Let’s do the Monster Bash
In the summer of 1969 folks throughout North Texas and beyond became fascinated with the small rural community of Lake Worth. A mysterious creature had been sighted by numerous folks near the Fort Worth Nature Center, the Goat Man he was called.
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Before going any deeper into this column, I must be transparent. I do believe in Bigfoot and have ever since I was a child and first saw the Patterson-Gimlin film (which I still believe to be real, though the recent documentary does intrigue me). That’s not to say I believe the Goat Man and Bigfoot are connected, but who’s to accurately say they’re not. As Laura Veloz, lead naturalist at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge said, “We still don’t know. That’s what makes it all so enthralling.”
MONSTER BASH
Many of those enthralled folks are expected to be on hand Saturday, Oct. 24 when the Lake Worth Monster Bash makes its return from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. It will be held at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge, where it all began those many years ago, 9601 Fossil Ridge Rd.
The event will feature a variety of cryptozoologists and authors such as Lyle Blackburn, Jason McClean, Craig Woolheater and Bobby Brooks. Blackburn is scheduled to speak at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., with McClean slated for 12:30 p.m.
The day will also include guided hikes by cryptid expert Daniel Jones to areas where the Goat Man was sighted, including where he was seen throwing a tire (complete with rim) by several people off of a cliff. Each of these tours, which lasts about 45 minutes, will take place at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., starting at Greer Island. “It’s still the hub of most of the sightings,” Veloz said.
There will also be hay rides for $5 per person. They will take passengers around the premises, allowing them to see the whole park. Admission to the event is $6 for adults, $3 for seniors (age 65 and older), $2 for children age 3 and over and children under age 3 are free. Friends of the Nature Center are free.
EXPANDED BY FOLKLORE
Veloz said the Monster Bash was originally intended to take place every four years. However, after having around 1,400 visitors in the five-hour event in 2024, officials decided to make it a bi-annual event. “The community has kept it alive,” Veloz said. “The Nature Center never advertised it before 2019, but people keep the legend going.”
Veloz said cryptozoologists were also enthusiastic about expanding it to every two years. And, of course, it benefits the Nature Center to have it more often. All proceeds from the event benefit the center and refuge.
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THE LEGEND
Reports began in July of 1969 by local citizens of a half-man, half-goat creature with fur and scales. Newspapers, along with TV and radio, reported the sightings and interviewed people who allegedly saw the creature.
The most renowned of all of the sightings involved it jumping on the roof of a couple’s car. A photograph reportedly taken by a man named Allen Plaster was published.
Locals began making regular trips to the lake to try and get a look at the monster themselves. And while local police investigated the claims, no firm evidence was ever produced.
Some believe that since the sightings stopped once school started in the fall, it might have been some high school students playing a prank. In fact, one local publication is said to have received an anonymous letter in 2005 from someone claiming to be a part of a hoax.
But that didn’t stop the legend from growing. And whether it was or was not real doesn’t mean there aren’t things out there in the cryptid world that defy logic we’ve all been taught.
“I’m from Mexico. My parents and grandparents had a lot of things that were hard to explain,” Veloz said. “I’m a believer that there is still so much out there we don’t know about.”
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