Do you know the Bunny Man?
The Fairfax folklore of the Bunny Man has brought scary stories to generations in Northern Virginia. Now, you can hear this wild tale over a pint of Bunnyman beer from a brewery celebrating this creepy story.
Bunnyman Brewing, on Guinea Road in Fairfax, is just a few miles from a bridge at the center of an urban legend about a hatchet-wielding man in a bunny costume.
“If you grew up in this area, went to high school in this area, everybody's got a different version of the story based on their group of friends and what they made up to scare each other,” Bunnyman Brewing co-owner Eric Barrett said.
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Like most legends, the history is a little fuzzy, but researchers have been investigating the origins of the Bunny Man.
Cindy Bennett, author of “Wicked Fairfax County” says there’s truth to the Bunny Man legend that dates back decades.
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“The Bunny Man is real,” she said.
Rumors of murder and mayhem swirl around the Bunny Man Bridge — but it’s two Washington Post stories from October 1970 that point to true origins, Bennett explained.
In one encounter fit for a horror flick, a couple was parked by the side of the road and a man in a rabbit suit — complete with long floppy ears a tail — ran up to their car, Bennett.
The Bunny Man threw a hatchet into the front windshield, according to Bennett.
Just two weeks later, a man in a bunny suit was spotted in a development hacking away at one of the homes under construction, Bennett said.
“He was said to be in his early twenties, late teens. So, he could still be alive today,” Bennett said.
Since opening last summer, Bunnyman Brewing offers a place for neighbors and newcomers to write the tale’s next chapters.
“We just have people walk in — in pink bunny suits — and drink a beer,” Bennett said.
Bennett said he loves sharing the legend with new people.
“I actually wondered if there aren't some more true stories that the police report didn't capture,” Barrett said.
Some people told him they had seen a guy in a bunny suit while growing up in the area.
“Just odd stories. None of the extreme, crazy versions of the urban legend,” Bennett said.
As with anything folklore or beer-related, consume responsibly.
