NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Let's get weird.
There's this bit of local folklore that Michele Mazzu and Maggie Sidlinger have told to a student at the Academy of Make-Up and Arts, Kathleen Carter.
We have to start with this question.
What's a Knoblin? Mazzu and Sidlinger said this folklore is based around Donelson.
"A Knoblin is a fun, mythical creature that lives right over there on Todd's Knob," said Mazzu.
"Early 1800s was the first piece of lore we found," Sidlinger added. "He's kinda a shape shifter."
"The Knoblin is a bunch of different things, depending on who you talk to," said Carter.
"What you see doesn't match his shadow," Mazzu nodded.
The folklore goes that the Knoblin would take things.
"Some doorknobs or some keys possibly," Carter said.
Well, it's nice to have hobbies.
"They would leave offerings for him, corn, peaches, apples, things like that," Sidlinger continued.
Mazzu and Sidlinger wanted to see if Carter's team could create a Knoblin.
"This is a swatch of what the Knoblin's skin is going to look like," Carter said, holding up a patch of green colored material.
Mazzu and Sidlinger have started something, and it's called Knoblin Fest. It's a free music and arts festival. On Saturday, people lined up to finally see the Knoblin.
Some showed up in costume with their own ideas of what the Knoblin might look like.
"It's kind of like a goblin sort of thing!" one kid told me, dressed in a cloak and mask.
"He was very furry!" another kid said.
So, where was the Knoblin Carter's team brought to life? Well, he was doing photo ops, of course.
The Knoblin stood, ready to greet the public, complete with green skin, a face resembling a catfish, and a lantern hanging from a staff.
"It's insane, and I want to see it!" said a man dressed in his own interpretation of the Knoblin. "I wish we could see more of this on a daily basis! We need more goblins in general."
"It wasn't the wolf that ate my grandma, it was the Knoblin!" a little girl shouted, dressed in a Little Red Riding Hood outfit.
Mazzu and Sidlinger told me what they wanted was to gift their Donelson community something; a festival, something different. What a way to do that, reviving a strange little bit of folklore.
"Knoblin! Knoblin! What's brought you back after so many years?" I shouted, running up to meet the Knoblin.
"They gave me a kind invitation," the Knoblin said. "They said the music would be loud, the art would be beautiful, and the food would be delicious, and I said, 'I'll clear my calendar.'"
"People crave ridiculousness right now," said Mazzu. "My face hurts from smiling so much. It has been so great to see the whole community come out, such a diverse group. Everybody's smiling. Everybody's having fun."
"Give me weird all day long every day!" said one man dressed as a Knoblin.
Can't argue with that.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
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