Entry in progress—B.P.

Hairy Man Festival
The History of the Hairy Man Festival
The Hairy Man Festival has been an annual event since 1994. It is a family-oriented festival that has raised between $20-35,000 each year in nonperishable food and cash donations. These donations benefit four local food pantries and charities serving Williamson County, north rural Travis County, and the Hill Country.

The festival includes an arts and crafts area with numerous artisans participating. Local civic groups, school clubs, homeowner associations, and charitable organizations raise funds through dozens of food and games booths. There are special performances and live music by local groups and organizations on the Festival Stage. Judged by local community leaders, the festival closes out with the legendary ‘Hairiest Man’ contest.

The Hairy Man Festival is presented by the Brushy Creek Women’s Association (BCWA) and the Brushy Creek MUD. The BCWA is a vehicle to unite and serve families in the Brushy Creek area. The group provides numerous social and service-oriented activities and is a great way to get involved in your community. For more information about joining the BCWA, please send an email to the BCWA at .

Hairy Man Festival
The Legend of the Hairy Man
By Gwen King, Local Historian
Children whisper tales of a strange hermit, the Hairy Man, who haunts the winding road along the Brushy Creek. Many legends persist about the Hairy Man. Some believe he was an infant accidentally left behind by settlers heading west in the 1800s. Raised by wild animals in the fern bluffs, the Hairy Man viewed the creek as his own. He resented the intrusion of strangers into his territory and would jump out of the trees to frighten people away. Or, hanging from the leafy canopy above the road, he would drag his feet across the top of passing carriages. On one occasion, the Hairy Man attacked a horse-drawn wagon, spooking the horses. The old hermit was supposedly run over by the wagon and killed, and now his spirit lingers along the creek and road.

TexasEscapes.com
The Hairy Man of Round Rock
by Maggie Van Ostrand
(...)
Want to tell your kids how the Hairy Man of Round Rock came to be? Well, one day far ago when his pioneer family was headed West, a young boy fell off their covered wagon. His parents didn’t notice that he was missing until many miles later. Of course, there’s a variation of this which says the boy was separated from them by flood waters. Either way, the result is the same and they were unable to connect with each other ever again.
(...)
Alas, one day, his aim was off and he fell out of the tree smack into the path of a stagecoach careening toward him at top speed. The startled quartet of horses got frightened and accidentally trampled him to death.

The Daily Texan
Hairy man bares it all
Bare Weber wins hairy man contest at annual festival
By Victoria Rossi
Published: Monday, October 18, 2004
(...)
In many ways a typical small town fair with moon walks, face painting and peach cobbler, the Hairy Man Festival focused on a local legend.

Round Rock citizens often speak of a squatter who lived alone by Brushy Creek. Considering the land his private property, the man would hang from trees to scare stagecoaches away. Eventually, one of the coaches ran over him, but his spirit is said to haunt the surrounding area.

Terri Allman, festival operations coordinator, said the Hairy Man legend was chosen as the festival’s theme because of its proximity to Halloween. What adults considered a piece of Round Rock folklore, children thought of as “a spooky Halloween story.”