FOREST CO., Pa. (EYT) – Preparations are underway in Forest County for an all-new event featuring a familiar but elusive figure: Bigfoot.
(Photo courtesy of Forest County Business Alliance)
The first-ever Forest County Bigfoot Festival is scheduled to take place on Friday, June 11, in Marienville.
According to local business owner Dave Yeany, members of the Forest County Business Alliance had been looking for an idea for a new event when he made the suggestion of looking to a well-known legend for inspiration.
“People are really interested in the Bigfoot phenomenon, and I was thinking of something different we could have in our area,” Yeany told CookForest.com.
After having Bigfoot hunters in the area several years ago, the library had put on a program about the elusive cryptid, and it drew some attention, Yeany said.
“It’s something people can have fun with. The idea is to have a fun festival that is different and has a different theme and see where it takes us.”
While Forest County is small, measuring at a total of just 430 square miles, it contains parts of both the Allegheny National Forest and Cook Forest State Park, leaving it with some large wilderness areas ideal for those in search of the legendary humanoid.
A Bigfoot hunt, of the more playful variety, will be one of the activities during the festival as well, according to Yeany.
The hunt will have two parts, one involving geocaching, which uses GPS to find hidden containers called caches, and another part that will involve participants looking for a Bigfoot figure in the woods.
There will also be speakers who will be sharing their own stories regarding Bigfoot sightings and experiences.
The festival will also include vendors, kids’ activities, and live music, including a bluegrass band that will be traveling from Virginia to perform.
“The idea is to have a festival that is different. We want people to walk away and remember this as a different experience.”
Yeany noted that there was some concern about getting the festival off the ground this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but despite some difficulties, the business alliance is forging forward with the plans.
“We still have a lot of planning and things to finalize, but we’re already seeing a lot of interest in it.”
According to Yeany, they are still hoping to sign on a few more vendors for the event.
“The only thing we ask is that they sell at least one thing related to Bigfoot at the event. It doesn’t have to be anything big; it could just be a keychain or something. We just want to make sure people can find something related to our theme.”
Interested vendors can reach out to Robin Sharrow at the Forest County Business Alliance for more information.
“This is still a work in progress, but I truly think it will be a lot of fun.”