How I Almost Hit Bigfoot!

A True Story

      One cold, dark night in February, I was driving home after having dinner with friends, with my 5-year-old son in the backseat of my Honda Pilot. I had just turned on the radio and we were both singing along happily to it. When suddenly, I saw something strange up ahead in a field.

The country road we were driving down ran through a large farming area, with fields on both sides of the road. Looking around, I saw no homes or barns nearby, and we were the only car on the road at the time.

As we closed in on the suspicious moving entity, I could see that it was some kind of creature, about half a mile away. The creature seemed dark in color and covered in fur. It appeared to be a large animal of some kind, running on all fours, but what was peculiar was that it seemed to run with its butt or backside slightly lifted in the air as it ran. I also noticed it was running sideways along the left side of the road in the field, getting closer and closer to the road as if to cross it soon.

I didn’t have time to speak or ask my son if he was seeing what I was seeing because the strange beast-like creature suddenly jumped onto the road. I quickly realized that if I didn’t stop my car soon, I would surely hit it. Slamming my foot down on my black Honda Pilot’s brakes, we abruptly came to a halt on the dark country road as the unusual creature passed in front of my Honda’s headlights.

I could see that the creature was abnormally large. In fact, if it were to stand upright, it would probably have been about 10 feet tall!! It had long black hair that curled upwards on its ends and a large black wet snout, similar to an ape you would find in a zoo.

As it ran past our vehicle, its eyes met mine through the windshield and I sat back further in my driver’s seat in fear as it stared me down with intimidation. Its eyes were unusually big and you could clearly see the whites of them, which seemed to glow in the darkness.

Still running sideways, I saw the ape-like creature had something large it seemed to be carrying in its mouth. However, I couldn’t make out the strange object. After the bizarre creature crossed the road (which felt like many minutes), it continued to run through the dark fields, sideways, until it disappeared into the night.

I sat in my driver’s seat for a few minutes, terrified. My adrenaline was flowing fast through my body due to what I had just witnessed and experienced. I tried calming myself by breathing in and out slowly. Now that the creature had passed and was gone, I slowly remembered my poor son alone in the backseat. The small 5-year-old child had been so quiet I had completely forgotten that I was not alone.

Turning my head slowly toward the backseat via my right shoulder, I saw that my son looked very shocked. His jaw hung down in surprise and his eyes were wide open as he continued to look forward through our windshield. You could tell he was astonished and was trying to comprehend what he had just seen with his little eyes, outside our vehicle.

“Are you okay?” I asked him and waited a bit for his reply.

“Bigfoot…” whispered my son, still looking forward as if in a trance.

Hearing this shocking statement come from my small child’s lips seemed to quickly jar me back to reality. I suddenly realized we were alone in the middle of nowhere on a country road. It was dark and we were the only car in sight. It was a cold winter’s night, and we were entirely surrounded by fields. It was spooky and also getting quite late.

Then I began to think, if we were to scream, no one would hear us. Soon my worst fears came to my mind and rapidly overtook my thoughts: What if this thing turns around and comes back to attack us? The huge creature could come from either the back of the car or the side, and we wouldn’t even see it due to the darkness.

Fearing we could be in danger, I swiftly stepped on the gas pedal as hard as I could, putting the pedal to the metal. As we lurched forward, my tires screeched as we took off down the country road lined with fields. I drove as fast as I could until we reached home, knowing we were safe.

It would surely go down in history as a night my son and I would never forget.

 

®Rosella C. Rowe

 

Crafted & Cured is Haunted!

     Downtown Troy, Ohio is a true gem! Not only does it host the well known Strawberry Festival each year in June, drawing thousands of people, it also has many wonderful dining options such as newly renovated restaurants and bars. But did you know that one of them was haunted?

An old bank, now transformed into Crafted & Cured, in the heart of town, near the square is haunted by two former bank employees.

Crafted & Cured is located in an old bank built in 1929 located on 8 S. Market Street. The business specializes in craft beers, wines, and ciders as well as serving an array of charcuterie board options; all across three different bars in the old bank.

  I grew up going to the bank with my parents and remember its grandness as a child. I have a wonderful memory of going inside the HUGE Building with my mother as she made a bank deposit. I still can see the marble floors to the old barred teller windows with three women sitting behind them ready to take my mother’s deposit into her account.  Now this beautiful bank has been turned into the most gorgeous bar and party atmosphere with wall to wall marble and flooring, dressed with old fashion country style tables for friends and family gatherings. To put it simply, it’s GORGEOUS!

          Crafted & Cured opened February, 8^th, 2023. I still remember going in and seeing the grandeur of the newly remodeled space for the first time, it really blows you away. The owners really did an amazing job and you feel like you can’t stop staring or looking around because it’s so beautiful.

 I remember my husband and I were sitting downstairs near the front staircase and the food counter. My husband stood up to go the bathroom leaving me alone and as I waited for him, I had a feeling rush over me that I was being watched. I looked up to see a mid-height older man, with a white beard and mustache, and a glass monocle upon his right eye. The older man was wearing a black tailored suite, well suited to his body, with a hairstyle from the 1930’s.

I looked up at the man who stood near the balcony on the second floor of the old bank from where I sat downstairs and asked him, “Did you work here when this building was a bank?”

He then replied back to me saying, “Yes, young Lady. I moved here with my wife and children to open this bank. It is my pride and joy and I am protecting it. I watch over it and the employees and patrons who come in and out each day.”

 The older gentleman was very kind as he looked around to monitor the environment in a protective manor, as if he never missed a beat. He then looked back at me and began to tell me about his life and career. He said he was the manager of the bank, and still considers himself to be the manager even today. He told me he was very well known in Troy, respected in town, and that he was a hard worker who took pride in the care of his family, staff, and clientele. The bank was his pride and joy and it was an honor to run it and protect the grand building.

I then asked, “Are you the only spirit in the building?”

“No,” he answered. “There is a female spirit.”

The kind manager of the bank also told me where he used to live with his children and wife, downtown Troy and told he walked to work each day with a smile on his face to be working at the bank. In a vision, he showed me where he had lived. It was a white house with white siding that is located along the Great Miami River, which runs through Troy. Living in Troy, Ohio my whole life, I knew the house well, and the house still stands to this day.

I thanked him for communicating with me and sharing his story and life with me. The kind manager nodded to me in appreciation, like a true gentlemen would have to a lady in his era. Then I saw him turn and walk into the side wall, where I felt his office used to reside.

Over the years I have grown as a patron of the lovely bar, Crafted & Cured and see the old bank manager in the same spot each time I visit. He appears at the top of the balcony each time I walk in, smiles at me kindly with a small nod as he looks around with pride to be sure everything is okay in his old work place. He soon shortly disappears after that or walks into the same wall. Each time I visit, I get a warm and welcoming feeling from him and know I am safe and protected. Although I have to say, downstairs is another story, in the basement of the old bank.

The basement still has a large old vault as well as 2 bathrooms. I found out where the female spirit was, whom the old bank manager spoke about the first night I saw him. I walked into the “Ladies Room” downstairs and I could feel a female spirit right away in the small space containing only a few small stalls. You definitely experience an uneasiness in the room, like you want to flee or run from the bathroom, like you are unwanted and in her space.

I asked the staff once and the bartender told me that I was right, it’s a female and she likes both bathrooms but mainly resides in the women’s bathroom and makes people feel uneasy so they leave quickly. I have had to use the bathrooms several times downstairs and each time I head into the “Ladies Room,” I get a feeling of: “Get out of here.”

I have spoken to owners of the grand old bank, now Crafted & Cured, and they led me to an old photograph taken when the bank just opened. In the photo there is a huge conference room with several men sitting around a huge table as if in a meeting. The young owner asked if any of these men at the large conference table looked like the man I saw upstairs near the balcony?

Right away I pointed to a man nearer the left in the photo close to the head of the large table. He was dressed in a black suit from the 1930’s era. The man in the photo looked just like the spirit I always see when I come in to the bar but looked younger in this photo. The owner looked at me with a gleeful smile when I pointed to the man and said, “Yep, that is the old manager of the bank!”

The young owner of the bar then told me that the man in the picture, I had pointed to, had moved to Troy to oversee the build of the bank and opened the bank. He also informed me that the manager’s character was exactly like I had described.

In addition, I spoke to the owner about the old manager’s family and where he had lived in Troy and how the man had shown me his home in a vision. Once again, the owner smiled but this time his smile was bigger, as he let out a small laugh.

“You are right again! He replied with a surprising look and told me that is what he had also found from his own research he did at the historical library after buying the property.  Putting his hand to his head and scratching it in amazement the owner told me he couldn’t believe I knew all of this.

Soon it was closing time. As the current owner and I wrapped up our conversation and began walking toward the exit, I looked up to see the old manager standing in his usual spot. At first, he seemed very serious but soon I saw his expression change and a smile spread across his face. The old manager nodded at me, as if to say, I appreciate you passing on my good will efforts of protection to the new owner. Then the man disappeared and the balcony was empty.

The young owner walked me toward the door and thanked me for coming forward and telling him what I had experienced. He explained to me that he had always felt safe and protected while in the building and now he knew why.

®Rosella C. Rowe

*Crafted & Cured is located in downtown Troy, Ohio, Please visit their website for more information: https://craftedncured.com/