All things spooky, including a local legend, will be the focus of the Columbia Albatwitch Harvest Festival and two upcoming Fright Nights happening in Columbia.

The festival, scheduled for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, will be held at Columbia Crossing River Trails Center, 41 Walnut St.

Speakers, vendors and activities will focus on cryptids, including the Albatwitch, a small, furry creature who resembles a baby Bigfoot and loves to eat apples.

Sponsored by the Columbia Borough Parks and Recreation department, the festival will feature fun for people of all ages.

Presenters will include Rick Fisher, who is organizing the festival and the Fright Nights; Stacey Leigh and Jason Darden; Rissa Miller and Lon Strickler; and Gwendolyn Purcell.

"We'll have four bands playing throughout the day," Fisher said, including the Kracker Beez, Appaloosa Way, Boundaries Lounge Jam and Marny Klein. "We'll have food trucks and craft vendors, too."

Food and drinks available for purchase will range from burgers and fries to lemonade, pizza and empanadas.

"The festival will be a day of fun, with games for kids and something for everyone," Fisher said. "You can come and listen to the lectures, walk around and visit the vendors, get something to eat and listen to music by the river."

Fisher founded the Albatwitch festival in Columbia many years ago. His fascination with the unexplained began when he was 7 and saw a man standing outside his bedroom at his grandparents' home. He assumed it was his grandfather, but the next morning his grandmother told him his Pap hadn't been there. Years later, Fisher learned his sister had seen the same figure.

As he grew older, Fisher's interest continued, eventually leading him to collect stories of unexplained encounters from people in Columbia, Wrightsville, Marietta, Bainbridge and surrounding communities.

Those stories were published in his book "Ghosts of the River Towns," from which he will read at the Albatwitch Harvest Festival.

He's currently working on another book focused on stories about ghosts of Lancaster County.

Fisher acknowledged there is another event to celebrate the region's Bigfoot, Albatwich Day, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 10, in Wrightsville. He hopes people will go to both events.

"This is not about competing with the other festival," he said. "When that one moved to Wrightsville, I got so many requests to bring it back to Columbia. This way, people can enjoy both festivals."

After the Columbia festival, Fisher will host the first of two Fright Nights at Columbia Market House, 15 S. Third St., from 6 to 8 p.m.

He will read from his book at the event, and tours of the dungeon beneath the market will be offered.

Fisher is in the process of restoring the dungeon. He's ready to install a new floor but first wants to finalize plans to remove plaster that covers the original brick walls.

Fisher is fairly certain the dungeon is haunted, and he recalled an experience a few years ago when he was being interviewed in one of the cells for a local television station.

While Fisher, the cameraman and the reporter were in the former solitary confinement space, the heavy door to the cell began to close on its own.

"There's no draft down there to move it," he said. "I didn't know what it was that was causing that."

A second Fright Night will be held on Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31, also at the Market House. More information will be coming soon for this event.

Proceeds from both the Albatwitch Harvest Festival and the Fright Nights will benefit Columbia Borough Parks and Recreation.

Parking will be available in the lot at Columbia Crossing as well as in the adjacent meadow. A trolley will operate from Sixth and Locust streets from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., dropping visitors at Coffee and Cream, across the street from the festival, and offering return rides for anyone who wants to park in downtown Columbia.

Festival attendees are encouraged to bring cash for purchases at the event.

For more information on the festival or the Fright Nights, search for "Columbia Albatwitch Harvest Festival" on Facebook. Reservations are required for either Fright Night. To make a reservation, call Fisher at 717-341-7574 or email parapa109@gmail.com.