Have a look at any official Oklahoma tourism brochure and you’ll find references to Bricktown, professional sports teams, art museums and Route 66. But what the bigwigs in OKC fail to mention is a phenomenon that has quietly been drawing entire dozens of tourists to the state for years: Bigfoot.
Outside the garish light of the big cities, nestled in the wooded easternmost regions of the state, two small towns host festivals each year that embrace the hairy, bipedal hominid known worldwide as Bigfoot. Sasquatch. The Yeti. Skunk Ape. The Clam Eater. These Bigfoot symposiums draw both locals and out-of-towners to a carnival-like atmosphere including song and dance, folk art, funnel cakes and spaghetti dinners.