Who knew Sasquatch and Illinois had such a strong bond?

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Have you ever caught a glimpse of North America's most elusive cryptid?

Harrisburg Illinois is known to be the "gateway to the Shawnee National Forrest" so it's only fitting that it would be home to the Shawnee Sasquatch Festival.  Shawnee National Forrest is a short drive from the Tri-State and there is SO much to do there.

I personally like to hike the Garden of the Gods and check out different trails, although I've never seen sasquatch while there, that doesn't mean he hasn't seen me! One Google search will tell you there have been all kinds of weird sounds and sightings of a potential sasquatch from around the Shawnee National Forrest area.

However, if you really want to see sasquatch, you can make a special stop on your trip to meet Sassy.  Sassy is sasquatch's much less shy younger sister. She's a statue that sits at Garden of the Gods and she's always willing to take a photo with you, and welcome you to the Shawnee National Forrest.

2nd Annual Shawnee Sasquatch Festival

The 2nd annual Shawnee Sasquatch Festival is scheduled to take place on October 8th and will go all day long!

According to the Facebook event page here's what you can expect:

The Planning Committee and the City of Harrisburg are both excited to announce our 2nd Annual Shawnee Sasquatch Festival on October 8th, 2022.

The second annual event will be held in Downtown Harrisburg and include incredible attractions such as FREE Carnival Rides, FREE Live Entertainment, a vendors and makers market, food trucks, and SO MUCH MORE!

The Festival is still needing volunteers and sponsors. To become involved as a partner or volunteer, please reach out to Alex Watkins at 618-253-7451 or at awatkins@cityofharrisburgil.com.

Be sure to follow the Shawnee Sasquatch Festival event page on Facebook to stay up to date with all of the happenings for this year's event.