North Carolina town declares Bigfoot ‘world’s social distancing champion’
MARION, N.C. - One small U.S. town has officially declared the king of social distancing: Bigfoot.
Bigfoot is a big deal in McDowell County, North Carolina.
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Every September, residents and tourists gather in Marion, a city of roughly 45,000 people, where they participate in the annual Bigfoot Festival which was unfortunately canceled in July due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The festival normally brings in critical business for the small community, where over 50,000 visitors were expected to be in attendance.
In order the keep the tradition alive this year, local officials have unveiled the all new “Finding Bigfoot Scavenger Hunt,” declaring the elusive creature the world’s social distancing champion.
“A few recent sightings have been in the Little Switzerland community,” said Carol Price, executive director of the McDowell County Tourism Authority.
Photo of a sign honoring Bigfoot as the “Social Distancing World Champion.” (Photo courtesy of McDowell Tourism Authority)
“Bigfoot IS the world's social distancing champion, yet he enjoys the finer things of life like those found inside Shuck's Pearls of Marion,” she added, speaking of a local business participating in the scavenger hunt.
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The hunt began on Sept. 14 and will continue through the first week of October.
Participants can visit wncbigfootfest.com and click on the Finding Bigfoot Scavenger Hunt tab which consists of daily instructions.
Local artist and business owner Heidi Barrier painting one of the scavenger hunt clues on her business window.
Over 40 local businesses are participating by painting various symbols as a part of the 44 clues available.
“To qualify for a prize, scavenger hunt participants will need to visit 10 locations and take a picture of the icon painted on the front of each store front,” according to the local tourism board.The prize packages include complementary overnight stays, restaurant gift certificates and more.