Were you bummed to learn that certain popular Halloween events, like Eastern State Penitentiary’s Terror Behind the Walls and the Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor, have already canceled their events this year due to coronavirus concerns? If so, here’s a story you might like, especially if you’re into Bigfoot. The Smoky Mountain Bigfoot Conference is going ahead as planned despite the pandemic.
Yes, it is a large indoor gathering, but event organizers aren’t disregarding safety requirements entirely.
Here’s info on this year’s somewhat revised conference, including the new speaker lineup and social distancing considerations.
When
July 25, 2020
Where
Gatlinburg Convention Center
Speakers
Featured speakers include:
- “Bobo” Fay, Cryptozoologist
- Lyle Blackburn, Cryptozoologist and Author
- Amy Bue, Project Zoobook and Olympic Project
- Adam Davies, Cryptozoologist, Adventurer & Explorer
- Ken Gerhard, Cryptozoologist & Field Investigator
- Ohio Night Stalkers, Mike Miller & Michael Feltner
Ticket Prices
There are three levels of tickets in addition to general admission that range in price from $25-50 and are non-refundable.
- General Admission: $25
- Silver VIP: $30
- Gold VIP: $40
- Platinum VIP: $50
All VIP tickets let you reserve your seats.
Dinner & Bigfoot Hike
Some lucky VIP ticket holders will also get the chance to partake in a limited-availability VIP dinner experience and hike in the Smoky Mountains, at an additional cost to admission tickets.
Hopefully the VIP dinner experience includes the attendee eating and not becoming Bigfoot’s dinner on the hike.
COVID-19 Precautions
One thing the CDC recommends is avoiding crowded places and gatherings, especially indoor ones, but if you do they advise to keep at least 6 feet distance from people who are not members of your household and to wear a face covering.
There’s no COVID-19 precautions mentioned on the Smoky Mountain Bigfoot Conference’s site, but according to a press release on EIN Presswire, the conference was moved from the convention center’s 17,000 ft Tennessee Ballroom to the larger 67,000 ft Grand Hall.
The move allows organizers to put double space between the rows and extra spacing between groups. It also ensures that they’ll be well under the 50% occupancy limit.
Sevier County, which encompasses Gatlinburg, recently issued a face mask mandate too so people will likely also have to comply with that.
It will be a good test to see if they can pull it off safely. If they avoid a large number of cases coming out of the event, maybe more events can follow their lead.
For More Info
To learn more about the Smoky Mountain Bigfoot Conference and to purchase tickets, visit: https://gatherupevents.com/smoky-mountain-bigfoot-conference/.
Check-In
Do you still have plans to attend any in-person paracons or horror fests in 2020?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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67k square feet? That’s an acre and a half, huge! I’m sure it’ll be a successful, safe event with that much space.
Well now that you put it that way… lol