Monroe, Michigan, isn’t typically a hotspot for national headlines—but that changed this week with a curious claim that has tongues wagging coast to coast: a Bigfoot sighting.
According to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), a 47-year-old local man and his 12-year-old son reported seeing an enormous creature near Laplaisance Road, prompting the kind of cryptid chatter that usually stays confined to campfire stories. This time, though, the tale went viral. The Associated Press picked it up, and suddenly Monroe found itself in the national spotlight.
One local who found the whole situation amusing was Bobb Vergiels, the recognizable voice of the Toledo Walleye Hockey Team and a longtime Monroe County resident. “I’ve heard a lot of talk about it. In fact, when I first heard about it, I was in Baltimore, Maryland, and I heard about it there, and I said, ‘Oh my gosh, I leave home for a week and look what happened,’” Vergiels told reporters.
The timing and location of the sighting stirred up a bit of local lore, too. Vergiels noted the curious proximity of the alleged Bigfoot encounter to the site of the infamous “Monroe Monster” reports from the 1960s.
While no one’s confirmed whether this recent sighting is fact or fantasy, it’s already having a very real effect—especially on Monroe’s cannabis scene. A nearby dispensary has leaned into the buzz, offering a special discount to anyone who shows up with photographic proof of Bigfoot. It’s a clever marketing move that ties local culture and cannabis together, showing how quickly businesses can adapt to even the quirkiest of headlines.
The BFRO continues to collect witness reports from around the country, and while many sightings never gain traction, the Monroe case has clearly struck a nerve. Whether it's nostalgia, curiosity, or just the perfect blend of mystery and meme potential, Bigfoot continues to capture the American imagination.
Whether you’re a believer, a skeptic, or just someone who enjoys a good story, one thing’s clear: Monroe’s brush with Bigfoot has added an unexpected chapter to Michigan folklore—and maybe even boosted local business in the process.
