Annual Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant – September 16-17, 2006

Point Pleasant — Organizers plan to add some new activities at the Fifth Annual Mothman Festival in downtown Point Pleasant next weekend.

Above: Mothman Museum director Jeff Wamsley holds his most recent book, Mothman: Behind the Red Eyes. With him is museum co-worker Todd Wiseman, an Ohio University film student making a documentary about Mothman.

Among the new events are a Mothman weight and power lifting contest, organizers said. In addition, visitors can expect events held during past festivals, including haunted hay rides. The festival begins at 10 a.m. Saturday in Gunn Park, where the Mothman statue stands, and concludes Sunday.

Below: Artist John Frick of Cumberland, Maryland, stands under his creation, a Mothman replica that hangs from the ceiling of the Mothman Museum in Point Pleasant, West Virginia.

Organizers say they’ve lined up Mothman comic book creator Chad Lambert, writer and paranormal investigator Robin Bellamy and former Herald Dispatch field reporter Ralph Turner, who worked for the paper in 1966. Speeches are held at the Point Pleasant Riverfront Park Amphitheater.

The Mothman Band also is on tap for its fifth appearance. The band is scheduled to play from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday near the Mothman statue.

Who will be this year’s last minute “Mystery Guest”? There always seems to be one.

Breaking News Update – John A. Keel will not be at the yearly celebration again this year in West Virginia. People plan to have a great time, nevertheless.

Mothman and Other Curious Encounters