BEATTYVILLE, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Five years after a historic flood destroyed most of downtown Beattyville, a popular summer festival is returning early in June.
Squatch Fest, a spinoff of the Three Forks River Festival, is scheduled for June 5-7. The festival celebrates the portion of the river known as the birthplace of the Kentucky River — a waterway that has brought both pride and devastation to this economically depressed area.
"Squatch Fest is something amazing that was born out of the three forks river festival," festival director Lisa Moore said.
Moore was serving on the Beattyville City Council when a flood struck the town in March of 2021.
"I was on the council and standing there crying. Wondering how we were going to recover," Moore said of her emotions on that day.
The festival had already been absent from the calendar due to COVID-19 in 2020. Then came the 2021 flood, followed by another significant flood in 2025 that caused comparable damage across many parts of town.
"My coroner's office had approximately eight feet of water in the coroner's office," Deputy Coroner Kenneth Lewis said. "I also work for the ambulance service, and we had several feet of water and lost several supplies downstairs."
Despite the repeated setbacks, Moore said the community's resilience has been remarkable — even as the town lost residents and business owners who chose to rebuild elsewhere.
"We're the kind of people in this area that kind of picks up and moves on," Moore said. "We still have to celebrate our river. This is the birthplace of the Kentucky River. Even though it's done us damage, we're moving on," she continued.
This year, the festival will move away from the riverbanks to a new location for safety reasons.
"It cannot be on the river due to compromising peoples' safety, due to the flood, so, (we moved it to) Happy Top; perfect place," Moore explained.
Happy Top is a large grass complex at the top of a hill overlooking downtown Beattyville and the river. Vendors will set up there, and the bridge duck regatta on the river will return.
"We need something uplifting, something positive, something fun, and this is it," Moore said.
