Jefferson, Texas names itself 'Bigfoot Capital' after seeing Evergreen, Alabama do same in 2017

I caught wind last week that the City of Jefferson, Texas officially named itself the “Bigfoot Capital of Texas” after folks in that city of 2,024 residents heard that Evergreen had recently been named the “Bigfoot Capital of Alabama.”

According to a news story written by Bridget Ortigo for The Marshall News Messenger, Jefferson Mayor Carey Heaster Jr. signed a proclamation on Feb. 12 that officially made Jefferson the “Bigfoot Capital of Texas.” According to that proclamation, numerous people in and around Jefferson have reported seeing Bigfoot-type creatures for decades and noted that Jefferson seemed to be the “geographical epicenter” for these sightings.

The driving force behind Jefferson’s Bigfoot proclamation was Craig Woolheater, the founder of the Texas Bigfoot Conference, which is held each October in Jefferson and attracts thousands of visitors to the small town. Woolheater told The News Messenger that he “brought the idea for the proclamation up to the city after (he) saw a city in Alabama do the same.”

Many in the reading audience will remember that on Feb. 7, 2017 the Evergreen City Council voted unanimously to approve a local resolution naming the City of Evergreen the “Official Bigfoot Capital of Alabama.” Later, on June 14, 2017, a resolution recognizing Evergreen as Alabama’s Bigfoot Capital was officially filed with the Alabama State Senate after being signed by District 12 Senator Del Marsh of Anniston, the Presiding Officer of the Senate, and Patrick Harris, the Secretary of the Senate.

In the end, I thought it was cool that Evergreen had been somewhat of a trendsetter in this regard and that other municipalities across the country were taking a page out of Evergreen’s playbook. As the saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

While we’re on the subject of Bigfoot, I want to invite everyone to attend the 13^th Annual Baggett’s Chapel Wild Game Supper Benefit on Saturday. This year’s event will feature an auction, NWTF National Turkey Calling Champion Kenneth “The Gobbler” Weiss Jr. and a Bigfoot Calling Contest that will be judged by local Bigfoot expert Ashley McPhaul and yours truly.

You can begin viewing auction items at 3 p.m. and they’ll begin serving food at 5 p.m. Proceeds from this year’s supper will benefit Leo Cobb, who has been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. You will be hard-pressed to come up with a better cause, and I know that Ashley and I are honored to be a part of it, so everyone please make plans to attend.

For those of you who have never been to Baggett’s Chapel, the church is located at 2910 County Road 15 at Belleville. If you’re coming from Evergreen, take U.S. Highway 84 to the Belleville Crossroads, then turn left (south) onto County Road 15. Continue down County Road 15 for a few miles and you’ll see Baggett’s Chapel on your left. If you pass the New Haven Church on your right, you need to turn around and head the other way because you’ve gone too far.