I'm on the Lake Erie shoreline in Conneaut, Ohio. There's been stories that have been circulating for centuries about monsters that have been lurking in the lake. However, in this community, citizens do not fear those monsters. They celebrate them.

Monster sightings have been reported on Lake Erie as far back as 1793. The sightings reportedly took place all over the lake from Fort Erie, Ontario, to Toledo Ohio. Stephanie Gildone is the vice-president of the board of directors at the Conneaut Arts Center. She says she saw a mysterious creature lurking near the Conneaut harbor when she was in her late 20s.

"I saw something,” she says. “I do not know what it was. It was a little head and a long ripple behind it."

 Stephanie has lived near the lakeshore in Conneaut her entire life. She does not believe that the creature was a turtle, a fish, or a snake.

"It went from the west to the east towards the breakwall and then it kind of disappeared,” remembers Stephanie.

It's appropriate that Stephanie is now a board member at the Conneaut Arts Center. The center has been hosting the Lake Erie Monster Festival for the past six years. The festival celebrates the legend of Lake Erie monsters. There's food, crafts, kids activities, and appearances by a mermaid and a pirate. However, the main attraction is a contest in which people submit art work showing their best image of a Lake Erie monster.

"You can do paintings, drawings, sculptures. We've had people collect trash from the beach and make a sculpture of a monster out of that,” says Jordan Jones, administrative Assistant at the Conneaut Arts Center.

David Jones is the executive director at the arts center. He says the festival draws lots of people from the Lake Erie shoreline and beyond.

"There is a big cult following of people who are very interested in the history event. It's fun to come out to an event like this and just see what people's creations are and what they think live in the waters,” says David.

This year's Lake Erie Monster Festival will be held on Saturday, August 2. It's not too early to start working on your monster art project.. Entries must be submitted by June 30. Public voting will be held starting on July 3 and the winners will be announced at the festival. Let's celebrate the mysterious legends of Lake Erie!

"It's always so exciting to think about what is out there, what is lurking in that water. Which is why I really don't go in the water at night,” declares Stephanie with a laugh.

The festival is held each year at the Conneaut Art Center grounds at 1025 Buffalo Street in Conneaut. It’s just a stone's throw away from Lake Erie. The Lake Erie Monster art contest is open to anyone ages 4 and above. Prizes will be awarded.