Kelly Tabor looked for Champ the lake monster for years during summers spent with her grandfather at his cabin on Lake Champlain. But Champ never appeared. Until, that is, she was reviewing drone footage for a film she and a college friend were working on based on a book they wrote about Champ

A large object glided under the surface toward a boat carrying the two main characters. Tabor and co-author Richard Rossi believe without a doubt it shows the long sought sea serpent. They’ve turned over the footage to scientists to confirm. The boat was 142 inches from the tip of the bow to the stern and 50.5 inches at the widest point and this alleged creature appears bigger than the boat. The legend of Champ goes way back, to the time the Abenaki and the Iroquois lived in the area and told about a large horned serpent or great snake that lived in the lake. Explorer Samuel de Champlain spoke of the monster and a historic marker on the lakeshore lists purported sightings. Doubters say it’s a garfish. One photo exists of something in the lake, taken by a Connecticut woman, Sandra Mansi, in 1977. It was heralded as the best proof that the monster exists. But there were a couple of problems — she didn’t have a negative and couldn’t recall precisely where she took it.

Also, there’s nothing in the frame that allows a comparison of the size of the monster, which in Mansi’s photo is partially out of the water. Still, the photo has launched a full-throated embrace from lake communities, including a festival called Champ Day. Tabor, a retired teacher from Greenville County Schools, enthralled her students for years with the stories about Champ. She grew up in Crown Point, New York, on the western shore of the lake. The lake is situated between New York and Vermont. During COVID, Rossi, who lives in Hollywood and works as an actor and screenwriter, contacted Tabor to ask if she was interested in writing a children’s book about Champ. They worked long distance via zoom and came up with a finished product last summer. The story centers on 9-year-old Lucy Lago, an orphan who lives with her grandfather, Papa. They are determined to show the disbelievers that Champ exists. At its core it is a story about the effects of bullying and overcoming mental health challenges. The movie was filmed at Lake Champlain in summer 2022. Nine-year-old Emma Pearson stars as Lucy, Rossi is Papa and Tabor is the school teacher. The film will premiere Sept. 8 at the Strand Center for the Arts in Plattsburgh, New York, located on the northwestern shore Lake Champlain.

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