North Carolina town takes page out of Evergreen, Alabama's Bigfoot playbook

WURE 105.9's Bigfoot logo.

I got word this week that a small town in North Carolina might be taking a page out of Evergreen’s playbook.

As many of you will remember, back in February, the Evergreen city council unanimously voted to designate Evergreen as the “Bigfoot Capital of Alabama.” This move came after months and months of Bigfoot sightings and international media coverage of those incidents.

On Saturday, The Courier-Tribune newspaper in Asheboro, N.C. reported in a story by Judi Brinegar that the town of Troy, N.C. had adopted Bigfoot as its unofficial mascot in an effort to “rebrand” their community. Troy, a town of 3,400 located in Montgomery County near the Uwharrie National Forest, hopes to incorporate the legendary creature into the town as a way to boost tourism and business and attract new residents.

“Bigfoot is one thing some people like, and again, some don’t,” Troy Planning Director Johnson Bray told The Courier Tribune. “Even then, if you think about it, it brings out the child in you. A lot of people are embracing the idea (of incorporating Bigfoot in the town’s rebranding).”

The story goes on to say that witnesses have reported seeing Bigfoot in and around Troy since the 1990s. In 2009, Bigfoot hunters reportedly captured a thermal image of the creature in the Uwharrie National Forest after using a Zagnut candy bar to attract the creature. Two years later, the Animal Planet television show “Finding Bigfoot” visited Montgomery County in an attempt to capture footage of Bigfoot for that popular TV show.

Troy city officials also noted that they plan to incorporate Bigfoot into a number of upcoming events, including its annual TroyFest, the logo of which now features Bigfoot. Later this year, during the Uwharrie Festival on Sept. 21, organizers are planning to hold a Bigfoot Chase Trail Run as part of the festivities. Even the local radio station, Uwharrie Mountain Radio (WURE 105.9 FM) has incorporated Bigfoot into its official logo.

When you think about it, the similarities between Evergreen and Troy are striking. Both municipalities have similar sized populations and they are both the county seats of their respective counties. They are also located close to national forests, that is, the Uwharrie National Forest and the Conecuh National Forest. Not to mention, that they both have something in common where it comes to Bigfoot.

Evergreen and Troy have also seen a recent boost on the local economic front. According to Brinegar’s story, Troy saw five new businesses open since August and has a thriving farmers market. During the past year, Evergreen has seen the addition of several new businesses at the new Liberty Hill commercial development and also enjoys a strong, local farmers market. Also, while Troy has TroyFest, Evergreen has the Conecuh Sausage Festival and the Collard Green Festival.

In the end, it’s been a while since I’ve heard from anyone in the reading audience with a Bigfoot sighting to report. I’m always on the lookout for a new story about local Bigfoot activity, so if you’ve seen anything out of the ordinary, please let me know. You can contact me at The Courant at 578-1492 or by e-mail at courantsports@earthlink.net.