Carroll County Squatch Fest & Parapalooza to debut Oct. 18

The first Carroll County Squatch Fest and Parapalooza will be held Saturday, Oct. 18, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at St. John’s Villa, 701 Crest St., Carrollton. Families and Bigfoot fans are invited for a day filled with fun, folklore and festivities.

Organized by St. John’s Villa, the event will feature speakers, a haunted walking trail, a Kids’ Zone, food trucks, vendors, raffles and more. Admission is free and parking is by donation.

The Kids’ Zone will include an inflatable, Bigfoot-themed games for a minimal fee and a booth from the Carroll County District Library offering face painting and Bigfoot crafts. St. John’s Villa’s quarter-mile walking path will transform into a not-so-scary haunted trail featuring Halloween displays, interactive stations and photo opportunities.

“Our trail is a quarter-mile long,” said Kim Lewis, co-director of marketing and communications at St. John’s Villa. “We will have three or four Halloween displays. They won’t be too scary because this is a family-friendly event. We will also have two interactive stations where visitors can do wood knocks and calls. It might be a little noisy over there.”

Speakers will begin at 11 a.m. discussing Bigfoot, other cryptids and paranormal experiences. The Bigfoot calling contest kicks off at 4 p.m. with registration at 2 p.m. There are two age categories — 12 and younger, and 13 and older. The top three in each division will earn medals created by Myers Tin Shop. Following the contest at 4:30 p.m., attendees are encouraged to share their own stories of Bigfoot sightings, ghostly encounters or other unexplained experiences in a welcoming and open setting.

The idea for Squatch Fest came naturally to event organizers. “Susan (Williamson, director of marketing and communications) and I both have an interest in the paranormal,” Lewis said. “I find the idea of the existence of Bigfoot interesting. When we started looking for a new fundraiser, we decided that there may be an interest in Bigfoot and the paranormal.”

The event’s playful logo was designed by Ian Fuller, a server in The Villa Restaurant. “I asked him to draw me a Bigfoot picture and that is what he gave me,” Lewis said. “Isn’t it great?”

Proceeds from the event will go directly to support residents at St. John’s Villa as part of the organization’s ongoing fundraising efforts. “Proceeds from all our fundraisers benefit the residents here at St. John’s Villa,” Lewis said.

Lewis and Williamson hope Squatch Fest will become a long-term tradition. “Susan and I hope this will become an annual event,” Lewis said. “We want it to be a fun activity for the community.”

Guests can enjoy food from local trucks, shop for early Christmas gifts at the crafters market and enter raffles featuring concrete and wooden Bigfoot figures.