All Around Arkansas: A Return to Boggy Creek

 

            On Father's Day weekend, my wife and I headed to Texarkana, Texas, to visit my in-laws. Knowing I had written a column on the Fouke Monster, aka the Boggy Creek Monster, and that I had an interest in the mysterious figure, my father-in-law suggested I go to Fouke, Arkansas, (about 20 miles from Texarkana) that Saturday to the Fouke Monster Festival. Always up for a festival, my mother-in-law said she’d go and we were able to persuade my wife to join us.

             But the man who suggested we attend the festival didn't go, opting to stay inside his air-conditioned house and watch the Razorbacks instead of partaking in the Fouke Monster fun.

             So the three of us took the short drive to the small town of Fouke, which on this day was the center of the sasquatch universe. There were hundreds of vehicles in the parking lot of the community center where the festival is held each year. Inside, there were people everywhere, including vendors selling everything and anything with the Fouke Monster, Bigfoot or sasquatch on it. From T-shirts to action figures to movie prop-quality costumes, there was something for everyone.

             I quickly got caught up in the hoopla, buying a “Boggy Creek Monster, Fouke, Arkansas” T-shirt and a decal for my Yeti (the tumbler — not the monster). But I didn’t realize I was making a purchase from one of the celebrities of the Fouke Monster phenomenon, Lyle Blackburn. 

            Blackburn has made a living by writing and selling books and other wares featuring the Fouke Monster, as well as traveling the country giving presentations at Bigfoot conventions. It was only after I gave him $30 for my souvenirs did I hear the fans in line behind me ask for photos and autographs.

            On the opposite side of the building from where the vendors and concessionaires were located where rows of metal chairs full of people watching the 1972 cult-classic film, “The Legend of Boggy Creek.” The screening would be followed by several speakers, including actors from the movie.

            Heading out of town, we stopped at the Monster Mart, which is part-convenience store and part-Fouke Monster museum. While you can purchase the typical gas station fare, Monster Mart items have their famous hairy mascot plastered all over them. My wife and mother-in-law could stand it no more and had to buy themselves and my father-in-law Fouke Monster shirts. My mother-in-law even purchased a couple of homemade monster claw-shaped cookies and a refrigerator magnet. 

            The Monster Mart's one-room museum featured blurry photos and plaster casts of the feet of the alleged beast, as well as movie posters, newspaper clippings and a life-size replica of the monster for photo-ops. Did my mother-in-law and I get a photo? You bet your happy Fouke Monster we did!

            As we left Fouke, we made one last stop — the legendary Boggy Creek — where the monster has been said to roam all these years. It was quite hot at this point in the day, but there were people taking photos and wandering around hoping to catch a glimpse of the famed creature. 

            The monster’s absence might be because he doesn't like socializing or the scorching south Arkansas heat. That Boggy Creek Monster sounds like my kind of guy. We might even become friends, like in "Harry and the Hendersons."

 And to my dear readers, I wish you all a happy and safe Independence Day weekend.

            A sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell W. Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He lives on Lake Norrell in Saline County with his wife, Amy, and two beloved Boston Terriers. You can find him on Facebook and Instagram at AllAroundArkansas.