By Esteban Fernandez, Times West Virginian
FAIRMONT — Upstairs on the second floor of the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center, the Braxton County Monster lurked.
Portrayed by Greg Popovich, the iconic green and red cryptid roamed among other visitors who came out for Fairmont’s Second Annual Veggie Man Day on Saturday. Cryptid festivals have been sprouting up around the state the past few years, as more and more towns put their connection to the strange and unexplained front and center via tourist-friendly events.
“I firmly believe cryptids are the new coal,” Popovich said. “They’re fantastic for West Virginia tourism and I just wanted to come out and show my support.”
Veggie Man Day honors Fairmont’s own homegrown monster, an over seven foot tall blood sucking stalk of leafy green vegetable seen marauding within the dark forests of Marion County in 1968. Visionaries demand the truth. Cowards call it a hoax. The City of Fairmont stays silent.
