What does a sasquatch sound like?
Soon South Milwaukee will be filled with sasquatch calls – or at least what locals think a sasquatch call sounds like – during a contest at the inaugural Samtemberfest, Sat. Sept. 27, at the Bucyrus Commons, 1028 Madison Ave.
The event, which will last from 3 to 7 p.m., is being created, operated, and marketed by Savage Solutions, the Milwaukee-based marketing and branding agency that introduced the world to South Milwaukee Sam, the city’s spokesperson (or spokesasquatch) last year.
Cory Savage, founder and CEO of Savage Solutions, said the agency always wanted to do a Sam-specific event and he hopes this is the first annual Samtemberfest.
Creative Director and partner at Savage Solutions Mark Hungsberg called Sam “South Milwaukee’s biggest cheerleader” who wanted to create an event that “celebrated everything Sam-tastic about South Milwaukee” from its shops to the Bucyrus Commons event space.
Live music, local vendors, food trucks, kids activities and some carnival games are a few of the elements visitors can expect at the free-to-attend event.
There will also be plenty of Sam swag for fans of South Milwaukee’s sasquatch to pick up.
South Milwaukee’s mayor plans to participate in sasquatch calling contest
One of the more unique activities at the event is the sasquatch calling contest.
Participants are encouraged to sign up ahead of time at smkesam.com/samtemberfest. Each participant will give their rendition of a sasquatch call and, with the help of the audience, Sam will pick a winner.
“Sam’s never spoke in public, and we thought it’d be fun to invite people to try their best Sasquatch call and Sam could judge it with the audience,” Hungsberg said.
South Milwaukee Mayor Jim Shelenske told the Journal Sentinel he hasn’t had a chance to practice his call yet.
“There’s a good chance you’ll see me participating but I have to work on my calling,” he said.
Shelenske said he’s looking forward to the family-friendly event in September and hopes people from throughout the area come by.
Classic rock, local food trucks and other activities also on the Samtemberfest schedule
In addition to the sasquatch calls, attendees will also hear local ‘60s rock band Lovin’ Kind perform from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. – with a possible guitar solo from Sam, according to the event website.
Attendees can choose from the event’s multiple food trucks, including Sav’s Food Trailer, Azteca Food Truck, the Baked ‘N Loaded Spud Wagon, Drink Co2, and Atwood Hwy BBQ Shack.
Sam’s manager Fran Magyar of Savage Solutions said she’s working to secure more food trucks and vendors for the event. Anyone interested can reach out to Magyar at fran@savagemke.com or 262-226-2457.
There will be kids’ activities including a bounce house, one or two carnival games, potential face painting (depending on permitting), and of course photo ops with Sam.
Hungsberg said a coupon or deals book may also be offered to attendees for local businesses, some that maybe couldn’t make it to the event, to bring people back into the city after Samtemberfest.
South Milwaukee’s Samtemberfest is not taxpayer funded
The event is not funded by taxpayer dollars but instead is fully funded through a Bucyrus Foundation grant. Hungsberg said Savage Solutions is looking for sponsorships to help offset costs. He said anyone interested in sponsoring the event can also reach out to Magyar.
Magyar said Samtemberfest was first announced to the public on Sam’s social media pages July 17. More updates will be posted there as the event nears.
Who is South Milwaukee Sam?
Sasquatches are typically hard to spot, but Sam made himself very known in July 2024 with a video introducing himself to South Milwaukee.
In his video, Sam said he decided to settle in South Milwaukee and he made it his mission to share what makes the city a great place.
Funding for the Sam branding campaign through Savage Solutions is through a grant from the Bucyrus Foundation. When the foundation issued the grant to South Milwaukee, it included a request to use a portion toward a new marketing campaign for the city.
Since his inception, Sam has appeared at most city events – including helping South Milwaukee Man, a local wrestler, during a match at Crusherfest in 2025.
Savage told the Journal Sentinel in July 2024 the idea for Sam came from the Milwaukee Lion sightings from about a decade ago.
Contact Erik S. Hanley at erik.hanley@jrn.com. Like his Facebook page, The Redheadliner, and follow him on X @Redheadliner.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: This fall, Samtemberfest will celebrate South Milwaukee and its sasquatch spokesperson Sam
Reporting by Erik S. Hanley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
