eastern forests. Eh, whatev… People have totally lost touch with nature and, therefore, it’s fairly easy to freak them out. The Appalachians are culturally rich and diverse. Unfortunately, as with indigenous folklore, legends and tales from a previous time and place are being enhanced and monetized for podcasts and videos. You might consider it visual Creepypasta as creators are taking bits from old or new scary stories and manufacturing fakelore.

Cryptid Media

Folk horror resurgence – British Cryptids

It’s not just the Appalachians experiencing rising interest in the past several years with the likes of Mothman, goatman, “not deer“, and areas of high strangeness. The folk horror genre is seeing worldwide popularity. Folk horror focuses on a place, local behaviors, traditions, and history to create a sense of foreboding, particularly to the outsider who comes into the scene unaware. Aspect of folk horror include occult figures like witches, or threats from demons or Satan itself. Monstrous beings also play a big role.

In a blend of folk horror and satire (with the occasionally ancient nude), the YouTube channel British Cryptids manufactured several new cryptids under the guise of lost documentaries from 1974. The series provides a sense of nostalgia as well as unsettling confusion about what’s real and what’s imaginary. Check out their channel where the titles include ‘Yorkshire Yeti’, ‘The Hereford Twiggywitch’, ‘Stag Men’, ’The Souter Sea Wolf’, ‘The Cumbrian Dregpike’ and ‘The Woodwose of Cannock Chase’. It’s like a sophisticated version of Fearsome Creatures made famous as North American lumberjack tales – they sound plausible, if you are out alone in the dark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0-lAdhxX7U

Pop Cryptid: Jackalope

A major theme of the Pop Goes the Cryptid model is the never-ending dispute about calling something a “cryptid”. As an example, I’m going to jump right into the deep end and talk about the Jackalope, a creature that is well-associated with “cryptid” online but that almost everyone who knows some history of the topic will say is not a cryptid because it’s a mythical creature, a hoax. Not so fast…

The world was a different place centuries (or even decades) ago. Ideas and language change. If we go by the general cryptid definition of “an animal/entity that is believed to be real but not recognized by zoology” then the Jackalope has a chance to be an official cryptid. There certainly are some people who have seen so many Jackalope depictions, yet do not know their taxidermic history, that they may assume they were a real animal. And, in the early days of natural history, the “horned rabbit” was assumed to be a real, genuine, unique animal because witnesses said so.

My reference is On the Trail of the Jackalope (2022) by Michael Branch, a comprehensive book that mostly treats the creature as a cultural creation but also briefly explores the idea of its cryptidness.

“[T]he horned rabbit is unalloyed Americana—a genuine artifact of this country’s folk culture—the mythical beast has also made its way across the oceans and around the world.”

The true home of the American Jackalope is Douglas, Wyoming where, according to the locals, about half the visitors leave believing the animals are real. Do they believe, or are they just having fun believing? Hard to judge. The same might be said about most cryptids as people like to imagine that tall tales are true because it makes life seem magical. This remains a strong theme in the Jackalope biography.

Jackalope from the video game Red Dead Redemption

One can argue that a “horned rabbit” is a real thing. Cottontail rabbits with horn-like protuberances over various parts of their bodies, particularly their heads, were found to be infected with a type of papillomavirus. There can be little doubt that such stricken rabbits would be viewed as mysterious, then and now. Branch notes that the prevalence of the horned rabbit across cultures suggests that they were at least somewhat based on these natural anomalies. Branch explains that precursors to the American Jackalope are numerous. The specific Jackalope may be a Wyoming invention, but it was not the first depiction of the horned rabbit.

Early naturalists such as Conrad Gessner, Joris Hoefnagel (16th century) and others depicted the horned hare as a real animal. Later, other natural historians weren’t so sure, but this uncertainty about its existence and speculation on the cause of horned hares undoubtedly sounds like the modern idea of a “cryptid”.

But this is the 21st century. We know better now, right?

There is ample evidence to show that most people are entirely ignorant of wildlife in their own backyard, let alone the zoological catalog of known animals. As with everything else in the modern world, we get our information from popular culture, not too much directly from qualified scientific experts. Branch quotes Loren Coleman who runs the International Cryptozoology Museum regarding his inclusion of the Jackalope in the museum: “I would read visitors’ online comments… and they would say things like ‘I didn’t know that the jackalope really existed.’ ” Coleman continues by explaining he reorganized the exhibit to depict the Jackalope along with other hoaxes. To me, there is a lot to unpack in that anecdote. Do we really know which cryptid is a manufactured hoax, which are imaginary creatures that people wish to be real, which are mistaken IDs influenced by lore and campfire tales, and which are real animals? The line is very blurry and all the information is not in. (P-G film, anyone?)

I’ve greatly expanded my idea regarding what a cryptid is in the past few years. I recognize that different people are viewing cryptids through various lenses (zoological, artistic, historical, cultural, etc.) If people wish to believe horned rabbits (jackalopes, wolpertingers, or other variations) are real animals hopping around in an alternative reality, that’s OK by me, as long as they aren’t declaring that in biology class. It’s important to recognize that horned rabbits have a history that can be legitimately viewed with a zoological lens, making them not dissimilar to the history of the “Kraken” that many assume equates to the giant squid (I don’t, but that’s another complicated story), or the merfolk, which are assumed to be misidentified aquatic mammals like dugongs and manatees. The history is muddy and fraught with flips, twists, and turns. The modern “expert cryptozoologist” statements discounting any creatures as “mythological” and not worthy of the label “cryptid” don’t hold much weight. People will believe whatever they want.

There was not a common word for creatures of dubious existence, until “cryptid”. Cryptids as general “mysterious animals” has come into its own as a useful label. We know this because that is how it’s widely employed in popular culture today. It’s your point of view about reality that may vary.

For more, click on Pop goes the Cryptid landing page. While you’re there, make sure you subscribe to all the posts – it’s always free and I don’t send annoying spam. 

You can email me with comments, suggestions or questions at Popcryptid(at)proton.me

Pop Cryptid Spectator Pop Cryptid Spectator 15

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#1 #2 #AICryptids #Bigfoot #BigfootHuntersDie #cryptid #cryptidFake #cryptidTVShow #giantOwls #GodzillaSighting #GoogleEarth #HoodCryptids #OutThereCrimesOfTheParanormal #popCryptids #scryptids #Skinwalker #TheCryptidFactor #Wendigo

https://sharonahill.com/?p=9171

Pop Cryptid Spectator 3

In this edition:

• Green Eyes and the explosion of cryptid festivals
• Appalachian folk horror
• Cryptid Media – Folk horror resurgence/British Cryptids
• Pop Cryptid – Jackalope or nope?

Hello and welcome to the 3rd edition of the Pop Cryptid Spectator – my chronicle of observing the changing appearance of and attitudes towards “cryptids” in popular culture. My interest is in exploring the expansion of cryptozoology into a mass cultural phenomenon – a cornucopia of strange entities that are labeled as “cryptids”. We can see a proliferation of popular cryptids in American culture and worldwide, largely in part to newer media and communication platforms, allowing their stories to spread (and evolve) like never before. Cryptid stories can be viewed through different lenses – a point that I make with several illustrative examples.

Green Eyes and the Explosion of Cryptid Festivals

Winter is the slow season for town festivals. Now is the time where organizers are planning their summer and fall events. A new event, the Green Eyes Festival in Chickamauga, Georgia, premiered in 2024 and was a great success for the small town mostly known for its Civil War battlefield. Old Green Eyes most certainly falls into the category of Pop Cryptid, since it has no significant provenance and is more like a ghost story. The creature’s form varies widely, being a ghost or ghoul prowling the fields of the dead, or can be more like a big cat or hairy monster. The commonality is the glowing green eyes. In a recent interview on the Monster Talk podcast, the founders of the festival revealed that they knew little of “cryptids” beforehand. The two young marketing professionals had heard the spooky stories, of course, but didn’t see it as an opportunity until they visited another well-known festival. As with most modern cryptid town events, inspiration inevitably traces back to the world-renowned Mothman Festival of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. It’s the OG event that launched a hundred imitators (and growing).

Green Eyes has no established canonical legend and, as such, its story evolves as others tell it. While some may argue it’s not a cryptid at all because of the lack of a zoological lens through which to view it, as part of the Pop Cryptid model I argue that any mystery creature that people say may exist (in whatever corporeal or incorporeal form), but can’t be pinned down, falls under the popular idea of a “cryptid” and will be labeled as such.

More: About Cryptid Festivals, and a Parade of Cryptids in Small town USA. Check the list of cryptid festivals in the US and see if one is near you.

Appalachian Folk horror

Sheepsquatch

Possibly more than any other US location, small towns in Appalachia are embracing their local legends and sprucing up the image of their local creature. Appalachian folklore, often exaggerated, is packaged and sold on media platforms. The reasons for this surge in place legends is complex and somewhat disputed – likely in response to populism, a need for enchantment, and a fascination with magic and mystery in your own backyard. Some social commentators (i.e., podcasters and TikTokkers) are suggesting that the Appalachian mountains are so old that ancient eldritch beings still exist here. Ok, then…

It might just be my TikTok feed but cryptid content goes hand in hand with claims of uncanny animals and evil zooform entities that you will encounter if you venture off the trail in the eastern forests. Eh, whatev… People have totally lost touch with nature and, therefore, it’s fairly easy to freak them out. The Appalachians are culturally rich and diverse. Unfortunately, as with indigenous folklore, legends and tales from a previous time and place are being enhanced and monetized for podcasts and videos. You might consider it visual Creepypasta as creators are taking bits from old or new scary stories and manufacturing fakelore.

Cryptid Media

Folk horror resurgence – British Cryptids

It’s not just the Appalachians experiencing rising interest in the past several years with the likes of Mothman, goatman, “not deer“, and areas of high strangeness. The folk horror genre is seeing worldwide popularity. Folk horror focuses on a place, local behaviors, traditions, and history to create a sense of foreboding, particularly to the outsider who comes into the scene unaware. Aspect of folk horror include occult figures like witches, or threats from demons or Satan itself. Monstrous beings also play a big role.

In a blend of folk horror and satire (with the occasionally ancient nude), the YouTube channel British Cryptids manufactured several new cryptids under the guise of lost documentaries from 1974. The series provides a sense of nostalgia as well as unsettling confusion about what’s real and what’s imaginary. Check out their channel where the titles include ‘Yorkshire Yeti’, ‘The Hereford Twiggywitch’, ‘Stag Men’, ’The Souter Sea Wolf’, ‘The Cumbrian Dregpike’ and ‘The Woodwose of Cannock Chase’. It’s like a sophisticated version of Fearsome Creatures made famous as North American lumberjack tales – they sound plausible, if you are out alone in the dark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0-lAdhxX7U

Pop Cryptid: Jackalope

A major theme of the Pop Goes the Cryptid model is the never-ending dispute about calling something a “cryptid”. As an example, I’m going to jump right into the deep end and talk about the Jackalope, a creature that is well-associated with “cryptid” online but that almost everyone who knows some history of the topic will say is not a cryptid because it’s a mythical creature, a hoax. Not so fast…

The world was a different place centuries (or even decades) ago. Ideas and language change. If we go by the general cryptid definition of “an animal/entity that is believed to be real but not recognized by zoology” then the Jackalope has a chance to be an official cryptid. There certainly are some people who have seen so many Jackalope depictions, yet do not know their taxidermic history, that they may assume they were a real animal. And, in the early days of natural history, the “horned rabbit” was assumed to be a real, genuine, unique animal because witnesses said so.

My reference is On the Trail of the Jackalope (2022) by Michael Branch, a comprehensive book that mostly treats the creature as a cultural creation but also briefly explores the idea of its cryptidness.

“[T]he horned rabbit is unalloyed Americana—a genuine artifact of this country’s folk culture—the mythical beast has also made its way across the oceans and around the world.”

The true home of the American Jackalope is Douglas, Wyoming where, according to the locals, about half the visitors leave believing the animals are real. Do they believe, or are they just having fun believing? Hard to judge. The same might be said about most cryptids as people like to imagine that tall tales are true because it makes life seem magical. This remains a strong theme in the Jackalope biography.

Jackalope from the video game Red Dead Redemption

One can argue that a “horned rabbit” is a real thing. Cottontail rabbits with horn-like protuberances over various parts of their bodies, particularly their heads, were found to be infected with a type of papillomavirus. There can be little doubt that such stricken rabbits would be viewed as mysterious, then and now. Branch notes that the prevalence of the horned rabbit across cultures suggests that they were at least somewhat based on these natural anomalies. Branch explains that precursors to the American Jackalope are numerous. The specific Jackalope may be a Wyoming invention, but it was not the first depiction of the horned rabbit.

Early naturalists such as Conrad Gessner, Joris Hoefnagel (16th century) and others depicted the horned hare as a real animal. Later, other natural historians weren’t so sure, but this uncertainty about its existence and speculation on the cause of horned hares undoubtedly sounds like the modern idea of a “cryptid”.

But this is the 21st century. We know better now, right?

There is ample evidence to show that most people are entirely ignorant of wildlife in their own backyard, let alone the zoological catalog of known animals. As with everything else in the modern world, we get our information from popular culture, not too much directly from qualified scientific experts. Branch quotes Loren Coleman who runs the International Cryptozoology Museum regarding his inclusion of the Jackalope in the museum: “I would read visitors’ online comments… and they would say things like ‘I didn’t know that the jackalope really existed.’ ” Coleman continues by explaining he reorganized the exhibit to depict the Jackalope along with other hoaxes. To me, there is a lot to unpack in that anecdote. Do we really know which cryptid is a manufactured hoax, which are imaginary creatures that people wish to be real, which are mistaken IDs influenced by lore and campfire tales, and which are real animals? The line is very blurry and all the information is not in. (P-G film, anyone?)

I’ve greatly expanded my idea regarding what a cryptid is in the past few years. I recognize that different people are viewing cryptids through various lenses (zoological, artistic, historical, cultural, etc.) If people wish to believe horned rabbits (jackalopes, wolpertingers, or other variations) are real animals hopping around in an alternative reality, that’s OK by me, as long as they aren’t declaring that in biology class. It’s important to recognize that horned rabbits have a history that can be legitimately viewed with a zoological lens, making them not dissimilar to the history of the “Kraken” that many assume equates to the giant squid (I don’t, but that’s another complicated story), or the merfolk, which are assumed to be misidentified aquatic mammals like dugongs and manatees. The history is muddy and fraught with flips, twists, and turns. The modern “expert cryptozoologist” statements discounting any creatures as “mythological” and not worthy of the label “cryptid” don’t hold much weight. People will believe whatever they want.

There was not a common word for creatures of dubious existence, until “cryptid”. Cryptids as general “mysterious animals” has come into its own as a useful label. We know this because that is how it’s widely employed in popular culture today. It’s your point of view about reality that may vary.

For more, click on Pop goes the Cryptid landing page. While you’re there, make sure you subscribe to all the posts – it’s always free and I don’t send annoying spam. 

You can email me with comments, suggestions or questions at Popcryptid(at)proton.me

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#1 #2 #AICryptids #Bigfoot #BigfootHuntersDie #cryptid #cryptidFake #cryptidTVShow #giantOwls #GodzillaSighting #GoogleEarth #HoodCryptids #OutThereCrimesOfTheParanormal #popCryptids #scryptids #Skinwalker #TheCryptidFactor #Wendigo

https://sharonahill.com/?p=9171

Pop Cryptid Spectator 3

In this edition:

• Green Eyes and the explosion of cryptid festivals
• Appalachian folk horror
• Cryptid Media – Folk horror resurgence/British Cryptids
• Pop Cryptid – Jackalope or nope?

Hello and welcome to the 3rd edition of the Pop Cryptid Spectator – my chronicle of observing the changing appearance of and attitudes towards “cryptids” in popular culture. My interest is in exploring the expansion of cryptozoology into a mass cultural phenomenon – a cornucopia of strange entities that are labeled as “cryptids”. We can see a proliferation of popular cryptids in American culture and worldwide, largely in part to newer media and communication platforms, allowing their stories to spread (and evolve) like never before. Cryptid stories can be viewed through different lenses – a point that I make with several illustrative examples.

Green Eyes and the Explosion of Cryptid Festivals

Winter is the slow season for town festivals. Now is the time where organizers are planning their summer and fall events. A new event, the Green Eyes Festival in Chickamauga, Georgia, premiered in 2024 and was a great success for the small town mostly known for its Civil War battlefield. Old Green Eyes most certainly falls into the category of Pop Cryptid, since it has no significant provenance and is more like a ghost story. The creature’s form varies widely, being a ghost or ghoul prowling the fields of the dead, or can be more like a big cat or hairy monster. The commonality is the glowing green eyes. In a recent interview on the Monster Talk podcast, the founders of the festival revealed that they knew little of “cryptids” beforehand. The two young marketing professionals had heard the spooky stories, of course, but didn’t see it as an opportunity until they visited another well-known festival. As with most modern cryptid town events, inspiration inevitably traces back to the world-renowned Mothman Festival of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. It’s the OG event that launched a hundred imitators (and growing).

Green Eyes has no established canonical legend and, as such, its story evolves as others tell it. While some may argue it’s not a cryptid at all because of the lack of a zoological lens through which to view it, as part of the Pop Cryptid model I argue that any mystery creature that people say may exist (in whatever corporeal or incorporeal form), but can’t be pinned down, falls under the popular idea of a “cryptid” and will be labeled as such.

More: About Cryptid Festivals, and a Parade of Cryptids in Small town USA. Check the list of cryptid festivals in the US and see if one is near you.

Appalachian Folk horror

Sheepsquatch

Possibly more than any other US location, small towns in Appalachia are embracing their local legends and sprucing up the image of their local creature. Appalachian folklore, often exaggerated, is packaged and sold on media platforms. The reasons for this surge in place legends is complex and somewhat disputed – likely in response to populism, a need for enchantment, and a fascination with magic and mystery in your own backyard. Some social commentators (i.e., podcasters and TikTokkers) are suggesting that the Appalachian mountains are so old that ancient eldritch beings still exist here. Ok, then…

It might just be my TikTok feed but cryptid content goes hand in hand with claims of uncanny animals and evil zooform entities that you will encounter if you venture off the trail in the eastern forests. Eh, whatev… People have totally lost touch with nature and, therefore, it’s fairly easy to freak them out. The Appalachians are culturally rich and diverse. Unfortunately, as with indigenous folklore, legends and tales from a previous time and place are being enhanced and monetized for podcasts and videos. You might consider it visual Creepypasta as creators are taking bits from old or new scary stories and manufacturing fakelore.

Cryptid Media

Folk horror resurgence – British Cryptids

It’s not just the Appalachians experiencing rising interest in the past several years with the likes of Mothman, goatman, “not deer“, and areas of high strangeness. The folk horror genre is seeing worldwide popularity. Folk horror focuses on a place, local behaviors, traditions, and history to create a sense of foreboding, particularly to the outsider who comes into the scene unaware. Aspect of folk horror include occult figures like witches, or threats from demons or Satan itself. Monstrous beings also play a big role.

In a blend of folk horror and satire (with the occasionally ancient nude), the YouTube channel British Cryptids manufactured several new cryptids under the guise of lost documentaries from 1974. The series provides a sense of nostalgia as well as unsettling confusion about what’s real and what’s imaginary. Check out their channel where the titles include ‘Yorkshire Yeti’, ‘The Hereford Twiggywitch’, ‘Stag Men’, ’The Souter Sea Wolf’, ‘The Cumbrian Dregpike’ and ‘The Woodwose of Cannock Chase’. It’s like a sophisticated version of Fearsome Creatures made famous as North American lumberjack tales – they sound plausible, if you are out alone in the dark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0-lAdhxX7U

Pop Cryptid: Jackalope

A major theme of the Pop Goes the Cryptid model is the never-ending dispute about calling something a “cryptid”. As an example, I’m going to jump right into the deep end and talk about the Jackalope, a creature that is well-associated with “cryptid” online but that almost everyone who knows some history of the topic will say is not a cryptid because it’s a mythical creature, a hoax. Not so fast…

The world was a different place centuries (or even decades) ago. Ideas and language change. If we go by the general cryptid definition of “an animal/entity that is believed to be real but not recognized by zoology” then the Jackalope has a chance to be an official cryptid. There certainly are some people who have seen so many Jackalope depictions, yet do not know their taxidermic history, that they may assume they were a real animal. And, in the early days of natural history, the “horned rabbit” was assumed to be a real, genuine, unique animal because witnesses said so.

My reference is On the Trail of the Jackalope (2022) by Michael Branch, a comprehensive book that mostly treats the creature as a cultural creation but also briefly explores the idea of its cryptidness.

“[T]he horned rabbit is unalloyed Americana—a genuine artifact of this country’s folk culture—the mythical beast has also made its way across the oceans and around the world.”

The true home of the American Jackalope is Douglas, Wyoming where, according to the locals, about half the visitors leave believing the animals are real. Do they believe, or are they just having fun believing? Hard to judge. The same might be said about most cryptids as people like to imagine that tall tales are true because it makes life seem magical. This remains a strong theme in the Jackalope biography.

Jackalope from the video game Red Dead Redemption

One can argue that a “horned rabbit” is a real thing. Cottontail rabbits with horn-like protuberances over various parts of their bodies, particularly their heads, were found to be infected with a type of papillomavirus. There can be little doubt that such stricken rabbits would be viewed as mysterious, then and now. Branch notes that the prevalence of the horned rabbit across cultures suggests that they were at least somewhat based on these natural anomalies. Branch explains that precursors to the American Jackalope are numerous. The specific Jackalope may be a Wyoming invention, but it was not the first depiction of the horned rabbit.

Early naturalists such as Conrad Gessner, Joris Hoefnagel (16th century) and others depicted the horned hare as a real animal. Later, other natural historians weren’t so sure, but this uncertainty about its existence and speculation on the cause of horned hares undoubtedly sounds like the modern idea of a “cryptid”.

But this is the 21st century. We know better now, right?

There is ample evidence to show that most people are entirely ignorant of wildlife in their own backyard, let alone the zoological catalog of known animals. As with everything else in the modern world, we get our information from popular culture, not too much directly from qualified scientific experts. Branch quotes Loren Coleman who runs the International Cryptozoology Museum regarding his inclusion of the Jackalope in the museum: “I would read visitors’ online comments… and they would say things like ‘I didn’t know that the jackalope really existed.’ ” Coleman continues by explaining he reorganized the exhibit to depict the Jackalope along with other hoaxes. To me, there is a lot to unpack in that anecdote. Do we really know which cryptid is a manufactured hoax, which are imaginary creatures that people wish to be real, which are mistaken IDs influenced by lore and campfire tales, and which are real animals? The line is very blurry and all the information is not in. (P-G film, anyone?)

I’ve greatly expanded my idea regarding what a cryptid is in the past few years. I recognize that different people are viewing cryptids through various lenses (zoological, artistic, historical, cultural, etc.) If people wish to believe horned rabbits (jackalopes, wolpertingers, or other variations) are real animals hopping around in an alternative reality, that’s OK by me, as long as they aren’t declaring that in biology class. It’s important to recognize that horned rabbits have a history that can be legitimately viewed with a zoological lens, making them not dissimilar to the history of the “Kraken” that many assume equates to the giant squid (I don’t, but that’s another complicated story), or the merfolk, which are assumed to be misidentified aquatic mammals like dugongs and manatees. The history is muddy and fraught with flips, twists, and turns. The modern “expert cryptozoologist” statements discounting any creatures as “mythological” and not worthy of the label “cryptid” don’t hold much weight. People will believe whatever they want.

There was not a common word for creatures of dubious existence, until “cryptid”. Cryptids as general “mysterious animals” has come into its own as a useful label. We know this because that is how it’s widely employed in popular culture today. It’s your point of view about reality that may vary.

For more, click on Pop goes the Cryptid landing page. While you’re there, make sure you subscribe to all the posts – it’s always free and I don’t send annoying spam. 

You can email me with comments, suggestions or questions at Popcryptid(at)proton.me

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#1 #2 #AICryptids #Bigfoot #BigfootHuntersDie #cryptid #cryptidFake #cryptidTVShow #giantOwls #GodzillaSighting #GoogleEarth #HoodCryptids #OutThereCrimesOfTheParanormal #popCryptids #scryptids #Skinwalker #TheCryptidFactor #Wendigo

https://sharonahill.com/?p=9171

The list of Cryptid Town Festivals keeps growing! More towns are celebrating their local monsters or cryptid creeps in a very public way. Summer and Fall 2024 brought us several new events to serve as evidence of the Pop Cryptid phenomenon across the US. Building on the success of the Mothman Festival, in particular, communities recognize the value of a monster mascot in their town. Cryptid-themed festivals often follow the general layout and activities made famous by Point Pleasant, with food trucks, vendors, music and speakers, attracting visitors and dollars to the town. Some cryptid attractions are more adult oriented with their beer gardens and grown-up cosplay. Others are family friendly with lots of kids events – because kids LOVE cryptids!

As shown in the examples below, the trend is very much about the storytelling and fun, and has little to do with the original aim of finding mystery animals new to science. We also see the term “cryptid” used ever more broadly and loosely to cover a wide array of weird beings.

Here are some of the latest Pop Cryptid events in small-town USA for 2024:

Green Eyes Festival

New this year is an event in honor of a Civil War era ghoul called “Green Eyes”. After being inspired by the local legend of a glow-eyed creature – more of a ghost than a mystery animal who reportedly prowls the Chickamauga, Georgia battlefield – the organizers used the template set by the world-famous Mothman Festival in West Virginia. The event caught the attention of community leaders. Very much in line with the phenomenon of Pop Cryptids, Chickamauga’s Economic Development and Events Director, Eric Pullen said, “I feel like this is going to create a new image for Chickamauga to a younger generation that primarily sees it as based on civil war history.” The first Green Eyes Festival, that honors the folklore and culture of Northwest Georgia/Southeast Tennessee, is Oct 5, 2024 and includes Green Eyes being awarded the keys to the city of Chickamauga.

Squonkapalooza

Johnstown, Pennsylvania hosted the second annual Squonkapalooza event to celebrate cryptids, particularly the ever-more popular Squonk. The squonk is a made-up creature first noted in the 1910 book Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods by William T. Cox. The squonk is dog-sized and excessively wrinkly, warty and so ugly that it cries constantly and, if caught, will dissolve into a pool of tears. The squonk has been unofficially noted as the “state cryptid of Pennsylvania”, an accolade that would be up for vigorous debate! According to the news report, visitors to the festival this year did seem to consider the squonk as some kind of mystery animal, more akin to the traditional view of cryptids. Maybe they didn’t know the silly backstory. But, more likely, they are just experiencing the Pop Cryptid wave of interest in weird creature tales just for fun.

Bigfoot and the Gateway to the Mysterious

The previous month, some 40 miles or so west of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Derry Borough mayor Grant Nicely issued a proclamation in August, 2024 to declare Bigfoot as the official cryptid of the borough. Bigfoot is a big deal to folks around Greensburg, Uniontown, and the Chestnut Ridge area. Cryptid sightings, and associated high strangeness, have been reported in the region for decades. In the past few years, thanks to social media and the increasing popularity of strange stories propagating online, the area has become a “a hub for those fascinated by the unexplained.” The proclamation now designates Derry Borough as “The Gateway to the Mysterious Chestnut Ridge” encouraging residents and visitors to explore its mysteries and drop some dough.

Flathead Lake monster sculpture

A sculpture of the Flathead Lake Monster was revealed at the Sacajawea Park in Polson, Montana in September 2024. The Polson Mayor, Eric Huffine, opened the ceremony to unveil the bronze statue, saying there are more than 100 years of stories and legends of the monster from Flathead Lake in Kalispell, also known as Flossie. They are very proud of their own beastie.

Have news of a cryptid festival or monument in your town? Contact [email protected]

https://moderncryptozoology.wordpress.com/2024/10/02/parade-of-cryptids-in-small-town-usa/

#Bigfoot #cryptidFestival #cryptids #Georgia #GreenEyes #lakeMonsters #mascots #monsterLegends #monsters #Montana #MothmanFestival #Pennsylvania #Squonk

The list of Cryptid Town Festivals keeps growing! More towns are celebrating their local monsters or cryptid creeps in a very public way. Summer and Fall 2024 brought us several new events to serve as evidence of the Pop Cryptid phenomenon across the US. Building on the success of the Mothman Festival, in particular, communities recognize the value of a monster mascot in their town. Cryptid-themed festivals often follow the general layout and activities made famous by Point Pleasant, with food trucks, vendors, music and speakers, attracting visitors and dollars to the town. Some cryptid attractions are more adult oriented with their beer gardens and grown-up cosplay. Others are family friendly with lots of kids events – because kids LOVE cryptids!

As shown in the examples below, the trend is very much about the storytelling and fun, and has little to do with the original aim of finding mystery animals new to science. We also see the term “cryptid” used ever more broadly and loosely to cover a wide array of weird beings.

Here are some of the latest Pop Cryptid events in small-town USA for 2024:

Green Eyes Festival

New this year is an event in honor of a Civil War era ghoul called “Green Eyes”. After being inspired by the local legend of a glow-eyed creature – more of a ghost than a mystery animal who reportedly prowls the Chickamauga, Georgia battlefield – the organizers used the template set by the world-famous Mothman Festival in West Virginia. The event caught the attention of community leaders. Very much in line with the phenomenon of Pop Cryptids, Chickamauga’s Economic Development and Events Director, Eric Pullen said, “I feel like this is going to create a new image for Chickamauga to a younger generation that primarily sees it as based on civil war history.” The first Green Eyes Festival, that honors the folklore and culture of Northwest Georgia/Southeast Tennessee, is Oct 5, 2024 and includes Green Eyes being awarded the keys to the city of Chickamauga.

Squonkapalooza

Johnstown, Pennsylvania hosted the second annual Squonkapalooza event to celebrate cryptids, particularly the ever-more popular Squonk. The squonk is a made-up creature first noted in the 1910 book Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods by William T. Cox. The squonk is dog-sized and excessively wrinkly, warty and so ugly that it cries constantly and, if caught, will dissolve into a pool of tears. The squonk has been unofficially noted as the “state cryptid of Pennsylvania”, an accolade that would be up for vigorous debate! According to the news report, visitors to the festival this year did seem to consider the squonk as some kind of mystery animal, more akin to the traditional view of cryptids. Maybe they didn’t know the silly backstory. But, more likely, they are just experiencing the Pop Cryptid wave of interest in weird creature tales just for fun.

Bigfoot and the Gateway to the Mysterious

The previous month, some 40 miles or so west of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Derry Borough mayor Grant Nicely issued a proclamation in August, 2024 to declare Bigfoot as the official cryptid of the borough. Bigfoot is a big deal to folks around Greensburg, Uniontown, and the Chestnut Ridge area. Cryptid sightings, and associated high strangeness, have been reported in the region for decades. In the past few years, thanks to social media and the increasing popularity of strange stories propagating online, the area has become a “a hub for those fascinated by the unexplained.” The proclamation now designates Derry Borough as “The Gateway to the Mysterious Chestnut Ridge” encouraging residents and visitors to explore its mysteries and drop some dough.

Flathead Lake monster sculpture

A sculpture of the Flathead Lake Monster was revealed at the Sacajawea Park in Polson, Montana in September 2024. The Polson Mayor, Eric Huffine, opened the ceremony to unveil the bronze statue, saying there are more than 100 years of stories and legends of the monster from Flathead Lake in Kalispell, also known as Flossie. They are very proud of their own beastie.

Have news of a cryptid festival or monument in your town? Contact [email protected]

https://moderncryptozoology.wordpress.com/2024/10/02/parade-of-cryptids-in-small-town-usa/

#Bigfoot #cryptidFestival #cryptids #Georgia #GreenEyes #lakeMonsters #mascots #monsterLegends #monsters #Montana #MothmanFestival #Pennsylvania #Squonk