Bigfoot Fans Stomp Into Marion, North Carolina, for Annual Festival and Calling Contest That Crowned 8-Year-Old Everett Wood First Place

MARION, NC — Bigfoot believers gathered in Marion for the town’s annual festival, where the head-turning attraction was a calling contest built around the legendary creature. One of the biggest crowd-pleasers was 8-year-old Everett Wood, who took first place.

The event mixed family-friendly fun with local folklore, giving fans a chance to lean into the mystery and see who could make the most convincing Bigfoot call. Emily Wood shared video and a photo of Everett’s winning moment through News 13’s Chime In.

A festival built around a local legend

The Marion event is part celebration, part playful challenge, and part tribute to the enduring Bigfoot myth. Instead of a serious competition, the calling contest invites people to have fun with the idea of a creature that has never been proven to exist.

That blend makes the festival easy to enjoy for all ages. Families can walk the grounds, watch the contest, and take part in the kind of lighthearted spectacle that turns a regional legend into a community event. The annual gathering also gives visitors a reason to come back each year, especially if they enjoy odd traditions with a very specific mountain-town flavor.

Even without a confirmed sighting, the festival keeps the Bigfoot story alive through humor, imagination, and participation. For many attendees, that is the point: the fun comes from joining in, not from solving the mystery.

Why the contest stood out

Everett Wood’s first-place finish gave the festival a clear highlight and a feel-good moment for the crowd. A young winner also adds to the charm of an event like this, where enthusiasm matters as much as age or experience.

The call-out competition fits the broader spirit of the festival: it is quirky, local, and intentionally a little over-the-top. People come expecting something unusual, and the contest delivers exactly that with plenty of noise and laughs. In a town event built on a famous creature of the woods, a child winning the contest only makes the story more memorable.

Emily Wood’s photo and video helped capture the scene for viewers who were not there in person. That kind of shareable moment is one reason festivals built around folklore continue to draw attention year after year.

How folklore keeps drawing a crowd

Bigfoot festivals tap into a simple idea: people like a mystery, especially when it comes packaged with music, games, and a community gathering. Marion’s event shows how a local legend can become a repeat attraction without needing a confirmed answer.

For supporters, the fun is in the possibility. For families, it is a chance to enjoy a distinctive outing that feels different from a standard fair or parade. The calling contest gives the festival a signature feature, while Everett Wood’s win gave this year’s gathering an especially memorable finish.

As long as Bigfoot remains part of American folklore, events like this will likely keep pulling in curious visitors. Marion’s festival shows that sometimes the best part of a legend is the crowd it brings together.

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