The legend of Bigfoot and the storied history of railroads don’t typically have anything in common.
In Derry Borough, they do now.
Organizers of Derry Railroad Days this year dipped a toe into the mysterious world of Bigfoot’s supposed presence in the area. Festival board member Nathan Bundy said the move to add another layer to the annual event has paid off.
“It was very interesting, people coming from out of town that have never been here before,” he said.
Plus, the Bigfoot-related talks and bus tours throughout the weekend were heavily attended.
“We’ve had more people here at 8 o’clock at night than we’ve ever had,” said Bundy, who also is a borough councilman.
The apparent success of merging the annual festival that celebrates the borough’s railroad history with the frequent reports of sightings of the cryptid in the area likely means Bigfoot will remain a part of event’s future. Three bus tours of Chestnut Ridge were sold out, and talks held by three local researchers were well-attended.
Derry officials were inspired to add Bigfoot to the railroad festival by numerous reported sightings of the creature on the section of the ridge overlooking the town. The festival celebrates the town’s origin as a former maintenance hub along the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Vendors got in on the action, too. Several had Bigfoot merchandise for sale.
A Bigfoot statue purchased by the borough loomed tall over the festival as a train rolled by.
The tours and lectures were led by researchers Ron Murphy, Eric Altman and Stan Gordon. Gordon and Altman agreed they received a lot of new reports of sightings during the weekend.
“This is all a very active area for sightings all the time,” said Gordon, a longtime researcher.
Altman, the director of the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society, called the new addition to the festival a success. He worked with officials to fold Bigfoot aspects into the event.
“I think we planted some good seeds here this weekend,” he said.
Murphy, a paranormal researcher and historian, described Derry Railroad Days as a quintessential small-town America festival. He focused on local natural history during the bus tours in addition to highlighting areas where sightings of Bigfoot have been reported.
“I think that it’s a great opportunity for the town, particularly because, how many towns in America have such a long history of Bigfoot sightings? That’s what makes Derry unique,” he said.
