Ridge Writers is the East Sierra Daniel Stallings– It’s almost time for Ridge Writers’ annual Weird Weekend event in Ridgecrest. Weird Weekend celebrates all that makes our area of the world special whether it’s our historic petroglyphs, our UFO sightings, our ghost towns, our lost gold mines, our staggering geography, and much more. And more than that, Weird Weekend is all about our personal stories—the stories of the land and the locals—who make this slice of Mojave Desert as special as it is. This year, we have three highly interactive campfire-themed events to celebrate the legends of our area.
On Friday, October 7 at 5 p.m. at Moe’s Music (207 W. Ridgecrest Blvd.), we will host a Campfire Story Competition. Local storytellers and writers can read their own tales of the weird and wonderful for prizes and bragging rights. Truth is totally optional. Want to share a tale about a UFO sighting? How about a lost gold mine? Or helping those out-of-this-world strangers with their 2006 Honda Accord? Share it with us for a chance to win. Stories should be in good taste and 5 to 7 minutes in length. Admission is $5 per person at the door, and anyone who has paid the admission is welcome to compete if they follow the rules.
On Saturday, October 8 at 5 p.m. at Moe’s Music, we’re holding the Campfire Song Competition. Local musicians are invited to bring their guitars or harmonicas or whatever they wish to play an original campfire song on the Moe’s Music stage. Songs should be in good taste and no more than 5 minutes in length. Winners will receive prizes and bragging rights. Admission is $5 per person at the door, and anyone who has paid the admission is welcome to compete if they follow the rules.
Finally, on both Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Music, Master Mystery Productions and Ridge Writers will present a revival of 2019’s sold-out hit Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind, an interactive campfire mystery based on local Bigfoot legends, written and directed by multi-award winning actress and playwright Monica Dwyer. Set in an isolated campground on the edge of the woods, Bigfoot believers and skeptics have gathered to tell their stories of their own close encounters of the hairy kind. But someone in that group is itching for a different kind of hunt when wanted posters mysteriously appear. Who would want to capture Bigfoot? Guests will get to enjoy camp meals and a unique, interactive show in a “lights out” production lit with a “campfire,” lanterns, and flashlights. Who knows? You might have a close encounter of your very own. Tickets are $20 each, which buys both the meal and a seat at the show, and are available right now at Red Rock Books or at the door. Doors open thirty minutes before the event begins.
Join us for weird and wonderful weekend on October 7 and 8!
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