POINT PLEASANT — The town of Point Pleasant will be the center of attention next weekend during the Eighth Annual Mothman Festival.

With ghost hunters, beauty queens, guest speakers and of course, Mothman Pancakes, the event is sure to be one of the biggest yet.

Beginning on Saturday, Sept. 19, Chad Lambert, Tonya Keyser, Susan Sheppard, James Willis, Rosemary Ellen Guiley and Sue Swiatek, will all intrigue the crowd with their knowledge and experience at the Historic State Theatre starting at 11 a.m. The group of interesting authors, writers, investigators and experts will speak at the event hosted by Ghostly Talk Radio.

Before that, the second annual Miss Mothman Festival children’s pageant will take place on the Point Pleasant Riverfront Park stage at 10 a.m.

Throughout the day on Main Street, those who attend will enjoy delicious food from a variety of vendors that will line the street, fun games, ‘Turtleman’, and of course get the opportunity to meet the eye witnesses themselves.

Linda Scarberry, Tom Ury, and Faye Dewitt, who have been on the Sci-Fi Channel, Travel Channel and Unsolved Mysteries, will be in person from 1-3 p.m. Saturday by the Mothman statue.

Live bands also will be performing at the stage starting around 1 p.m. These bands include 12 Gauge, 40 LB Snapper and The Mothman Band.

The popular and eerie TNT area hay rides will begin 7 p.m. Saturday at the West Virginia State Farm Museum grounds. Tickets are available at the information booth that will be set up in front of the Mothman statue. Prices are $5 for adults and $3 for children 10 and under. The farm kitchen also will be open and there will be live entertainment all evening long.

While wandering around on Main Street be sure to keep on the lookout for men dressed in black suits wearing sunglasses as it has been reported that the Men in Black are sure to make an appearance. The 2009 Mothman Festival Royalty also will be welcoming those who attend.

On Sunday, Sept. 20, four more guest speakers will entertain crowds starting at noon. They include Travis Shortt, Andy Colvin, Jason Gowan, and Jason Clyburn.

The Mothman Museum is sure to be packed with fans from all over the country who attend the festival. Museum hours are Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, noon-5 p.m.

If all this isn’t enough excitement, the ‘Turtleman’ will be back for his second appearance. Ernie Brown, of Kentucky, is well-known for catching 40 pound snapping turtles with his bare hands. He will be at the festival near the Mothman statue both days.

Main Street is sure to be filled with children and adults during the two day event, which is why the city will be blocking off the street early Saturday morning to ensure the safety of the festival goers. Main Street will be closed from Peoples Bank and on around 11 a.m. The bank drive through will be open and if needing to access the post office, an alternate route behind the bank will be available.

This event would not be possible without the dedication and hard work put forth by Director Jeff Wamsley, Carolin Harris, the City of Point Pleasant and the Mason County Tourism Center, as well as all the Mothman fans out there.