North Carolina — a UFO, Bigfoot hotbed? — hosts convention for all things Cryptid
Organizers expect thousands of people from nine states to descend on Hamlet March 30-April 1 to learn the latest on Bigfoot, aliens and cryptids reported to roam the forests, waters and skies of our state.
About a 1 1/2-hour drive from Charlotte, the inaugural EncounterQuest gathering will include a noted alien hunter, Bigfoot researcher, cryptologic technician interpreter and other experts of unexplained beasts and phenomena sharing their most recent findings
North Carolina ties for 12th in UFO sightings over the past five years, the Daily Mail of London, England, reported Feb. 13, citing data the newspaper compiled from the National UFO Reporting Center in Washington state.
Uwharrie National Forest, about 50 miles east of Charlotte, claims many Bigfoot sightings and paranormal experiences, EncounterQuest organizers say.
The public needs to know about these and other unexplained beasts and phenomena in their midst, leaders of the event contend. And that’s why they organized the event in Cole Auditorium in Hamlet, they said.
Heavyweights in the field will address the gathering, including worldwide Bigfoot researcher Ron Morehead; alien hunter Derrel Sims; cryptologic technician interpreter R. Scott Nelson; and Kenney “The Cryptopunkologist” Irish, he of “Haunted Hospitals” fame on the Travel Channel and Discovery Plus.
The N.C. Squatch Watchers research group and “Cryptids of the Corn” podcasters also will speak.
If you’ve seen a UFO or strange beast, these experts will gladly welcome you sharing your experiences at the event.
“There is nothing like our event in the whole state of North Carolina,” EncounterQuest co-host Kim Ristau told The Charlotte Observer.
Charlotte area UFO sightings
In North Carolina over the past five years, the National UFO Reporting Center has logged 742 credible sightings of unidentified flying craft, the Daily Mail reported. That ties us with Nevada.
Recent Charlotte-area non-hoax citizen reports received by the center include:
▪ An orb above Mooresville for 10 seconds at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 5.
“Turquoise colored light traveling from south to north performing high speed maneuvers and directional changes,” a human reported to the center.
▪ A circle-shaped craft above the Denver-Mooresville area from 7:30 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. Feb. 22
“3 bright lights traveling at a very high altitude at extremely high speeds,” another member of the human primate species reported.
▪ An unusual craft above Statesville at 10:44 p.m. Feb. 16. “I looked up and saw a strange orb,” a person who didn’t say they were drinking told the center.
▪ And a circle-shaped object above Harrisburg at 11 p.m. Jan. 28. The person stared at the object for “more than an hour.”
“Seem to jump around several times,” the resident reported.
‘Life as we don’t know it’
Ristau expects at least 1,500 people at the event, “but who knows” how many more will show up, she said.
The WNC Bigfoot Festival in Marion expected a crowd of 3,500 its first year, and more than 30,000 attended, she said.
EncounterQuest expects to draw people from the Carolinas, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Georgia and Florida, Ristau said.
Organizers chose Richmond County because of the Cole Auditorium accommodations and because the county is only 25 miles from Uwharrie National Forest and its Bigfoot sightings and reported paranormal experiences, she said.
The local PEE DEE Region Paranormal group also will promote its local ghost walks at the event and discuss the haunted history of Hamlet.
“Join us,” organizers urged on EncounterQuest.com, “as our speakers take us on a journey down uncharted rabbit holes as they dive into topics such as Bigfoot and Quantum theory, Aliens, Implants, UFOs and Men in Black, Dogman, and Cryptids of all kinds.
“If you truly want to learn more about life as we don’t know it, come join us!”
EncounterQuest 2023
When: 6-9 p.m. March 31 and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. April 1.
Where: Cole Auditorium, 1042 W. Hamlet Ave., Hamlet, NC.
What: EncounterQuest is a Cryptid event, a cryptid being “a creature whose reported existence is not accepted by mainstream science,” event organizers say. Such beasts include Bigfoot, the Lochness Monster and Mothman.
Friday night features two workshops by alien hunter Sims: Alien Evidence Testing and Implant Testing; and Handwriting Analysis the Write Way: An insight into character analysis through handwriting.
Saturday includes indoor and outdoor merchandise, food and cryptid-item vendors from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and speakers from 10 a.m to 6 p.m.
Tickets: $25 general admission, children 12 and younger admitted free; $20 military, veterans, law enforcement and first responders; $20 senior citizens; $60 for Friday workshops with alien hunter Derrel Sims.
Friday tickets must be purchased online in advance. Saturday tickets are available online and at the door.
Buy tickets at TicketTailor.com.
This story was originally published March 9, 2023 at 1:52 PM with the headline "North Carolina — a UFO, Bigfoot hotbed? — hosts convention for all things Cryptid."