ROCKINGHAM — A cryptid is described as a creature whose existence is not accepted by mainstream science, such as Big Foot, the Mothman, and the Flatwoods Monster. EncounterQuest will be bringing them to Richmond County March 31 for their first annual event.
“We wanted to bring something new and fun, something different than summer fest,” explained EncounterQuest’s Co-Creator Kim Ristau.
The Richmond County Tourism Development Authority Board approved a grant application for the event for $5,000 on Tuesday.
EncounterQuest’s two-day event will focus on cryptids, aliens, and Big Foot. Ristau explained that there’s a huge interest in cryptids, with the Big Foot Festival in Marion, North Carolina, bringing in 37,000 people.
“There’s a huge amount of people that are interested in Big Foot, aliens, and cryptids,” Ristau said. “That’s just a Big Foot event, ours event is all encompassing of Big Foot, aliens, and cryptids.”
Richmond County was chosen by EncounterQuest due to its location for two reasons. Being in the middle of the state allows people from both eastern and western parts of the state to attend the event, and its proximity to the Uwharrie Forest.
“We want to center around the Uwharrie forest because nobody else has done that yet, and there’s been several sighting and experiences in the forest,” Ristau said. “We want Richmond County to be the home of this event,” adding that they plan to make this event bigger and better each year.
Reportedly, there have been several Bigfoot sightings in Montgomery County, and the subject has been depicted by Animal Planet.
The event will host a number of speakers, including the Alien Hunter Derrel Sims, NC Squatch Watchers, and Ron Morehead. It will be hosted at the Cole Auditorium in Hamlet from March 31 to April 1, with doors opening at 9:00 a.m.
Other events
Richmond County will also be see a number of events in the coming months. Spring Fest will be on April 22, hosting music performances by Bucky Covington, a barbeque contest with a reward of a thousand dollars and a pig trophy, and a beer garden. The festival will begin at 11 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. More information can be found on https://visitrichmondcounty.com and the Richmond County Chamber of Commerce website.
In downtown Rockingham, Plaza Jam will kick off its twentieth anniversary on the first Thursday of May. Plaza Jam will have live music and food, and will be on the first Thursday of every month until October.
The Rockingham Speedway will see America’s largest traveling car show, the Hot Rod Power Tour on June 14 during their 75th anniversary tour. There will be over 6,000 cars and trucks ranging from all decades, drag racing, autocross, and live entertainment. Tourism Director Meghann Lambeth said that hotels in the area are already at full capacity for that weekend.