Mothman Festival- Point Pleasant, WV

Each year in September, the town of Point Pleasant West Virginia holds their "Mothman Festival." We made it down for the event this year and had a great time!

For those unfamiliar with the Mothman, let me explain a little. Between 1966 and 1967, people in Point Pleasant reported seeing the Mothman- a man sized creature with glowing red eyes, and big bat type wings. Also around this time there were many UFO sightings in the area, and also reports of the Men In Black showing up and acting weird. Odd beeping noises were noticed, along with mysterious phone calls received by locals.

The strange events ended after the collapse of the Silver Bridge connecting Point Pleasant to Gallipolis, Ohio resulting in 46 deaths.

There are a ton of sites out there about the Mothman, and plenty of info, including recent sightings in other areas.

Author John Keel wrote the very strange but entertaining book about Point Pleasant at this time called, "The Mothman Prophecies."

In Keels book, Keel talks about his own personal research in the town, including his own observations of unexplainable events, and his receiving some prophetic messages- some of the prophecies seem to come true according to Keel, while some did not.

Keel's book is a fun read for anyone who enjoys reading a good strange tale. In fact, the book really reminds me of one of the better X-Files episodes. This is another book recommended for a good October late night reading.

Keel wrote this book as a work of non-fiction, adding to the books spookiness. On the flip side of that, you do have to ask about Keel's credibility.

He was writing about... well, the unknown. He does mention some iffy characters, and some of his statements are a bit questionable. He does, at one time, state that psychic ability is a scientific fact. Again, I would not want my blog to be a place for debate, but ask any scientist what they think about "psychic ability."

This might sound like a strange statement, but, the book is a bit more believable than other similar books. Keel interviews witnesses and talks to people in the area about their stories. Even if you don't fully buy what Keel is selling, you might buy some of it.

Point Pleasant is a very nice little town, with a cool small town feel. There was a nice crowd at the event, but it was still easy to park and get around.

The town does have the "Mothman Museum." For 3 bucks, you can look around at their various Mothman related items. Early versions and notes from "The Mothman Prophecies" are here, along with props from the movie. The museum has pretty much everything relating to the legend of the Mothman. It is easily worth the $3 admission price.

The town obviously takes some pride in its association with the mysterious creature. A gorgeous statue has been build and placed downtown.

I was fascinated to see a Miss Mothman Festival competition, Mothman pancakes, and a costumed Mothman making the rounds. The local theater hosted presentations by authors and witnesses.

Point Pleasant is a very fun town, in a nice, rural area. It is less than an hour from Huntington, and the drive there was very scenic. This area is really growing on me.