How the Mormon Cricket Invasion in Nevada Inspired ‘Cricket Con’

ELKO, Nevada (ABC4) — Identical twin sisters Katherine Kelly and Cynthia Shedd hosted an insect-themed event that received mixed reactions from the small community of Elko, Nevada.

“The feedback we’ve gotten is either complete joy at how hilarious it is or complete disgust as to why we would celebrate these things,” Shedd told ABC4.com.

So what type of event would elicit such varied reactions? The one and only Cricket Con.

Together, the twins run their business CK Connections and Events LLC. Kelly and Shedd said they had a “crazy idea” after Mormon crickets started arriving in their town earlier this year.

“We have been invaded by these three to sometimes several million inch creatures called Mormon crickets for several years now, and this is an infestation,” Shedd said.

Kelly scoffed at Shedd’s estimate of the crickets being “kajillions of inches” long, pointing out that four inches was a more accurate size. The sisters said the crickets cover the roads and affect daily life.

“It impacts businesses, it makes people not want to go out, (the crickets) smell bad,” Shedd said of the infestation.

Kelly and Shedd said people often use leaf blowers to keep crickets away from their front doors. Others have a broom that they use to make their way to their car when they leave the house, and to return to their door when they return home.

“We’re just kind of those people that when we see a need, we’re brave enough to take on the stress and give back to our community in whatever way they see fit,” Kelly said.

The twins told ABC4.com they had already thought about hosting a cricket-themed event after the Mormon Crickets came to town.

For Cricket Con, they partnered with local nonprofits, vendors and townspeople, including the sheriff and local media personalities. Whoever raised the most money was tasked with eating a food grade cricket live on social media.

“We want to help make our community and our world a place that we want to live in and that we want our children to grow up in, so we’re just trying to do our part,” Shedd said.

There were activity booths, food trucks and even a costume contest, with categories for children and adults. One booth presented a challenge: Participants could call their friends or family members to eat a cricket, and if they ate the cricket, they won a sticker designed by Kelly’s son.

“We need to have a conversation with the Mormon crickets about appreciation and gratitude, because they just weren’t feeling it,” Shedd said. “But the community has really felt it, we’re getting great feedback.”