October 19, 2012

Cryptopalooza: The Most Interesting Thing To Do Around Texas This Week

Texas Monthly

Our quirky, discerning picks for the most interesting things to do around the state this week.

JEFFERSON

Shadow Play

A lot of creatures lurk in the swamps and piney woods surrounding Jefferson. Snakes, alligators, spiders — maybe even Bigfoot. Indeed, a number of accounts of disturbing encounters with that tall and hairy mythic creature have been reported in this town of a mere couple of thousand near the Louisiana border. At Cryptopalooza, a two-day conference focusing on those curious animals whose existence has yet to be proven, like the Loch Ness Monster, you can decide for yourself if these phenomena are real. “I know a lot of these sightings are hoaxes,” said Michael Esordi, a Cryptopalooza organizer, “but I’ve talked to too many people who have looked me straight in the eye and told me about their sightings. And I believe them.” Experts who will try to convince the skeptical will include Ken Gerhard, an authority on the chupacabra, the “goat sucker” thought to live in certain parts of Texas. If you’re not too afraid after watching drive-in screenings of “The Legend of Boggy Creek” and “Southern Fried Bigfoot,” you can head deep into the dark woods of Big Cypress Bayou aboard the 11:30 p.m. Bigfoot Train.

Jefferson Visitor Center, Oct. 19-21, various times, cryptopalooza.com.

About Craig Woolheater
Co-founder of Cryptomundo in 2005. I have appeared in or contributed to the following TV programs, documentaries and films: OLN's Mysterious Encounters: "Caddo Critter", Southern Fried Bigfoot, Travel Channel's Weird Travels: "Bigfoot", History Channel's MonsterQuest: "Swamp Stalker", The Wild Man of the Navidad, Destination America's Monsters and Mysteries in America: Texas Terror - Lake Worth Monster, Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot: Return to Boggy Creek and Beast of the Bayou.

Filed under Bigfoot, Bigfoot Report, Conferences, Cryptotourism, Cryptozoologists, Cryptozoology, Cryptozoology Conferences, Evidence, Eyewitness Accounts, Footprint Evidence, Loch Ness Monster, Mystery Cats, Phantom Panthers, Pop Culture, Sasquatch