From Frogman to Octoman: celebrating cryptids in Covington

You’ve heard of Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and the Jersey Devil. Maybe you’ve heard of the Cincinnati Octoman, the Loveland Frogman or the Pope Lick Monster. Well, they’re all coming to Covington on Saturday, Oct. 12, for the third annual Covington Cryptid Block Party.

“I know there’s a lot of other cryptid-related festivals around,” said block party Co-Founder and Organizer Melissa Silberstang, “and some of those have panel discussions and paranormal researchers. Ours is meant to be a party.”

A cryptid is an animal or creature that people claim to have spotted or documented but is otherwise unsubstantiated by conventional science. Bigfoot is the classic example.

Kentucky and Ohio are home to several cryptids (allegedly). The first is the Cincinnati Octoman. According to a series of articles in the now defunct Cincinnati Post, police dispatchers began receiving reports in late January 1959 of an octopus-like creature leaping onto bridges and lurking in the river everywhere from Clermont County, Ohio to the Licking River Bridge.

To make matters more insidious, all of the street lights on Kellogg Avenue in Cincinnati from the Lunken Airport to Coney Island simultaneously went out around the time the first reports were coming in.

Next is the Pope Lick Monster, a goat man who supposedly lives under a trestle bridge traversing Pope Lick Creek in Louisville. Several people have actually died in search of the monster, often in train-related accidents.

Finally, there’s Bearilla, a bear-like creature allegedly first sighted in Nicholas County in 1972. Plaguing cattle farms not only in Kentucky but also in Wisconsin, Michigan and even Canada, Bearilla is supposedly the only cryptid that kills for pleasure.

Then there’s the Loveland Frogman, which is thought to be a four-foot-tall humanoid frog or toad that prowls around Loveland, Ohio, on its hind legs. The first alleged sighting happened in 1955.

Then, in 1972, a Loveland Police officer reported seeing something that matched the Frogman’s description, according to legend. But in 2016, after sightings were reported on several Cincinnati TV stations, a second officer called one of the stations with an updated report of the 1972 sighting. Apparently, he had shot a creature two weeks after the 1972 sighting. The creature? A large iguana with a missing tail.

Although some of the stories around cryptids can be frightening, the block party is meant to be family friendly. Local artists, vendors and community organizations will all be on hand showcasing their works and services. Fabled Brew Works, Wendigo Tea Company and Red Bird Deli will provide food and drinks. Laughing Bees Honey will also provide special treats. In Bocca Performance, a local theater troupe, will be performing as cryptids in full costumes with fully choreographed routines.

Most notably for the kids are mask making workshops and crafting activities. Art Equals, a local art nonprofit, will provide a hands-on activity where people can make their own cryptid out of various materials.

Additionally, Kit Threet, former art teacher at Holmes Middle School and founder of Art Markit, will be leading workshops for kids to make their own cryptid masks out of paper-mache. It’s an old tradition from when she was still a teacher, she said.

“We would do a lesson on how to build a mask from the ground up, and then I had those students come to the Covington Cryptid Block Party to show off their masks and their cryptids,” Threet said. “It was just a great way to get them involved and feel like they have a specific place within this community thing that happens every year, and they absolutely loved it.”

Threet and Art Markit will host two workshops on mask making the two Fridays preceding the block party on Oct. 4 and Oct. 11. $15 gets you all of the materials needed to make a mask and access to both sessions if you purchase before the workshop on Oct. 4. Art Markit will be on hand at the event, as well, to help people finish up their masks, sell art kits and provide instructions on how to make masks at home.

“Once you learn how to make a mask out of paper mache, the possibilities are endless,” Threet said.

The event will also feature music, giveaways, dancing and other activities. It takes place Saturday, Oct. 12 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Pike Street in Covington, between Madison Avenue and Washington Street. The event is free and open to the public.

Learn more about the event, including a full list of vendors and mask making instructions at cryptidcov.blog. You can sign up for mask making workshops at Art Markit’s event page.