VAN METER, Iowa — The Van Meter Visitor festival explores the legend of a mysterious week of terror a monster inflicted on Van Meter in 1903.

In 1903 the citizens of Van Meter faced five nights of terror when a strange bat-like beast began wreaking havoc upon the town. David Weatherly, an author, researcher, and world explorer, spent years researching the event and wrote a book about the legend.

According to the legend, it began after a man reported seeing a strange light on top of a tall building. The strange light then flew from the one building to another. The man dismissed it as a trick of the eyes. However, the next day a witness reported encountering a strange creature.

“It’s a giant bat-like creature with a protrusion on the top of its head that’s sort of a blunt horn,” says Weatherly. “The horn shines light out, and this weird creature was impervious to bullets.”

The creature disturbed the people for a week before it was suspected that it lived in the town mine, however when they confronted the mine they found two creatures. The story begins to fizzle out after the towns people closed off the mine, trapping them inside.

“The legend just kind of went away until modern times, it was dug back up again and it’s now become a huge festival called the Van Meter Festival,” says Weatherly.

Weatherly says friends of his began exploring the case years ago and found that the people of Van Meter had forgotten the event. They found newspaper articles and ancestor reports and eventually wrote a book about it. Now, people are curious about the legend and wonder if the creatures are still around. Weatherly and his friends wrote a second book about what the beast may be doing now.

Van Meter Visitor doesn’t just explore the bat-like creature that disturbed the town, it also explores other local and state mysteries. Nash Hoover, Steve Ward, Chad Lewis, and others spoke at the event. A walking tour with Chad Lewis showcased the historical sites of the town.

Whether you believe in the Van Meter week of terror and the beasts that terrorized the people. It can’t be denied that the legend brings together the community and brings a unique story and history to the small town.

To learn more about the legend or explore visiting next year visit their Facebook.