Every year for the past several years, on the weekend following the 4th of July, I’ve ventured up north to participate in Bigfoot Days in Remer, MN.

Remer is a small town in Cass County with a 2010 census population of 370. It is about 70 miles north of Lake Mille Lacs off Co. Rd. 6, within the Brainerd Chain of Lakes area.

This charming little town has a claim to fame which is what lures me up there each and every year. I’ll get to that in a minute.

You see, back in 2016 when I bought my Hydro Blue Jeep Wrangler, I wanted a theme for my rig and I started to lean towards Sasquatch. I remember as a kid I was intrigued by the rumors of a living Bigfoot and even promised myself one day I’d search the woods of Washington state, California and even parts of Canada for the elusive ape-like creature if I ever got the chance as an adult.

Of course, as I matured into adulthood, my fascination with the myth of Bigfoot waned — that is until I bought my Jeep and I thought to myself, “what better vehicle is there to use if one was trying to navigate the treacherous woods and forests of North America in search of Bigfoot?” So, I gave my Jeep a name (Sassy) and everything took off from there.

It’s amazing how much Bigfoot paraphenalia there is out there— not only in our state but states across the U.S. I’ve been to Colorado, Wyoming, Georgia, Texas, Montana and parts of California with all of them claiming they have Bigfoots walking their woods. Each state has stuffed animal creature Bigfoots and bumper stickers and t-shirts and whistles and chapstick and  plaster casts. Each community boasts the legend of Bigfoot and lays claim to numerous sightings throughout the years.

That’s where Remer comes in. In 2009, a Bigfoot sighting helped to put Remer on the map by drawing national attention. The town was featured on the Animal Planet’s Finding Bigfoot TV show.

The sighting occurred on a rainy night on October 24, 2009 in the woods just north of Remer. It was spotted by two hunters who had set up a camera to spot deer. After the sighting, the town of Remer earned itself a nickname: the Home of Bigfoot and the weekend festival, Bigfoot Days was born in 2016.

Though I have my Jeep all decked out in Sasquatch stickers and a couple door magnets saying I’m part of the Bigfoot Research Team, I’m not necessarily sold on Bigfoot being a real thing, just like aliens, Loch Ness monsters and unicorns. I just like to have fun with the idea.

As a matter of fact, the fun comes when I drive down the road and kids (and some adults)  smile and give me a thumbs up when they see the Sasquatch adornments. Or at local parades where our newspaper uses the Sasquatch theme in our advertising materials. I’ve even had several people grill me on where I had seen a Saquatch (in all seriousness) and some have even brought their photos and plaster casts to me asking me what I thought of their finds — thinking I was some kind of expert. I play the role as best I can (you don’t want to make fun of their claims, they can get pretty testy).

What’s fun too is being in Remer during Bigfoot Days and seeing the local merchants adorn their shops and restaurants with Bigfoot-themed decorations and food and drink items. Remer even has a Bigfoot Gas & Goods store where mugs, t-shirts, books, stickers, hats and plaques can be bought to adorn oneself or oneself’s home. Bigfoot Days also features storytelling, a Bigfoot Olympics, a 5K Run, a flea market, a pancake breakfast, food vendors, scavenger hunts and a Bigfoot calling contest.

I’m telling you, it’s a lot of fun.

If you saw the faces of the kids who attend, you’d see why believing in the myth of Sasquatch can be quite a joyful thing.