Mothman Festival (2002 - 2010)

## **1. Mothman Festival 2002**

Jeff Wamsley of the Mothman Museum and Carolin Harris of the Mothman Diner started the Festival in response to the increasing public interest and awareness of the Mothman mystery and to celebrate the release of the Hollywood movie, The Mothman Prophecies, loosely based on the John Keel’s book of the same title.

On Saturday November 16th 2002, The First Annual Mothman Festival was held in downtown Point Pleasant, WV. There were about 2,000 in attendance and approximately 200 people who took part in the eerie TNT Hayride. Jeff Wamsley and the other festival organizers had just over 2 weeks to prepare for the year's event.

There were several Mothman exhibits, including movie props, private collections, and many more rarities. There were games and activities for the kids, live entertainment, crafts from local merchants and the exclusive Mothman Hayride which delved into the TNT Area where the Mothman was first sighted.

* **Source(s):** https://web.archive.org/web/20030119034532/http://www.mothmanlives.com/indexMAIN.html

## **2. Mothman Festival 2003**

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On Saturday September 13th 2003, The 2nd annual Mothman Festival was held in Point Pleasant. Mothman investigators from all corners of the country and even Mothman Prophecies author John Keel himself attended the event as the special guest of honor.

The host of the day, John Keel was flown in for the official unveiling of the gigantic 12-foot-tall stainless steel Mothman sculpture on Gunn Street. The statue was done by Bob Roach of New Haven, West Virginia.

Keel stayed at the Lowe Hotel, just as he did when he visited Point Pleasant in the 60's. This was the last time that John Keel would visit Point Pleasant.

The Mothman Museum later acquired Keel's white suit and black undershirt from the historic Mothman unveiling ceremony and put it on display in the Museum along with several other Keel artifacts.

According to Loren Coleman "Keel’s appearances would be few and far between. But his sense of humor never left him, including wearing that all white suit to the Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, for the unveiling of the new Mothman replica"

Jeff Wamsley, who organized the Festival and the Mothman Museum, said "I have to laugh when I think back to the 2003 festival when (Keel) came to unveil the Mothman statue in Gunn Park. The time came for him to do the official unveiling and he was nowhere to be found. They finally located him eating breakfast at Harris Steakhouse"

He said “When I told him we were ready for him to kick things off, he looks me straight in the eye and says ‘they’ll just have to wait until I finish my breakfast.’ He finally made his way out to the statue, and the rest is history.”

There were plenty for festival visitors to see such as exhibits, displays and merchandise. Hayrides and tours of the TNT area were given during the early evening, after a day of local speakers and a visit from Bill Geist of “CBS Sunday Morning.” The Geist report was originally broadcast on September 28th 2003, and then repeated on August 29th 2004.

The festival ended with Mothman guided tours through The TNT area where the legend all began 37 years before. Rides lasted well into the midnight hour because of all of the visitors.

* **Source(s):** http://cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/white-suit/
* http://cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/wamsley-profile/
* https://web.archive.org/web/20040203155206/http://www.mothmanlives.com/indexMAIN.html

## **3. Mothman Festival 2004**

   On Saturday September 18th and Sunday September 19th of 2004, the 3rd annual Mothman Festival was held in downtown Point Pleasant. **This was the first time The Mothman Festival was a 2 day event.**

Mothman fans and investigators from all over the world braved the elements and came to join in on the events and special activities. The festival took place during stormy weather, **Hurricane IVAN** was going on at the time.

Mothman Prophecies author John Keel made plans for a return visit but wasn't unable to attend. Keel called Festival organizer Jeff Wamsley the week prior out of his concern for this year's festival and the weather situation. He was very happy to hear that the festival went ahead as planned.

The event featured everything from Mothman displays, guest speakers, Mothman merchandise. Mothman book authors, museum displays, movie props, food, live bands and TNT area guided tours.

The Mothman band performed on both Saturday and Sunday bringing back their special brand of acoustic-pop rock that impressed everyone at the last two previous Mothman festivals. "Kent Boogie" hit the stage on Saturday afternoon.

* **Source(s):** https://web.archive.org/web/20040824013811/http://www.mothmanlives.com/indexMAIN.html
* https://web.archive.org/web/20041012050534/http://www.mothmanlives.com/indexMAIN.html
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane\_Ivan

## **4. Mothman Festival 2005**

   On Friday September 16th and Saturday September 17th 2005, the 4th annual Mothman Festival took place in downtown Point Pleasant.

The TNT tours and hayrides attracted upwards of 600 Mothman fans on Saturday evening September 17th, following festival activities in downtown Point Pleasant. Ticket holders were entertained by the Mothman band who hail from neighboring Portsmouth and Ironton, Ohio.

### **Guest speakers:**

* Rosemary Guiley
* Susan Sheppard
* Robin Pyatt Bellamy
* Dave Peyton
* Chad Lambert

### **Visitors:**

The History Channel film crew attended The Mothman festival in addition to shooting on location in the TNT area with original Mothman eyewitness Linda Scarberry. The crew casually strolled amidst the large festival crowd in hopes of catching a quick glimpse of Mothman himself.

New York film maker Matt Pellowski was in town during the Mothman Festival preparing for his Mothman documentary which was later named "Eyes of The Mothman". It was set to begin production in the following few months. Also attending were the guys from Ghostly Talk radio as well as Nathan Pazsint and crew of the Stockhom Agency who made Mothman Merch.

* **Source(s):** https://web.archive.org/web/20051103045450/http://www.mothmanlives.com/indexMAIN.html

## **5. Mothman Festival 2006**

* Faye Dewitt-Leport and Linda Scarberry
* Merle Partridge
* Black '57 Chevy
1/14On Saturday September 16th and Sunday September 17th 2006, the 5th annual Mothman Festival was held in downtown Point Pleasant. The year marked the 40th anniversary of Mothman's debut appearance near the TNT area back in November of 1966. The success and magnitude of the Mothman Festival continued to grow. The festival began at 10 a.m. Saturday in Gunn Park, where the Mothman statue stands, and concluded on Sunday.

Among the new events were a Mothman weight and power lifting contest. In addition, events return from past festivals, including haunted hay rides and tram tours. The Mothman Band was also there for its fifth appearance. The band played from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday near the Mothman statue. Speeches were held at the Point Pleasant Riverfront Park Amphitheater.

### **Guest Speakers:**

* Comic Book Creator **Chad Lambert**
* Writer/Paranormal Investigator **Robin Bellamy**
* Former Herald Dispatch Field Reporter **Ralph Turner** (who worked for the paper in 1966)
* Researcher/Author **Loren Coleman** (46 years of work)

On Saturday, Loren Coleman spoke on the topic of Cryptozoology and Mothman sightings in his talk, "The Real Mothman". On Sunday, he served on a panel or lecture on the psychological aftermath in the wake of the Mothman phenomena and Silver Bridge collapse.

### **Visitors:**

Witnesses Linda Scarberry, Faye Dewitt-Leport and Merle Partridge were all at The Mothman Festival in 2006. There were also classic cars there such as a Black '57 Chevy which was the type of car the Scarberry and Mallettes were in during their Mothman sighting.

* **Source(s):** https://web.archive.org/web/20060717102046/http://www.mothmanlives.com/indexMAIN.html
* http://cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/mmfest06/
* https://web.archive.org/web/20080219204239/http://www.mothmanmuseum.com/MothmanLives/mothmanfestival/mothmanfestival.html

## **6. Mothman Festival 2007**

   On Saturday September 15th and Sunday September 16th 2007, the 6th annual Mothman Festival took place in downtown Point Pleasant. At 10AM the Mayor Marilyn McDaniel and the festival staff welcomed people to The Mothman Festival at the Mothman Statue.

### **Guest speakers:**

Guest speakers answering questions and discussed their topics in an open forum format at the Riverfront amphitheater following their lectures. The guest speaker event was hosted by the crew from Ghostly Talk radio.

#### **Saturday, September 15th**

* 11:00 Chad Lambert (Mothman Comic Writer and Creator)
* 12:00 Ryan Buell (Investigator and Host of A&E Paranormal State TV series)
* 1:00 Susan Sheppard (Writer and "Ghosthunter" Speaking on "Woodrow Derenberger and Indrid cold")
* 2:00 Robin Peyatt Bellamy (Author and Mothman Witness, Speaking on "Vortex In Point Pleasant-Lowe Hotel Hauntings")
* 3:00 Rosemary Guiley (Author, Speaking on "Mothman throughout History")
* 4:00 Andy Colvin (Writer/Photographer Speaking as "The Mothman Photographer")

#### **Sunday, September 16th**

* 1:00 Travis Short (Film maker and Investigator, Dark Wings Documentary)
* 2:00 Dan Cutler (Chief Cornstalk Reinactor)
* 3:00 Carol McCormick/Prodigy Group (Paranormal activity in everyday life)
* 4:00 James Willis (Founder/Director and "The Ghosts of Ohio" Website)

### **Events:**

The State Theater hosted "Rock Fest 2007" on Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th, including a special Rocky Horror Picture Show viewing/experience/performance later on Saturday evening.

Mothman weight and power lifting contest were located at steps of post office. There was also a Classic Car Show with some ’60s era cars such as the '57 Chevy driven by the 4 witnesses on Nov. 15th, 1966 in the TNT area.

The Mothman Museum was open on Friday and Saturday from 10am-MIDNIGHT and on Sunday 11am-5pm. Admission was $3.00 for adults and $1.00 for kids under 10. The gift shop was moved outside during the event to accommodate more visitors.

The Mothman Tram & Shuttle ran all day on Saturday and Sunday from 10am til 6pm to drop off and pick up festival goers at the River Museum and Silver Bridge Memorial. The shuttle returned to Gunn Park on continuous loop. The price was $1.00 per round trip.

There was a Mothman Costume Contest 2pm on Sat 15th with four age groups and prizes. At 8PM Saturday evening there were Mothman TNT tours at the Mason County farm Museum in the TNT area. There was also a Mothman art show.

TNT hayrides were offered at the festival. Info tables for purchasing tickets were directly in front of the Mothman Statue at Gunn Park. They gave out free downtown maps to people who stopped at the info table.

We will be showing Mothman/UFO/paranormal clips and presentations (Unsolved Mysteries, CBS news segment, Mystery Hunters, Monsters of the UFO, Search for Mothman and more) at the State Theater beginning at noon on Sunday the 16th. A requested $2.00 donation for a hand stamp will admit you for all day viewing.

DJ Scott’s Karaoke was there Saturday and Sunday for any interested performers and singers in the festival crowd.

Downtown Point Pleasant also has the River Museum, The Silver Bridge Memorial, Riverfront Park and Floodwall Murals, Tu-Endi-Wei State Park and Fort Randolph.

### **Visitors:**

At The Mothman Festival was rock illustrator Jeff Gaither to meet with festival goers. He has worked with major label recording acts such as Guns-N-Roses, The Misfits, Biohazard, The Accused, and others. He had special limited edition prints available commemorating the 2007 festival.

Also on hand to meet festival goers was John and Tim Frick (the Frick brothers are the designers of flying Mothman hanging in The Mothman Museum and Festival Co-Organizers), Carolin Harris (Harris Steakhouse and festival organizer), Jeff Wamsley and Donnie Sergent jr. (co-authors of Mothman: Facts Behind the Legend), Denny Bellamy (Point Pleasant tourism director), Point Pleasant mayor Marilyn McDaniel, Jeremy Pitchford and Todd Wiseman of the Mothman Museum.

#### **Guest Mothman Eyewitnesses:**

There were Mothman witnesses and authors at a guest table under the tent from 1-3 pm on Saturday.

* Linda Scarberry (First eyewitness on November 15th 1966)
* Tom Ury (Chased in car by giant bird)
* Faye Dewitt (Eyewitness at TNT area 1966)
* Dottie Campbell (Close friend of writer Mary Hyre/ MIB witness)

### **Bands:**

The Mothman Band performed at 1pm on Saturday near the Mothman statue. This was the band’s 6th appearance at the Mothman festival. The band "Kent Boogey" was on the stage at 8pm.

### **Food:**

The Festival had several food vendors. The following places are within walking distance of downtown Point Pleasant:

* Harris Steakhouse (Mothman diner in Mothman Prophecies, owned and operated by festival co-organizer Carolin Harris)
* Melinda’s Restaurant
* Little Ceasar’s Pizza
* Domino’s Pizza
* Bennigan’s
* McDonald’s
* Iron Gate Grill

**Within 5 miles:**

* Village Pizza (formerly Tiny’s drive-in)
* Tudor’s
* Bob Evans (Gallipolis, OH)
* Dave’s All American Grill (Gallipolis, OH)
* Golden Corral (Gallipolis, OH)

* **Source(s):** http://cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/mothman-festival/
* https://web.archive.org/web/20070624004452/http://www.mothmanlives.com/index.html
* https://web.archive.org/web/20070627053619/http://www.mothmanmuseum.com/MothmanLives/mothmanfestival2007/mothmanfestival2007.html

## **7. Mothman Festival 2008**

On Saturday, September 20th and Sunday September 21st of 2008, the 7th Annual Mothman Festival took place in downtown Point Pleasant. A Hayride event also occurred on Friday night. A Mothman Costume Contest was held on Saturday at 4pm at the Mothman Statue.

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### **Visitors**

Ernie Brown or "Turtleman" from Kentucky was there on Saturday and Sunday with a 40lb giant snapping turtle for handling demonstrations.

DJ Scott's Karaoke showcased those who took the mic. Scott was there DJ-ing from 1pm till 4pm in front of the post office steps on Saturday and Sunday.

WSAZ's on air personalities Meteorologist Josh Fitzpatrick, Susan Nicholas and Doug Korstanje who are news anchors were at the festival for a meet and greet from 1pm till 3pm on Saturday the 20th. Both Susan and Doug both had cameo roles in the Mothman Prophecies movie as news anchors appearing on the television in the diner scene of the movie.

### **Guest Speakers:**

#### **Saturday, September 20th**

* 12 noon Chad Lambert (Mothman comic writer)
* 1pm Frank Feschino Jr. (Braxton County Monster author)
* 2pm Rosemary Guiley (Author)
* 3pm Susan Sheppard (Author/ghost expert)
* 4pm Robin Peyatt Bellamy (Author)

#### **Sunday, September 21st**

* 12 noon Neal Parks (Author & paranormal researcher)
* 1pm Travis Short (*Dark Wings* documentary filmmaker)
* 2pm Jason Clyburn of Prodigy Group (Dayton, Ohio, ghost hunters)
* 3pm James Willis (Coauthor of *Weird Ohio*)
* 4pm Tom Moore (Parkersburg ghost hunter)
* 4:30 Bob Wilkinson (Gray Barker documentary filmmaker)

### **Bands:**

The band "MOTHMAN" returned to the Festival for their seventh performance. They played on Saturday evening at 8pm on the main stage at the WV Farm museum during the hayrides. CDs and other band merchandise were on sale at the band's vendor tables.

* **Source(s):** https://web.archive.org/web/20080912110026/http://www.mothmanfestival.com/

* https://web.archive.org/web/20081120115030/http://www.mothmanfestival.com/guestspeakers/guestspeakers.html
* https://web.archive.org/web/20080911233858/http://www.mothmanfestival.com/entertainment/entertainment.html
* http://cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/wamsley-profile/

## **8. Mothman Festival 2009**

    On Sunday September 19th and Saturday September 20th 2009, the 9th annual Mothman Festival took over over downtown Point Pleasant. The Festival included the Mothman TNT bus tours. 90 minute guided tours departed from the Mothman Museum and featured the TNT area, the igloos and Mothman landmarks.The Mothman Costume Contest was held on Saturday at 4PM at the Mothman Statue.

### **Guest Speakers:**

* James A. Willis Spoke on the topic of "The Spooky Side of Abraham Lincoln"
* Rosemary Ellen Guiley spoke on the topic of "Vampires"

### **Bands:**

Returning to the Mothman Festival for their eighth performance since the first festival was the band "MOTHMAN". Also on hand for live entertainment was the bands "12 GAUGE" and "40 POUND SNAPPER".

### **Visitors:**

West Virginia "WSAZ" on air personalities such as Meteorologist Josh Fitzpatrick and News anchors Susan Nicholas and Doug Korstanje were at the festival to meet and greet everyone from 1pm till 3pm on Saturday the 19th. Both Susan and Doug both had cameo roles in the Mothman Prophecies movie as news anchors appearing on the television in the diner scene of the movie.

The Grumpy Peddlers displayed a collection of antique bikes and collectibles and DJ Scott's Karaoke showcased anyone who wanted to take the mic.

Kentucky's "TURTLEMAN" was there Saturday and Sunday with a giant snapping turtle for handling demonstrations. Central Kentucky's Ernie Brown catches and handles 40lb snapping turtles and appeared at the festival to entertain.

The previous Miss Mothman queen contestants were also there for a meet and greet with festival attendees. Also scheduled to appear was the Mason County Fair queen.

* **Source(s):** https://web.archive.org/web/20090102065754/http://www.mothmanfestival.com/
* https://web.archive.org/web/20100302201821/http://www.mothmanfestival.com/entertainment/entertainment.html
* http://paranewsinsider.blogspot.com/2009/09/2009-mothman-festival.html

## **9. Mothman Festival 2010**

    On Sunday September 18th and Saturday September 19th 2010, the 9th annual Mothman Festival took over over downtown Point Pleasant.

### **Guest Speakers:**

The 2010 festival featured several guest speakers. All guest speaker presentations took place at the Historic State Theater, located on Main St. The speakers at the festival primarily had ties to the paranormal world and the Mothman legend.

#### **Saturday, September 18th**

* 10:00am Chad Lambert, creator of the Mothman Comic and festival regular
* 11:00am Joe Clark, founder of *Commonwealth Paranormal*
* Noon Alan Caviness, UFO investigator, “Caviness Report"

* 1:00pm Susan Shephard, author

* 2:00pm Rosemary Guiley, author
* 3:00pm Tom Ury, 1966 Mothman eyewitness

#### **Sunday, September 19th**

* Noon Christa Carr, West Virginia State Social Studies Fair project winner
* 1:00pm Ericca Cordier, author of “Mothman Returns"
* 2:00pm Kurt McCoy, author of “White Things"
* 3:00pm Andy Colvin, author and Mothman photographer

In addition to guest speakers, festival-goers will have an opportunity to meet with the original Mothman eyewitnesses on Saturday from 1-3 p.m.

Aside from this, several activities including a pageant, 5K run/walk, hayride, live music and a special screening of the “Eyes of Mothman” movie on Saturday. The screening took place at 4 p.m. and will feature a question and answer session with Matt Pellowski.

### **Mothman Bus Tours Information**

There were also a round trip of the TNT Area, included a visit to the site of the North Power Plant, the scene of many original sightings in 1966, and a tour of abandoned igloos. During the trip, a tour guide narrated the pivotal locations and scenes of Mothman encounters. Refreshments were provided and cameras were welcome, as there are photo opportunities on the tour.

Tour prices were $19.95 for ages 12 and up and $14.95 for kids 11 and under. It included an all-weekend pass to the Mothman Museum, Certificate of completion and Mothman Search Team bumper sticker.

* **Source(s):** http://cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/9thmmfest/
* https://web.archive.org/web/20101125130018/http://mothmanmuseum.com/mothmantours/tours.html