Monday, July 30, 2018

U.F.O. Days!


I'm an alien nut and I'm not alone.

 Elmwood, Wisconsin, made national news back in the1970's, when some local citizens debuted on Geraldo Rivera. I don't know how that episode unfolded, but there's still a big show in Elmwood every summer.

 U.F.O. Days. 

Last year, we were driving home from backwoods Wisconsin, on a bucolic, twisty road, when we passed the town of Elmwood. Something curious caught our eyes: metal spaceships. Weird, right? Apparently the crafts are grounded in town like out-of-this-world mascots. I googled Elmwood and discovered the town's alien past.


The driver of this spaceship had a craving for Wisconsin beer. Obviously aliens are fast and loose about drunk driving in space. 






This quarry has had numerous sightings. 



We attended a lecture about the history of alien visitation in Elmwood, given by retired U.W. Stout professor, Bill Johnson. (I went to Stout, and I'm not sure what that means about my education. Ha!) 

Actually, Elmwood is lucky to have Bill. Without his research, U.F.O. Days would simply entail fireworks, corn dogs, and an otherworldly parade. Bill brought back the history.

The sightings had scary ramifications. One night, in 1976, while on patrol, police officer and World War II combat pilot, George Wheeler, saw a cigar shaped object about the size of a two story house, hovering in the night sky. It glowed a blinding, orange light like the sun. Eventually, George's car was blasted with a mysterious force. George was hospitalized and died a year later. All eight of the car's spark plugs were destroyed along with the radio and all other electrical parts. 

The sightings almost always happen in April and March. 

Spooky.


There were a lot of weird aliens in Elmwood. There were little green men and large greys, like my husband.




There were Norwegian aliens. 


This one waved. 


This puppy slept through the whole thing. (I was terrified)





Is this butter beer?



I love this shadow shot!


7 comments:

DJan said...

Neat! I am a fan of aliens and haven't been introduced to very many. Love the parade!! :-)

Lady Fi said...

Ha ha - very nice!

Kym said...

Oh how fun and quirky! Love it!

Jill said...

Well,that's a new one on me - and how fun and different! I always assumed that the only UFO Festival would be in Roswell, New Mexico!

Spare Parts and Pics said...

UFO days sounds like a blast! We have a rich history of UFO sightings out in our local desert. Giant Rock and George Van Tassel have a rich history, and Amboy Road has the nickname "UFO Highway"! Unfortunately, there's no annual celebration that I am aware of. Bummer!

Angie said...

Nothing beats a hometown fair, especially when it has such a unique theme. And I love a parade!!! Thanks for hosting the blog hop.

Linda Hensley said...

There are quite a few sightings in my part of the world too. This looks like a fun event!