Knobby legend lives on: History of bigfoot sightings brings the curious to Casar (via Chad Arment)

Calvin Thompson
Monday, Aug 29 2011

CASAR — It's been five months since Knobby, the legendary bigfoot of Cleveland County, was last sighted, but many of the residents of Casar and the surrounding area are still feeling his presence.

"People think I'm more of a kook, is all," said Thomas Byers, who reportedly saw Knobby on March 22, and managed to capture grainy video footage of an apparently furry, brownish humanoid. At first, Byers was bombarded by news agencies and people looking for more information.

Byers claims he has since seen additional signs of the creature, and said he has a friend who has seen it multiple times while hunting.

Casar resident Tim Peeler says he saw another, taller hairy beast back in June of 2010, but has since grown tired of the publicity and the media attention.

"I don't like to talk about it no more," Peeler said, recently.

Byers said he has not let the media attention get to him because he is certain of what he saw, be it a real sasquatch or a hoax.

`It's good for the economy'

Casar store owners have capitalized on the creature's popularity.

"We need to be on the map somehow," said Tim White, owner of White's General Store in the Casar town square.

White's is one of the Casar stores that churns out Knobby memorabilia for residents and tourists alike. White sells Knobby T-shirts and "Git" sticks and said his store gets occasional visits from travelers from across the country.

Tourists interested in Knobby have actually garnered a lot of business, leading White's General Store to open the "Knobby Store" each year at the Cleveland County Fair.

"It was real good last year," White said. "Now it's not booming like when Mr. Peeler saw it."

He also holds two of the items which have achieved near-legendary status in Knobby folklore- the "Knobby Trumpet," a homemade device used to call Knobby, and the original "Git" stick, which Knobby witness Peeler said he used to ward off the creature. White said that the objects are the originals used by Peeler.

"It's good for the economy, if nothing else," said J.R. Smith, another Casar resident, and friend of White's. "There may be something out there; I ain't gonna say."

White is also undecided about what lurks in the forests around Casar.

"I believe he (Peeler) saw something," White said.

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