On October 19, Phi Theta Kappa students Alison Majors, Skylar Hodson, Sarah Dierflinger, Noah Pettey, Jordan Berkley, Remington Covey, Tristan Dierflinger, Araceli Landaverde, and Jose Fuentes traveled to Jefferson TX for the 22nd annual Bigfoot Conference. Jefferson has been dubbed both “the most haunted town in Texas” and the “Bigfoot Capitol of Texas,” and so it was the perfect place for our chapter to continue their research on local folktales.
“People ask, ‘you took the students where?’” says PTK co-advisor Athena Hayes, who led the trip. “It may sound a bit silly, but what is interesting about the study of folklore is that it isn’t all hard, traditional academia; it’s the local stories and experiences of a community. And, more importantly, it’s fun!”
While attending the conference, the students listened to speakers give talks about local cryptid sightings, such as the incident at Scott’s Creek Bridge and the famous Boggy Creek Legend, and learned about the uniqueness of Texas Bigfoot (or, rather, “booger”) sightings compared to northwestern sightings. Students also visited and supported artists and writers selling wares in the vendor hall. While they were there, students collected additional research on local folklore and interviewed the conference speakers. The chapter is still collecting local folktales, so please consider sharing your stories by clicking on this link: Northeast Texas Regional Folktales
PTK offers many unique opportunities such as this. If you are interested in joining, please visit us for our weekly meetings Mondays at 12:30 in SUB 101. Contact Melissa Fulgham, Athena Hayes, or Maryna Svirska Otero for more information.
