Bigfoot a big hit in Olive Hill

The second annual Carter County Bigfoot Festival left a larger footprint in Olive Hill on Saturday, September 12. Crowds last year were reported to exceed 5,000 and this year’s crowds appear to have grown substantially. Organizers estimated that more than 8,000 people descended upon the Depot in Olive Hill.
The event coordinator, Tabatha Steagall, said that people had travelled from multiple states including Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, and Kansas to enjoy a day of celebrating the most famous “undiscovered” creature in the world.
Patrons braved the rain that set in around 11 a.m. and lingered sporadically to hear stories from Bigfoot researchers, compete in a Bigfoot calling contest, and see celebrities known for exploring the wild such as Turtle Man, Swamp Man, and Wild Bill from Sons of Appalachia. The Scooby Doo Gang was on hand as well, along with the Mystery Machine, and the General Lee from the television show Dukes of Hazard.
Vendors set up around the Depot with everything from original cryptid themed art, 3D printed Bigfoots, and laser etched woodcrafts from the popular Wood Boogers wood engravings. Need a Bigfoot in a UK Basketball jersey? They had it. Along with metal crafted signage and ornaments, as well as stuffed cryptids from Mothman to Bigfoot and beyond.
The rain barely slowed the crowds as patrons retrieved umbrellas from nearby vehicles, or in many cases simply walked through the rain or ducked under the canopies of vendors. The kids, of course, made the rain itself into an event. One girl pulled along an inflatable, rainbow colored dolphin, dipping it into small patches of water that pooled along the pavement in the rain. Other young patrons (and a few older ones) merely stomped through it between the food trucks and vendor stalls.
And as for the cryptid with the famous foot? He (and she) was represented multiple times, each wearing colorful shirts with logos like, “Done Peopling,” and “I Don’t Believe in You Either.” There were tall Bigfoots and short Bigfoots, and patrons of the festival couldn’t wait to capture selfies with the normally elusive creature. One needs proof of a Bigfoot sighting, after all, and the proof was right there at the Carter County Bigfoot Festival.
Steagall said she was glad to see so many people enjoying themselves. That was her goal last year, after all, and continues to be her goal.
Beyond the fun, the festival also has a serious economic impact on the area. People from at least half a dozen other states visited Olive Hill and while there got to see what Carter County has to offer. It is a positive influx for local tourism and local businesses, with many patrons of the festival making purchases beyond vendors and food trucks at the festival itself. And the “footprint” of the Carter County Bigfoot Festival can only get bigger.
Steagall said she is going to take a breath and then begin planning for the 2027 festival. This year’s success is sure to expand interest and attract more people interested in the field of cryptids like Bigfoot. Another famous cryptid, The Mothman, has spawned a weekend festival that takes over all of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and there is no reason the Carter County Bigfoot Festival can’t at least approach that size.

Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com