Somers, CT: The Fairgrounds After Dark and the Beast of the Mountain Road

Somers, Connecticut sits along the northern edge of Tolland County where Connecticut begins to rise toward the forested hills that mark the Massachusetts border. Quiet farms and winding country roads define much of the landscape, and the wooded slopes of nearby ridges give the town a slightly more rugged character than some of its neighbors.

But every autumn, Somers becomes anything but quiet.
For nearly two centuries, the town has hosted the Four Town Fair, one of the oldest agricultural fairs in the United States. During fair week the fairgrounds come alive with crowds, livestock barns, carnival rides, and music that carries across the fields long after sunset.

And according to local legend, some of that activity may continue even after the fairgrounds have closed for the night.

The Fair That Never Quite Ends

When the crowds leave and the gates are locked, the fairgrounds fall silent. The lights go dark, the rides stand still, and the empty paths wind quietly between the barns and exhibit halls.

Yet caretakers and nearby residents have occasionally reported hearing strange things after the fair season ends.

Some claim that late at night, faint music drifts across the empty grounds as though a distant calliope were playing somewhere in the darkness. Others say they have heard laughter and voices echoing briefly between the buildings before everything grows quiet again.

A few witnesses have even reported seeing movement among the rides.

One story tells of a groundskeeper who was making his final rounds late one evening when he noticed that the large Ferris wheel appeared to be slowly turning. At first he assumed a mechanical malfunction had somehow restarted the ride.

But as he approached, the wheel stopped completely.

There was no wind. There were no lights. And the ride had no power connected to it.

Lanterns in the Empty Field

Another curious detail appears in several stories surrounding the fairgrounds.

From time to time, people passing along the nearby road have reported seeing small lantern-like lights moving slowly across the open fields after midnight. The lights drift across the grounds as though carried by unseen figures walking quietly through the darkness.

Some believe the phenomenon may be nothing more than distant headlights or reflections across the fields.

Others prefer a more colorful explanation—that the fair, after so many decades of laughter and celebration, has left behind a kind of echo that occasionally returns when the night grows quiet enough to hear it.

The Creature on the Mountain Road

Beyond the fairgrounds, the land rises sharply toward the forested hills that surround Soapstone Mountain and the surrounding ridgelines.

The area is heavily wooded, and many of the old roads that wind through the hills are narrow and dimly lit.

For years, drivers traveling those roads late at night have occasionally reported something strange.

Witnesses describe seeing a large animal crossing the road ahead of them—something far larger than any deer or bear known to live in the area. The creature is often described as low to the ground with a long body and powerful limbs, moving with surprising speed before disappearing into the trees.

In some accounts, the animal leaves behind massive tracks in the mud or snow that seem difficult to identify.

The most unusual detail appears in the creature’s silhouette.

Several witnesses have claimed that its shape resembles something ancient—almost reptilian—like the outline of a creature that might have walked the earth long before humans ever arrived in these hills.

Most sightings last only a few seconds before the animal vanishes back into the forest.

Hunters and wildlife officials have offered more practical explanations, suggesting that startled bears or large deer seen in poor lighting could easily appear larger or stranger than they truly are.

Still, the descriptions have remained remarkably consistent over the years.