Mothman Festival: Capitalizing on mystery
Organizers hope to keep expanding Point Pleasant event
By Nicole Young
The Herald-Dispatch
POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. -- Whether a horrifying monster or a really good hoax, the legend of the Mothman has been tacked on to this small West Virginia town since the 1960s. Now in its fourth year, the Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant has continued to capitalize on the rich history and mystery of the Mothman himself.
With a goal of jump-starting the town's economy, the festival was originally a way to capitalize on the "Mecca of history and genealogy," in the area, said Hilda Austin, executive director for the Mason County Area Chamber of Commerce.
Now, people from as far as New York, Canada and even England came to the town this weekend with one thing in mind -- to learn about and maybe even catch a glimpse of the legendary Mothman and his "glowing red eyes," she said.
The movie, "The Mothman Prophecies" (released in 2002 and starring Richard Gere and Debra Messing) brought a lot of attention to the town and allowed the first festival to be thrown together at the last minute, said organizer and Mothman author Jeff Wamsley. From there, the festival has grown each year. Organizers hope to expand the festival in the coming years, possibly with a parade and more speakers.
The festival draws young and old alike with memorabilia from the movie to a hay ride of the of the area where the Mothman was first sighted to the authors and speakers on the Mothman.
"Locals are surprised at the success of the festival," he said. "They are so used to the whole story, so used to the attention, but we are gaining more local support."
Many visitors to Point Pleasant for the festival keep coming back because they enjoy the laidback atmosphere and friendliness of the people, Austin said.
"We just wanted to do something different because we care," she said. "There are a lot of skeptics in the area, but also a lot of true believers."
Sisters Melanie Dudding and Kathy Jeffers of Pomeroy, Ohio, along with mother Shirley Simmons, returned to the festival out of intrigue. The sisters remember hearing the story of the Mothman growing up.
"I remember as a child, it frightened me to death," Dudding said. "We are all interested in things like this, and we really want to see the Mothman but never have. It seems like only people who really don't want to see him do, but we really want to see him."