Bigfoot is coming! What to know about Monster Fest in downtown Canton this summer

Ed Balint, The Repository
·2 min read
Monster Fest has announced new details, including guest speakers and the screening of a Small Town Monsters movie at the Canton Palace Theatre. Monster Fest is June 3 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in downtown Canton.
Monster Fest has announced new details, including guest speakers and the screening of a Small Town Monsters movie at the Canton Palace Theatre. Monster Fest is June 3 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in downtown Canton.
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CANTON − New details have been announced for the inaugural Monster Fest.

An extravaganza of the strange and bizarre — from Bigfoot to UFOs to winged creatures to ghosts — Monster Fest is June 3 at DoubleTree by Hilton in downtown Canton.

Presented by filmmaker and documentarian Seth Breedlove and his Massillon-based Small Town Monsters production company, the event promises to be intriguing and weirdly fun regardless of whether you believe in sasquatch and other phenomena of the "The X-Files" variety.

In 2015, Breedlove's film "Minerva Monster" explored the reported sightings of an apelike creature in the 1970s in Paris Township in Stark County. The project launched a career that has included scores of films and investigations in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Alaska, California, North Carolina, Oregon, Virginia and other states.

On Tuesday, Breedlove announced a list of speakers at Monster Fest and other new details. Here's what you need to know about the summer event.

Who's coming to Monster Fest?

Authors, investigators, television personalities and Hollywood screenwriters — a virtual who's who in the field of cryptids and mythical creatures.

They include:

  • Cliff Barackman of Animal Planets' long-running "Finding Bigfoot" series.

  • Richard Hatem, a film producer and writer known for "The Mothman Prophecies."

  • Stan Gordon, a Pennsylvania-based Bigfoot and UFO researcher and author.

  • Loren Coleman, a museum curator, author and television personality.

  • Podcasters Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess of "Astonishing Legends."

  • Lyle Blackburn, a television personality and author.

  • Local Bigfoot researcher Amy Bue.

Heather Moser, left, and Seth Breedlove walk towards an incline and clearing in a wooded and rural area outside Minerva. Breedlove, a filmmaker who has released documentaries and movies about Bigfoot and strange occurrences, said he spotted what he believes was a bipedal creature in the area in September 2021.
Heather Moser, left, and Seth Breedlove walk towards an incline and clearing in a wooded and rural area outside Minerva. Breedlove, a filmmaker who has released documentaries and movies about Bigfoot and strange occurrences, said he spotted what he believes was a bipedal creature in the area in September 2021.

Breedlove and his crew from Small Town Monsters also will be on hand. Speakers will discuss Bigfoot, UFOs and cryptozoology.

Finding Bigfoot:Filmmaker says he encountered hairy creature in Minerva-area wilderness

Monster Fest will be at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in downtown Canton on June 3. Seth Breedlove, a filmmaker known for his work on the "Minerva Monster" is heading the event, which will include researchers and podcast hosts.
Monster Fest will be at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in downtown Canton on June 3. Seth Breedlove, a filmmaker known for his work on the "Minerva Monster" is heading the event, which will include researchers and podcast hosts.

What Bigfoot movie will be screened at Canton Palace Theatre?

On June 2, Breedlove will premiere his newest production, "On the Trail of Bigfoot: Land of the Missing."

Afterward, there will be a panel featuring some of the guests who will appear at the convention on June 3.

More:REVIEW: Search for Bigfoot hits silver screen

Seth Breedlove of the Massillon-based Small Town Monsters is shown filming outside the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield in 2021. Breedlove will be presenting the first Monster Fest convention on June 3 in downtown Canton.
Seth Breedlove of the Massillon-based Small Town Monsters is shown filming outside the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield in 2021. Breedlove will be presenting the first Monster Fest convention on June 3 in downtown Canton.

How do you get a ticket and what do they cost?

Doors open at 9 a.m. June 3 for VIP ticketholders and 10 a.m. for the general public.

DoubleTree by Hilton in downtown Canton is at 320 Market Ave. S.

More:Filmmaker explores the paranormal at Mansfield Reformatory, site of 'Shawshank Redemption'

Presale tickets, $20.50, are available at https://www.smalltownmonsters.com/stmmonsterfest. VIP upgrades are available.

Tickets at the door will be $25; and kids 12 years old and younger will be admitted free.

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ebalint@gannett.com

On Twitter @ebalintREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Bigfoot, UFOs, ghosts: New details announced for Canton Monster Fest