Notorious B.I.G., crop circles, Bigfoot and local urban legends

Everyone knows about urban legends. There's the one about how cracking knuckles causing arthritis. There's the one about the Loch Ness Monster. There's the one about Elvis Presley staging his death. There's the one about the Raiders caring about Oakland fans.

For the most part, urban legends are absurd. But there's enough truth in good urban legends to create interest, right? History shows that repeating them makes people more likely to believe them.

Well . . .

I'm a booster for Solano County and a supporter of Solano County urban legends. I occasionally write about Solano urban legends, hoping that their presence on the internet will spawn interest in this area and create tourism. Kind of like those crop circles in Suisun Valley back in 2003. Remember them? More on them later . . .

I've previously shared urban legends about the possibility of Kim Kardashian attending Vanden High School and Jimmy Carter owning land near Bird's Landing. I've shared the urban legend of John F. Kennedy water skiing in Suisun City and the possibility that the song "Hotel California" is about a Vacaville motel. I've suggested Amelia Earhardt's plane is hidden at Travis Air Force Base.

All may be true. Or may not be. Who knows?

But I recently heard from a guy who said his cousin knows a guy who said that . . .

The Notorious B.I.G. actually lives in Suisun City. I heard that he staged his death in 1997 because he knew he was the target of assassins. Biggie subsequently rented a three-bedroom tract home in Suisun City and lives off money he invested in offshore accounts, receiving a check for $6,000 every month.  Nearing 50, he's lived in the neighborhood long enough that he's known as "Mr. Wallace," and most neighbors assume receives some sort of government disability payment. The person who told me this said that B.I.G. stands for "By Island (Grizzly)." Makes sense.

Bigfoot was seen in the hills above Green Valley. While Fairfield is a long way from the traditional areas that commemorate their connection to Bigfoot, there is a persistent rumor that Sasquatch has been seen many times by residents around Green Valley Country Club. Word is that the Solano County Sheriff Department has been urged to keep the reports quiet because it could drive down home values. Bigfoot allegedly has friends in City Hall. Makes sense.

Suisun Valley circles were a test run for use in Afghanistan. In 2003, a series of amazing crop circles appeared in Suisun Valley near Larry's Produce. Some teens initially said they did it, but investigators determined that it was too sophisticated for that. There was never an official explanation for the circles, although their appearance created a cottage industry of T-shirt sales and visitors in tin-foil hats. I heard that the National Reconnaissance Office created the circles to see their impact, hoping similar versions in Afghanistan could lead to a quick conclusion to the then-burgeoning war. The crop circles were a local success, but the feds soon discovered that no one in Afghanistan had seen "Signs," the Mel Gibson movie about crop circles that came out a year earlier. Instead of crop circles, the military stayed in Afghanistan for nearly 20 more years and the NRO instead worked to improve the ability to distribute American films in Kabul so the next plan would work. Makes sense.

Reach Brad Stanhope at bradstanhope@outlook.com.