Albatwitch painting by Eric Tonzola
[Photo by Columbia Spy]
Article by NATHAN WILLISON | LNP Staff Writer
The Albatwitch, according to local folklore, is a small hairy primatelike creature that lives around Chickies Rock north of Columbia. The creature was described by speakers at the festival as being roughly 4 feet tall and known for stealing apples and throwing their cores at people who get too close.
Organizer Rick Fisher, an author and paranormal investigator, said he had a sighting of what he believed to be an Albatwitch in 2002 while he was driving on Route 23 toward Marietta and was inspired to create a festival around it after seeing the success of the Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant, West Virginia.
For over a decade Fisher had organized an Albatwitch festival in Columbia with Chris Vera, president of the Columbia Historic Preservation Society. Following disputes between Vera and Columbia Borough Council, the event was moved to Wrightsville in 2025. Fisher bowed out of the festival when it moved to the west shore of the Susquehanna. Over the past year, Fisher said he was told by residents and Borough Council members that the event should move back to Columbia, where it started.
MORE:
https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/albatwitch-festival-held-in-columbia-rain-dampens-other-300th-anniversary-events/article_1b25753f-db0d-4aa2-92ea-2cf4801f0726.html
