Lizard Man Stomp ‘keeps the legend alive,’ event organizer says

Lee County made national headlines with the sighting of the Lizard Man on June 29, 1988, in Bishopville’s Scape Ore Swamp, and this year will be the fifth for the festival commemorating the landmark event.

The Lizard Man Stomp has become Bishopville and Lee County’s annual festival in recent years to draw out-of-towners into the community.

“The Stomp” — as many simply call the event — is centered on the county’s famous giant, red-eyed reptile that walks upright like a man, and event organizer Margaret Copeland provided a preview of the festival to be held on June 27.

As folklore goes, the Lizard Man was first spotted on that fateful night in June 1988 in the Browntown community.

That summer, local, state and national media descended upon Bishopville to hear residents’ stories of sightings of the 8-foot swamp monster that soon came to be known as the Lizard Man.

Then-Lee County Sheriff Liston Truesdale launched a full-scale investigation to locate the creature from the area swamp but with no luck.

Since then, there have been sightings throughout the county of big footprints and scraped-up car hoods, among other damage to vehicles. However, the monster has never been reported to hurt a person, according to the legend.

Since 2022, the county has hosted The Stomp in downtown Bishopville, and the free festival this year will again include arts and crafts, kids’ games, face painting, a local car show, vendors and food trucks, Copeland said.
She added live music this year will include DJ Tiz Laney, among others.

Always occurring on the last Saturday in June, festival hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the family-friendly event will begin with a parade down Main Street.

According to Copeland, the Lizard Man will appear again for pictures with festivalgoers.

She said the Lizard Man is Lee County’s version of Big Foot and festival themes are “keeping the legend alive” and helping to support downtown businesses.

Retailers along Main Street include an arts and crafts business, variety store, a few clothing stores, a sporting goods store, a bakery and an ice cream shop, among others, Copeland said.

Like in recent years, locally owned Smith Concrete Products will again sell Lizard Man statues, ranging from 3 to 5 feet tall. She added that the business also has a smaller version that can sit on a desk.

Additionally, The Stomp will feature numerous varieties of Lizard Man T-shirts for sale, Copeland said.

In 1988 when news broke on the Lizard Man, thousands of commemorative T-shirts were sold, she added.

“I have no idea how many T-shirts were sold back then, but it was thousands of them because they shipped them everywhere,” Copeland said. “I talked to a guy when the Lizard Man was first sighted, and he sold over a thousand himself right here in Bishopville.”