Zach Bales receives Kentucky Colonel commission, the highest title of honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky

On Saturday, July 26, 2025, Paranormal Roadtripper Zach Bales was commissioned as a Kentucky Colonel in a public ceremony at Paranormal Roadtripper’s Nightmare Gallery in Somerset, Kentucky. This honor, which came as a surprise to Bales, was presented to him by George Dudding, with whom Bales is a longtime friend and frequent collaborator.

During the ceremony, Dudding said the following:

Zach Bales has spent the better part of the last two decades as a language arts instructor at Southwestern High School in Somerset, Kentucky. When he is not inspiring young people to reach for the stars, Bales is bringing awareness to Kentucky’s long and varied folklore, of which he has written five books—The Amateur’s Guide to Ghost Hunting, The Expert’s Guide to Ghost Hunting, The Atlas of the Unexplained: Bigfoot, The Atlas of the Unexplained: UFOs, and The Atlas of the Unexplained: Mothman.  Bales routinely travels to conferences and festivals throughout the United States, recounting tales of Kentucky’s history and mystery: tales of Daniel Boone and Mammoth Cave, tales of the Hatfields and the McCoys, tales of Hopkinsville’s “little green men” and Hazard’s “blue people.”

Over the years, Bales has become a nationally known storyteller and an ambassador for the Bluegrass State, promoting Kentucky’s oral history both at home and abroad.  Because of his commitment to Kentucky’s culture and tradition (and his passion for keeping these things alive for future generations), Zach Bales has hereby been commissioned as a Kentucky Colonel, the highest title of honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  This commission was signed by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear in July 2025.