When most people think about Bigfoot, they imagine an ape-like creature lurking in the coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest. But the Bigfoot-hunting and fan community in Appalachia, particularly in North Carolina, is also robust.
Legends about Bigfoot have haunted the hollows of western North Carolina for hundreds of years. “People in this region are quick to embrace this kind of folklore,” said Zach Bales, a cryptozoologist and paranormal researcher from Kentucky. “It gives the region an identity that it might not otherwise have.”
In the past decade, Bigfoot has morphed from a mainstay of regional folklore into a tourism boon for North Carolina, with a museum, a festival, and other attractions that bring thousands streaming into the state. For true believers like Millwood, searching for evidence of an elusive, hairy, apparently odiferous biped is an opportunity to escape into nature with comrades while plumbing the heart of a mystery. For others, Bigfoot is big business.
Reporter Emily Cataneo and photographer Cornell Watson set out with Bigfoot fans, from the true-believers to the merely Sasquatch-curious, to find out what what draws them to the legendary cryptid.
Yeti or Not, Here They Come
Western North Carolina is drawing Bigfoot hunters–from those who take cryptozoology seriously to those who are just in it for a good time. What is it about the area that attracts the Sasquatch-curious?
You can also listen to an audio version of this story from our partners at WUNC’s The Broadside.
Have a news tip for our team? You can reach us at scoops@theassemblync.com.
Woodson To Depart N.C. State
On Thursday, we broke the news that Randy Woodson, the long-serving chancellor of N.C. State University, would be retiring at the end of the 2024-25 school year.
Woodson, 67, has been in the role for 14 years–three times the tenure of the average American college leader.
In a profile that The Assembly and The Chronicle of Higher Education published earlier this year, Woodson was roundly praised as an affable and engaged leader who has largely stayed out of the headlines.
A leadership vacancy at N.C. State brings the total number of chancellor openings in the system to four, including UNC-Chapel Hill, Appalachian State University, and Elizabeth City State University.
The 2024 Money Race
North Carolina Democrats out-raised Republicans in races at the top of the ballot, according to campaign finance reports filed this month.
In the hotly contested gubernatorial race, Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein raised $13.8 million between February 18 and June 30. Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson took in $5.1 million. Stein’s campaign also spent over three times more than Robinson and entered July with more than double the cash on hand: $15.9 million to Robinson’s $6.6 million.
In the lieutenant governor’s race, Democratic state Sen. Rachel Hunt entered July with almost 10 times more cash than Republican Hal Weatherman. According to the latest campaign finance reports, Hunt had nearly $1.1 million in the bank to Weatherman’s $114,000, a gap that likely reflects the additional 10 weeks of campaigning Weatherman undertook to secure the nomination.
In the attorney general’s race, Democratic Rep. Jeff Jackson reported $4.2 million brought in over the quarter, and entered July with $5.7 million in available cash. Republican Rep. Dan Bishop raised $1.4 million and ended with $2.7 million on hand.
The contest for state superintendent has drawn a lot of attention after Republican outsider Michele Morrow upset incumbent Catherine Truitt in the primary. Morrow, who has come under scrutiny for past social media posts that included ones calling for the execution of prominent Democrats, now faces Democrat Mo Green. Green out-raised her by a 3-to-1 margin and entered July with 11 times the cash.
In other council of state races, Democratic candidates Jessica Holmes (auditor), Natasha Marcus (insurance commissioner), and Elaine Marshall (secretary of state) entered July on stronger financial ground than their GOP opponents Dave Boliek, Mike Causey, and Chad Brown.
But Republican Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler and GOP treasurer candidate Brad Briner ended the fundraising period with more money in the bank than Democratic their rivals Sarah Taber and Wesley Harris.
In the labor commissioner race, Republican activist Luke Farley began July with over $134,000 in the bank, though $100,000 of that is in outstanding personal loans. His Democratic opponent, Braxton Winston had not released a fundraising report as of Thursday.
—Bryan Anderson
UNC at RNC
In Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum on Wednesday evening, seven members of a UNC-Chapel Hill fraternity strode down the Republican National Convention’s red carpet in matching ties.
As they proceeded to the main stage carrying flags and shaking hands, country singer-songwriter Brian Kelley belted out his song “American Spirit,” which praises the “old glory” that “don’t ever get old.”
But as Erin Gretzinger reports, not all the fraternity members were enthused about the appearance—or even aware they’d been invited.
What We’re Reading
‘Lasagna Lizard’: National Geographic writes about how removing dams could help save North Carolina’s Eastern hellbenders, a freshwater salamander that resembles the baked pasta dish.
Veepstakes: NPR was in town for Vice President Kamala Harris’ stop in Fayetteville on Thursday, calling it “one of her most forceful speeches of the campaign.”
Impasse: NC Health News reports that state Medicaid funds could start running low if lawmakers don’t approve a budget adjustment.
Our Recent Stories
A Heated Political Moment
Vandals have allegedly damaged Democrats’ property at least twice this month along the N.C. coast, before and after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
River Rescue
Gov. Roy Cooper keeps asking for more money to protect North Carolina’s rivers and lakes, and the General Assembly keeps saying no. Citizen scientists are taking up the slack.
How Blue-Collar Candidates Could Change Politics
An upstart effort to get more working-class people to run for political office takes root in Ashe and Alamance counties.
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