Mothman Festival 2019

Another Mothman Festival is in the bag!  This year, instead of manning a vendor's table, Aaron, Luke, and I participated simply as spectators...and we had a blast.

Although the festival is a 3-day event, we decided to go down on Saturday.  That Saturday was also special for another reason:  not only was it a day to celebrate Mothman's unique history and contribution to the paranormal world, but it was Luke's 10th birthday!  Therefore, we sort of let HIM (Luke, not Mothman) call the shots.  We arrived in town around 11 am, and as soon as we crossed the bridge into Point Pleasant, we KNEW this festival was a big one---traffic to Krodel Park, where parking and shuttle service were available, was crazy.  But, it didn't take too long, and we made it to Krodel, found a parking spot, and after only a short wait, were on the shuttle to downtown 'Mothman City.'

Luckily, my family and I live about 40 minutes away from Point Pleasant (dubbed 'Mothman City' by Luke when he was little) and we enjoy visiting the area throughout the year.  So, we've seen the totally awesome Mothman Museum and have had our picture taken with the Mothman statue on non-festival days.  Therefore, we were able to skip the lines for those iconic activities and explore what else the festival had to offer.  Luke was hungry, so we decided to start off with some lunch.

Again, because we live so close and visit so often, we were able to skip some of the more sought after sit-down restaurants in the area and went straight for the fair fare.  I had my favorite, ribbon fries, Aaron had pizza, and Luke had a corn dog and fries, which he washed down with a purple alien full of lemonade. The guys also split an order of fried cookie dough with the clever moniker of 'Moth Balls.'

We took our food over to the riverfront amphitheater and caught about half of the costume contest.  I really wish we had gotten there a little earlier, because what we caught of the contest was absolutely awe-inspiring.  There were so many great costumes, many of which featured an interpretation of Mothman himself, and so many of the participants REALLY got into their characters.  All the costumes were wonderful, but I had a soft spot for the Yip Yaps of Sesame Street!

Since we were mainly doing stuff Luke wanted to do, I only got to catch one guest speaker at the haunted State Theater this year.  Brian Seech, a cryptozoologist, UFOlogist, and paranormal researcher with the Center for Unexplained Events, gave an interesting presentation on 'Winged Entities from Antiquity to Present Day.' While I was learning about different winged humanoids from different cultures and different time periods, Luke was mauling himself, as he does every year, on the Wipe Out-style inflatable.

Luke also won a stuffed animal playing a balloon darts game, threw food into Slimer's mouth over at the Ghost Busters tent, met some Star Wars characters, and picked up a few souvenirs.  I ran into Les from WV Cryptids and Strange Encounters and tried to say hi to the guys at Wild and Weird West Virginia, but they were so busy!  I was thrilled to see that Andrew Smith was in attendance, representing the Flatwoods Monster Museum and giving a talk about West Virginia's other favorite monster at the State Theater. As always, the festival was overrun with awesome vendors selling the absolute coolest UFO, cryptid, paranormal, and horror merch around, and there were so many cool authors, researchers, and organizations representing this community.  And what a great community it is!  Sometime I always note about the festival each year is just how freaking nice everyone is.  I have been to the annual Mothman Festival well over a dozen times and its eerie just how sweet, compassionate, and understanding everyone I've ever encountered there has been.  People from all walks of life and from all geographical locations (we were on a shuttle with families from New York, Pittsburgh, Virginia and Kentucky) come together for this shared glimpse into one little town's brush with the unexplained.  It really is heartwarming, but I don't wanna get too sappy, because I haven't yet mentioned our favorite part of the festival this year...

WE MET JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER!

So, several years ago I stumbled across a YouTube channel for a guy called The Carpetbagger who traveled the United States, visiting weird festivals, strange roadside attractions, haunted places, museums, and just all kinds of cool places.  As time progressed, Luke and Aaron also started watching with me, and it became the norm during family dinner time to flip on the television and see where The Carpetbagger had been to recently. 

Last year, The Carpetbagger was at the festival as a spectator, and Aaron got to meet him five freaking minutes after I had walked away from our table to see a speaker down at the State Theater.  I was super jealous, so when I heard that The Carpetbagger would be an actual guest this year, I knew that no matter what, I was meeting him.  Luke was super excited as well, talking about how he was going to get to meet a famous celebrity.

I was not disappointed.  We met Jacob and his wife, and they were both just as nice and down to earth as they appear in their videos.  Luke was shy, but Jacob shook his hand and wished him a happy birthday.  We bought t-shirts, a Carpetbagger pressed penny, and a button.  Of course, Luke and I had to have our picture taken with him, since Aaron had received that honor the previous year.  Since then, we've had a blast watching the videos The Carpetbagger has uploaded from his Mothman Festival trip.  He got to stay in the super haunted, super creepy Lowe Hotel and proudly completed Hillbilly Hotdog's Homewrecker Challenge.

As always, I walked away from the Mothman Festival feeling so happy to have had the opportunity to be a part of this annual gathering.  So much work goes into providing this FREE festival, and Jeff Wamsley and his crew do such a great job keeping this festival growing and evolving from year to year.  If you can make it to the Mothman Festival (it takes place the third weekend of September), I highly encourage you to do so.  It's a great resource to see top-notch researchers and authors share their knowledge on stage in a haunted theater, to meet members of the paranormal community in person, and to have access to a huge variety of artwork, books, movies, and other souvenirs, all in one spot. If you can't make it to a festival, I still encourage you to visit Pt. Pleasant any time of year!  The museum is open year round and the famous Mothman statue is available any time for photos.  The Lowe Hotel is an affordable place to spend a night and possibly see a ghost, and if asked, most locals in town will give you directions on how to get to the TNT area to see the open bunkers!

There's no way I could cover ALL the activities, speakers, vendors and guests that make The Mothman Festival one of the most unique in the country, so if you're interested in learning more about it, beyond my very narrow view point, please visit the Mothman Festival's Facebook page and website.  Stay spooky, my friends! 


Mothman Festival 2018

Mothman Festival 2017

Mothman Festival 2016

Mothman Festival 2015

Spooky YouTube Subscriptions, Volume 4

It's been awhile since I've done a Spooky YouTube Subscriptions post!  Since we're getting closer and closer to Halloween, I thought it would be the perfect time to share another batch of spooky YouTube channels that I enjoy.  These channels are great for hearing some scary paranormal stories, getting some paranormal investigation tips, or simply vicariously visiting plenty of haunted locations and creepy festivals.  There should be a little something for everyone listed here to get you in a spooky mood for Halloween!

1. LoeyLane:  Loey Lane's channel is full of spooky story times, adventures in paranormal investigation, conspiracy theories, and lots of other strange and ghostly topics.  She  seems like a genuinely sweet person who just happens to have a penchant for attracting some really weird stuff!

2. Hailey Reese:  Hailey is a friend of Loey's and also has a really fascinating channel on which she explores a variety of paranormal topics, including paranormal investigation and the true story behind some of Hollywood's weirdest horror films. 

3. Mothman Historian:  I just recently came across this next channel, and while the Mothman Historian doesn't have a ton of videos on the channel, what's there is an awesome glimpse into the creature lore of West Virginia.  Take a peek!

4. The Carpetbagger:  Jacob the Carpetbagger is one of my favorite YouTube personalities!  He travels the country exploring classic roadside attractions, museums, festivals, and anything odd or interesting.  He visits a lot of places that are just plain weird---but he also often visits places of interest to those in the paranormal and/or cryptozoological field.  For example, just last month, he made an appearance at the annual Mothman Festival!

5. Weldon Paranormal:  Keith Weldon is the co-founder of Chill Seekers and is a paranormal investigator/researcher.  His channel is full of interesting videos with a concentration on paranormal investigation equipment.

6. The WV Network:  This channel has a series of videos which feature re-tellings of WV ghost stories found in the iconic book, The Tell-Tale Lilac Bush.  These are great little stories to listen to whenever you're in the mood for a quick dose of classic West Virginia ghost lore.

Well, I think six channels is enough for the fourth edition of Spooky YouTube Subscriptions.  If you know of any other channels that you think I should feature in an upcoming YouTube blog, please hop on over to Theresa's Haunted History Facebook and let me know.  Also, don't forget to check below for links to my previous YouTube recommendations.  Have fun exploring some spooky new video content!

Previous Spooky YouTube Subscription Videos
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3

Mothman Festival 2018

Another year and another Mothman Festival behind us.  For me, the Mothman Festival usually signifies the official beginning of the Halloween season, and this was one of the most fun years yet!

For the second year in a row, I didn't get my own vendor table, but I DID end up Saturday helping Aaron work the table his aunt/mother rented, and despite the unbearable heat, we had a really nice time.  That oppressive heat kept me from moving around too much, but I did get out a few times to see the sights.

One of the first things I did this year was see Tonya and Joey Madia speak at the State Theater.  Their talk, titled "Ghostesses, Portals, and MIBs: Our Haunted Life So Far", was a really interesting look at the hauntings and other strange things they've witnessed while living in West Virginia and elsewhere, as well as their journey into becoming investigators of the paranormal and developing their psychic gifts.  I was personally fascinated with the story they told about an odd experience of theirs after visiting Pt. Pleasant's famous TNT area.  An episode of missing time and a shared visual sighting of an interdimensional being on the side of the road led to a series of friendships and opportunities that resulted in them being able to share their knowledge on the Mothman Festival stage.

Joey and Tonya Madia's Speaker Promo

While I was glad I got to catch the Madias'  talk, it couldn't have come at a worse time!  Shortly after settling into my seat at the back of the theater, I get a text message from Aaron, saying he had met Jacob The Carpetbagger!!!

For a couple of years now, I've been following the Carpetbagger on YouTube.  I love his dry wit and hilarious commentary as he travels around the country visiting strange festivals, unique museums, old school roadside attractions, and just about everything else strange and fascinating.  A couple of months ago, Aaron sat down and watched a few of the Carpetbaggers videos with me and apparently became an instant fan.  I was really upset I didn't get to meet the Carpetbagger, but was quite bemused that Aaron actually shows up IN THE CARPETBAGGER'S MOTHMAN FESTIVAL VIDEO!!!!

Aaron and The Carpetbagger

My other highlight of the festival was spending way too much money.  I picked up a Mothman headband and ornament from a vendor outside the Mason Jar.  I bought a kickass pair of Mothman leggings from a little boutique on Main Street.  I picked up two books, The Unexplained Presents The South Dakota Road Guide to Haunted Locations and The Unexplained Presents The Iowa Road Guide to Haunted Locations, both by Chad Lewis and Terry Fisk. Aaron walked away with a huge bag of baked goods.

We also purchased a few pieces of epic art from The Art of Eerie Eric.  Eerie Eric takes these idyllic, pastoral painted scenes...and then adds a creepy twist!  Unfortunately, we weren't for us---we purchased them for an out-of-town friend who couldn't make it to the festival.  But, we are definitely planning on ordering something online in the near future!

Sample of Eerie Eric's art! 

Like every year, we were completely blown away by how nice everyone was.  There is simply no place like the Mothman Festival where people from so many walks of life come together to celebrate cryptozoology, the paranormal, horror, history, and fandom in peace.  The big draw for this year's festival was Bethesda.  Their new Fallout 76 game features several creatures from WV mythology, notably the Mothman, so giveaways, cosplay, and exclusive merchandise were big hits this year.  And again, for another year we were so blown away by the level of creativity displayed by the various vendors.  For all price points, you can take away a really cool handmade Mothman souvenir, fine art, T-shirts, books, and so much more.  The variety of food offerings was also really good this year, and there were plenty of Mothman themed treats to go around.

I can't wait to go back next year, but first I've got a few more paranormal conventions and events to tackle!  Stay spooky, ya'll!