Many believe Bigfoot resides in their local woods, leaving small traces and keeping out of the human eye. Some have spent a portion of their lives dedicated to seeking out the sasquatch and researching all they can about the cryptid creature. This year, Nelsonville began a new tradition for residents and visitors by curating the town’s very first Bigfoot Festival.
The Nelsonville Bigfoot Festival occurred from Friday to Sunday at 22 Public Square in Nelsonville, Ohio. Vendors, live music, Bigfoot-themed food and scheduled speakers gave guests a variety of activities to enjoy while walking around Public Square.
Cameron Peck, president of the Nelsonville City Council, organized and arranged the festival and its attractions to attract visitors and tourism to Nelsonville. The festival was not only for those interested in learning more about potential sasquatch in the area, but also an opportunity for kids to explore the possibilities of the outdoors.
“If you can get a kid on a book, that's positive,” Peck said. “But if you can get a kid to want to go out and explore and take part in some of these things, where that's eventually going to end up is in a love of the outdoors, that's what this place is.”
Many were seen taking photos with Bigfoot walking throughout the festival, and those who bought a ticket for the Bigfoot Spotting Express would get to enjoy a train ride with the hairy cryptid on the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway.
Peck said the Parade of the Hills let them borrow their electrical infrastructure to put on the festival, and the Nelsonville Auxiliary Veterans of Foreign Wars agreed to be a long-term sponsor.
Bigfoot researchers came to educate others on their findings, providing their years of research in photos, footprint casts, videos and stories to inform those willing to learn about sasquatch.
David Walker, a speaker and researcher, said Bigfoots are usually 7 to 10 feet, but can sometimes reach 12 feet.
Walker said he had his first Bigfoot encounter when he was 11 years old while he was camping with a friend. The two friends lit a fire before they left and settled down at the top of a hill. As they were settling down to sleep, Walker said something whacked the two of them on their heads through the tent. Walker said he jumped out to surprise their attacker and was appalled to be met with a 10-foot creature.
“He just ran past me, and the fire is right there, down to the embers now,” Walker said. “So when he went past the fire, I can see on his leg: hair. This ain’t no guy in a suit. Besides that, he booked faster, and if it would have been somebody in a suit trying to scare a couple of boys, he’d trip fast.”
Walker said he believed the sasquatch was angry about their unsafe fire practices at the beginning of their trip, and was teaching the young boys a lesson to respect his home.
Walker said he believes Bigfoot is an “interdimensional” creature, which makes it hard for the cryptid to be caught on camera, or caught in general.
Richard McCandlish has been a cryptid researcher for 50 years, and studies creatures from his private cabin near Old Man’s Cave in Hocking Hills. McCandlish said they mostly come across young Bigfoot, as the adults usually stay out of human sight.
As for the animalistic behavior of Bigfoot, McCandlish said sasquatch are meat-eaters and hunt for deer. He recalled a time when he witnessed a Bigfoot suck on the leaves of a wild mustard plant. It took him 15 years to figure out that aphids lay their eggs under the leaves of a wild mustard plant, which McCandlish said is a cure for intestinal issues for sasquatch.
“If other researchers don’t share their information, all the questions that a lot of people have won’t get answered because the only reason is, ‘Well, you can’t see what I’ve got, or you can’t see what I have,’” McCandlish said. “Well, you need to open up here a little bit.”
McCandlish said Bigfoot is an intelligent creature, as the cryptid spends most of its time successfully hidden from hikers, mushroom hunters and other nature lovers.
Some festival attendees were visiting Nelsonville for the first time, including Ashlyn Thompson, who drove eight hours from Wilmington, North Carolina, with Daniel Warren to check out a farm in Athens they may be purchasing to turn into a community center. Thompson said she believes Bigfoot could definitely exist in the area.
“I’ve never seen Bigfoot, but I’ve seen a lot of other strange things, and so I think I’m very open to it,” Thompson said. “Very interested to hear everybody's stories today.”
Thompson said the festival itself is a great way for locals to get involved and enjoy themselves. Thompson said she enjoyed learning about sasquatch families and how they move in groups.
“I think that's fun to think that there could be a father and a mother, and then apparently the baby is always seen in the middle of the tracks, which I'm just like, how cute,” Thompson said. “Even interdimensional beings care about their kids, which is good to know.”
For information regarding speakers or live performers at this year’s festival, visit the Bigfoot Festival website at www.nelsonvillebigfootfestival.com.
