Owensboro Nurse Turns a 2020 Bigfoot Scare Into Two Books and Blue Bridge Squatch Fest With a Family Movie and Calling Contest

OWENSBORO, KY — What started as a late-night drive during the COVID era ended up changing John Reiners’ life. The Owensboro Health nurse says he saw a strange creature near McQuady in 2020, and the encounter pushed him from skepticism into years of Bigfoot research and writing.

Reiners says the roadside moment was unsettling enough that he could not shake it. Instead of brushing it off, he began digging into Bigfoot lore, looking for books that focused on the creature moving on all fours and finding very little that matched what he wanted to explore.

From Sightings to a Niche in Print

That search led to his first book, Crouching Behemoth: Quadrupedal Sasquatch, which arrived on Amazon in March 2025. Reiners says the project took nearly three years and became a deep dive into research around the legendary creature, especially the idea of how it might move using its limbs and joints.

He also interviewed Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum, the former Idaho State University anatomy and anthropology professor known for Bigfoot research. Reiners says their discussion focused on movement, orthopedic questions and the kind of physical mechanics that could explain unusual sightings. He said Meldrum urged him to steer clear of online Bigfoot forums, where he believed all kinds of people could surface.

After finishing the book, Reiners kept going. He began working on a second title, Aquatic Sasquatch, after thinking about local rivers and hearing a fisherman’s claim about the Spotsville Monster in the Green River area. The new book includes interviews with Native American descendants and other witnesses, along with local context and a light sense of humor.

How Blue Bridge Squatch Fest Came Together

Reiners then teamed up with event organizer Fred Chisholm to help build Blue Bridge Squatch Fest, a family-friendly gathering set for 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at Kentucky Soundstage, the former Malco site on Frederica Street in Owensboro.

The festival will include vendors, speakers, food trucks, a car show, live music and a photo opportunity with resident Sasquatch Sid. Organizers also plan face painting, a coloring contest, and both kids’ and adult divisions of a Bigfoot calling contest. Reiners said he will have a vendor table for book sales and signings, and a family movie will be shown as well.

Because admission is free, organizers are able to screen the film, which Reiners would not name. He said anyone who thinks hard enough may be able to guess it. The event is also positioned as a fundraiser, with all money raised going to the SPC Brandon Scott Mullins Memorial Foundation for veterans programs.

Why the Festival Is Built for Families

Reiners says part of the appeal is that the festival is meant to be playful rather than serious or spooky. He describes it as a place where people can browse unusual vendors, hear stories from Bigfoot and paranormal guests, enjoy local food and even meet Sid, the event’s resident Sasquatch.

He also sees the books and the festival as ways to give visitors more than one kind of experience. Each chapter in his writing can include local details, like statistics about a park or nearby attractions, so readers get a little travel guide along with the legend. For Reiners, that mix of curiosity, humor and local flavor is what makes the Squatch theme work in Owensboro.

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