Thank you to all who came out for our third annual Upper Cumberland Bigfoot Festival benefiting veterans! We thank our sponsors, vendors, Mountain Monsters, Cliff Barackman, and ALL those who volunteered or helped out in any way. I want to thank the Cumberland County Rescue Squad for assisting with parking and Blue Life Security for keeping us safe and secure.
I thank my committee, who worked tirelessly by my side to make sure this was a successful event.
Finally, we thank those who we ought to thank the most…the veterans. Thank you for your service!
We can’t wait to welcome Huck, Buck, and Wild Bill! There’s also the VIP event with these guys the Friday night before the festival. See https://ucbigfoot.com/vip-event/ for more info on that event!
We are also excited to have Cliff Barackman back this year!
The kids’ zone will be located near the main entrance of the festival inside the big building (used for exhibits during the Fair) and across from where our festival merchandise is being sold! Check it out for lil pumpkin decorating, Bigfoot bingo, Bigfoot story time and MORE! The kids zone is free and your kids are sure to have a great time!
Visiting Crossville? Check out Grinder House Coffee on Main Street. They have a cool atmosphere, delicious food, and some clever drink choices! Stop in and check it out as you stroll down Main Street. It’s a local hot spot!
Come see a Blackhawk Helicopter and Humvee up close! A once in a lifetime experience…Bigfoot, Blackhawk, and Humvee! Thank you to the military personnel making this happen!
As of the posting of this on October 18, the colors are really coming in now! Frost covers the fields this morning and that is really kicking the fall foliage into gear. Please take time to enjoy the colors while visiting our beautiful plateau!
Meeting the needs of our local veterans is something that should resonate with all of us. The world makes it clearer by the day that the survival of our freedom depends on our men and women in uniform…fighting that daily fight around the world to keep the bad guys down. When our veterans have a need they can’t afford, we can step up and take care of it. It’s an honor to do so.
If you can’t be at the festival and you still want to support our cause, please donate via PayPal at  paypal.me/ucbigfoot and specify “veteran donation.” That money will go to help a veteran in need either through Creative Compassion or the Cumberland County Veterans Assistance Council.
You may also mail a check to Creative Compassion, 20 Penny Lane, Crossville, TN, 38555. Specify “veteran donation.”
We appreciate Stonecom radio’s support for our festival and for their love of our community! They ran a series of free public service announcements for our festival and we appreciate that so very much! Look for them at the festival as they broadcast from the scene! Be sure and thank them for their support of this amazing festival!
WECO radio will be broadcasting from the festival AND they will offer live viewing of the UT-BAMA game on a big screen TV! Come enjoy the festival and never miss a beat with the game!
Our festival is protected by the best! Blue Life Security has been our trusted partner in security for three years now and we have all the confidence that they’ll keep things safe this year. Thank you, Blue Life Security!
Upper Cumberland Bigfoot Festival founder and organizer Mark Baldwin is beyond excited about the third annual event, not only to have a great time and spend the day with the community, but to help local veterans who need assistance.
“Getting bigger and better,” Baldwin said of the vendors and other new things organizers have worked on to incorporate into the festival. “It’s different this year.”
An estimated 8,000 people attended the first two Upper Cumberland Bigfoot Festival events. One of the things that Baldwin thought was different was the energy and the buzz indicative of a community ready for the third annual festival.
“This year, both in myself and the community, I feel like there’s more excitement,” Baldwin said. Having no prior experience, he continued, “This is the first time we’ve really been able to really get excited. Now, we feel like we’ve got this, because none of us had ever planned a festival before.”
But now they are on a roll in a very big(foot) way.
Another new change includes turning over the 5K event to the willing and capable hands of Cumberland County 4-H. The reprised event – now the Bigfoot 4-H 4K Fun Run will directly benefit Cumberland County 4-H.
“So, that will be for a good cause,” Baldwin added. The Bigfoot 4-H 4K Fun Run will be held at the Cumberland County Community Complex on Oct. 13.
For the second year, Upper Cumberland Federal Credit Union has offered its support as the main sponsor in hopes that the festival fundraiser will be able to help even more veterans through Creative Compassion Inc.’s veteran assistance program and Cumberland County Veterans Assistance Council.
Left to right: Mark Baldwin, Bigfoot Festival founder, David Robbins, Upper Cumberland Federal Credit Union, and Jack Fogel, Upper Cumberland Veteran’s Assistance Council.
“It’s all going to the veterans,” Baldwin said.
“That’s what I love about the Bigfoot Festival. It not only benefits these nonprofits, it makes people aware of them.”
The Cumberland County Veterans Assistance Council is a nonprofit charitable organization made up of all of the Cumberland County veterans organizations, including American Legion Posts, the Fleet Reserve Association, Military Officers Association of America, Vietnam War Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars posts, Disabled American Veterans and Korean War Veterans to assist veterans with utility bills, grocery or other needs.
“It’s amazing what we have going on in our community,” said Cumberland County Veterans Assistance Council Director Jack Fogel. “Just so many positive things.”
All of the CCVAC staff members are non-paid volunteers. Veterans in need can access the CCVAC through the Veterans Service Office at 931-456-0090, Monday- Friday from 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Creative Compassion Inc. offers solutions for low-income families looking to construct a new home, for help paying for home repairs, to be approved for safe mortgage financing, which they can use to build a home through Creative Compassion Inc. or buy a home through a real-estate agency of their choice and anyone facing financial hardship who needs help paying their utility, rent, and/or mortgage with available payment assistance. Festival proceeds given to Creative Compassion Inc. will go toward helping veterans with housing and repairs through their service solutions.
“It’s the Bigfoot Festival, but it’s what we’re doing in the community to help our veterans,” said Upper Cumberland Federal Credit Union Vice President of Financial Services and Business Development David Robbins. “That’s the headline for me is what we’re doing there and the Bigfoot Festival is the vehicle.”
While Bigfoot fans and cynics have come out in droves to congregate at the Cumberland County Community Complex for the past two festivals, Baldwin, Robbins and Fogel believe that the supporters of veterans in the community will also show up in a big way.
“When you attach that funding to local charities, then it makes a difference and people will come and support those charities,” Robbins said.
The Upper Cumberland Bigfoot Festival is set for Oct. 21, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Cumberland County Community Complex, 1398 Livingston Rd. in Crossville. Admission is $5 (cash only), and parking is free.
By Rebekah Beeler | Features editor rbohannon@crossville-chronicle.com Copyright (c)2023 Crossville Chronicle, Edition 8/22/2023
Registration is now open for the Bigfoot 4-H 4K! This fun run is for such a great cause. Get signed up today! What a cool way to spend your Friday the 13th in October!
Without our sponsors, there would be no festival. While Upper Cumberland Federal Credit Union is our MAIN sponsor, we sure can’t forget the others who have signed on! Be sure and give them our thanks when you see them!
The one-day festival will take place on Saturday, October 21, 2023 from 9:00-5:00 at the Cumberland County Fairgrounds in Crossville, TN (1398 Livingston Rd.)
We have a “rain day” set aside for Sunday, October 22, if inclement weather causes us to postpone the Saturday festival.
Visit the link below that will direct you to our event page! 
