It’s no accident that influencer Nate Spangle was at the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival in 2025. Since founding the media company Get Indiana in 2024, the Plymouth, Indiana, native has covered all aspects of Indiana’s 92 counties through podcasts, newsletters, social media, and videos that have attracted more than 300,000 followers — including Evansville Regional Sports Commission Executive Director Brandon McClish. In 2025, the West Side Nut Club member clued in Spangle on a gem of an experience he was missing in Southwestern Indiana. Evansville Living caught up with Spangle during his return trip to the Nut Club’s 2026 Fall Festival, where the Indianapolis resident shared why he loves exploring the Hoosier State, which festival foods are his favorite, and what he’s learned about this corner of the state.
Evansville Living: First things first: Why did you start Get Indiana?
Nate Spangle: Indiana’s not boring. There are a lot of cool people and cool places here. I went on this journey basically to promote interstate tourism. So, instead of going to Lake Michigan for the weekend, come down and spend time on the Ohio River. Instead of going to Florida for spring break, this is what you could do in your backyard.
EL: What makes you passionate about highlighting Hoosier towns?
NS: I’m a small-town guy. It’s so easy to just complain about what Indiana’s not: There are no beaches, there are no mountains. … People just like to complain about how Indiana’s boring, and that made me mad. You just need to get out and explore. So, I got passionate about being the “sherpa” of all the cool things that are going on. If you say Indiana’s boring, it’s your own fault. I’ve been booked every weekend since Feb. 17, and I’ve done something different. I’ve been to the final town before you get to Illinois and Chicago, all the way down here to Evansville, and there’s just a lot of cool stuff.
EL: Brandon, how did you connect with Nate?
Brandon McClish: He did videos and a series where he named 10 Indiana high school mascots. I’m a huge high school sports fan. So, I started following him. … He started expanding into the hidden gems of Indiana. That’s when I thought, “We’re missing the biggest hidden gem.” I’m not originally from here. I’m from Elwood, Indiana. He’s been to my hometown.
NS: I came down for the wrestling state finals when they were hosted down here in 2024. I had been talking about different festivals in the state. And Brandon messaged me: “You’re missing the Fall Festival. This thing is huge.” I had, at that point, literally a hundred comments on my video saying, “You have to come down for the Fall Festival.” And I was thinking it was, like, scarecrows and pumpkins and a hayride. I was like, “Whatever, I’ll come down.” And then I stumbled upon what it actually is, which has nothing to do with hayrides, nothing to do with pumpkins. It’s just such an awesome experience.
EL: Nate, what was your first impression of Evansville?
NS: “Holy cow, that’s a big river.” (laughs) The river is just massive. I’m in Indianapolis, and the White River is a normal-size river. When you see the Ohio River, you’re like, “Holy smokes.” I got introduced to a bunch of the Nut Clubbers. The genuine niceness of people and hearing about how they do so much philanthropy — it’s a very generous community, I would say. Generous with their time. I’m hearing about volunteers who are spending 30 to 40 hours a week getting ready for this thing. That’s crazy. It’s really refreshing to be around a bunch of people who are so generous. A half pot that gets up to $2.6 million-plus — and half of it goes to charity. All of these different booths, raising all this money for nonprofits. That’s a generous community, and that has just resonated with me every time.
EL: What have you discovered about the River City?
NS: I’ve always felt that Evansville has been semi-disconnected from Indianapolis and the rest of the state. If you’re in Evansville, you might feel closer to Nashville or Saint Louis than you do to Indianapolis. When I came down last year, it was the first time I got to really walk around Downtown and come down here to the West Side. … (At) the Reitz Bowl, I ran a bowl buster, where you run a sprint up the side of the stadium. This year, I’m getting to explore and see how big the Ohio River is. I’m just now learning about the Ports of Indiana in Mount Vernon and what’s happening out there. I’m learning the history of makers and doers down here. I read somewhere about the World War II era and all the different stuff that was built right here. I’m also learning about the economic force that is here, which has been so cool. When they announced that they were opening up an Orr Fellowship chapter down here … I was so pumped. That program changed my life. Getting plugged into the business community through the fellowship was amazing. It’s just such a cool collaboration that shows that Evansville is really leaning into what the future looks like and how to attract, retain, and keep young people. And also these historic things, including 105 years at the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival. Heritage and progress are both equally balanced.
EL: What food have you tried at the Fall Festival so far?
NS: The fried brain sandwich. If you gave it to me blind, I’d say, “It’s kind of like the chewy pork tenderloin” — (it’s) the one that just feels like I need a nap afterward. I really love the BBQ Parfait (found at Booth 55-Salem United Methodist Church and Scout Troop 335, and Booth 114-Outboard Boating Club). I dreamed about that one. I also liked the walk-off chop (Booth 95-Golfmoor Baseball). The donut burger at the Evansville African American Museum’s Booth 41 — it’s amazing. I had fried butter. Delicious. Also, the “holy stromboli” from Booth 63 (Reitz Memorial High School Athletics). I said last year, “Blindfold me, throw a dart, and they’re all so good.”
EL: Where else in Southwestern Indiana have you been to or want to visit?
NS: I was just in Rockport Sept. 29 for the Indiana Fever’s WNBA playoff Game 2 vs. the Las Vegas Aces, which was shown on the Holiday Drive-In screen. They did a 25-minute drone show, and the drones made a silhouette of Caitlin Clark shooting baskets. I want to go to New Harmony. Downtown Newburgh looks pretty cool. I actually drove through, but I didn’t get to stop.
EL: How would you recommend people highlight and show pride in their community?
NS: Change the way you talk about your home. If someone asks you, “What do you like about Evansville? What do you like about this?” don’t roll your eyes and say, “Oh, there’s not that much going on.” Go out there and be curious about your community, change the way you talk about it, and be proud of what you have going on. There’s amazing stuff happening in Evansville. There are really, truly amazing people doing amazing things. But it starts with how we talk about home. So, the No. 1 thing you can do, wherever, to show pride in your community is just change the way you talk about it, take a sense of pride in it, and do things like what Evansville Living is doing with the magazine.
