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Jun 12, 2009 7:25 pm US/Central
'Pepie' Reward Offer Brings Big Money To Lake City
LAKE CITY, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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Sightseeing cruises offer the possibility of a glimpse of Pepie, who legends and locals say lives there. Drawings depict him with his hypnotic red eye and demon-like head.
CBS
There's a big reward for anyone who can catch a big sea creature.
Lake City is betting big on people trying to take a picture of Pepie and grab his DNA. As the story goes, he's attacked boaters and fishermen since 1871.
The Lake City Tourism Bureau is offering a $50,000 reward to anyone who gets the job done. It launched the campaign a year ago and since, it's gone better than expected.
"It has been successful beyond my wildest imagination," said Larry Nielson, who helped put the campaign together.
He talks of $1 million in tourism money for the city since the campaign began, a considerable monetary "catch" during down economic times.
It seems the beauty isn't the only thing getting people interested in Lake City these days. The beast at the bottom of Lake Pepin certainly is, too.
Sightseeing cruises now offer the possibility of a glimpse of Pepie, who legends and locals say lives there. Drawings depict him with his hypnotic red eye and demon-like head.
"I'm not really scared of Pepie. Intrigued more. My camera is on. It's ready," said Shanae Owens, who's ready to snap a shot of the creature if she sees it.
Pepie has been a writer's dream. Today, he's a marketer's dream.
People from across Minnesota and across the country are trying to capture the creature on camera, and in a year, they've sent in 15 pictures.
Media from Japan and Germany have written stories about Pepie.
At Treats and Treasures, a store in downtown Lake City, fans can buy sweatshirts, hats and T-shirts with an artist's drawing of what Pepie might look like, though that drawing is cuter than it is fierce.
"Kids love Pepie, they absolutely love Pepie," said Judy Kehren, who works at the store.
She also sells Pepie Crunch candy.
Down the street, a local pizza pace serves "Pepironi" pizza.
Lake City hopes that with a $50,000 prize on the table, people continue to talk and might pull in the lake's biggest catch ever.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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