The Grafton Monster Festival is an annual celebration held in the City of Grafton that honors a strange local legend known as the Grafton Monster. The story began in 1964 when a newspaper reporter named Robert Cockrell claimed he saw a large, pale creature near the Tygart Valley River late at night. According to his description, the creature stood about seven to nine feet tall, had a bulky body, appeared to have no visible head, and made a strange whistling sound. Although no physical evidence of the creature has ever been found, the sighting became a well-known piece of West Virginia folklore. To celebrate this unusual legend, Grafton hosts the Grafton Monster Festival each year, usually in mid-June in the downtown area. The festival brings together locals and visitors for a variety of activities such as crafts and food vendors, monster themed merchandise, costume contests, guest speakers discussing paranormal topics and cryptids, live music, and family friendly entertainment. Inspired by the mystery and fun surrounding the legend, the festival has become a unique community event that both celebrates local culture and introduces newcomers to one of West Virginia's most intriguing monster stories.