I feel lucky to have experienced the UFO Festival in Roswell. The festival was particularly special this year, since 2017 marks the 70th anniversary of the 1947 UFO crash in Roswell, which started a new age of UFO research, government cover-ups and sensational tabloid headlines about little green men and flying saucers.
(read more after the line break)
I heard and saw many fantastic speakers, many of whom were respectable journalists, scientists, and UFO researchers. I also saw Travis Walton speak, and I had an opportunity to meet him and chat with him a few times. Right now, I am reading his well-written book called Fire in the Sky: The Walton Experience, which recounted his alien abduction experience in Snowflake, Arizona on November 1975. He was a very kind, soft-spoken man with an unwavering quest to uncover the truth.
Travis Walton, the legend in person.
While in Roswell for the festival, I got to enjoy a few tourist sites such as Area 51 (amusement center, not the actual top-secret military site), International UFO Museum & Research Center, Roswell Museum, Robert H. Goddard Planetarium, and a few other unique Roswell places. There was also the annual Electric Light UFO Parade, which included some colorful, awesome floats and costumes. People were having fun and not taking themselves too seriously. Oh yeah, and I ate plenty of spicy hot Southwestern food and downed it all with ice-cold drinks.
I love that there's a flying saucer on the airport welcome sign.
This is the actual welcome mat on the floor at the Roswell airport. Love it.
"Bob," Roswell's Official Mascot Ambassador.
McDonalds UFO style. I went in for a quick burger and ice-cold soda in the sweltering +100°F heat.
The International UFO Museum and Research Center. The museum has announced a new expansion and improvement plan starting in 2018.
The Roswell greys at the International UFO Museum and Research Center.
I happened to see a few descendants of Major Jesse A. Marcel's family. I gotta say, it was a surreal experience seeing them in person, because they are directly linked to the man who was forced to pose for a propaganda photo with a fake weather balloon to cover up the UFO crash in 1947. A few elders who were children in 1947 also spoke onstage about how their family had received threats to stay quiet about the photo opp. So if you ask me, do I think the U.S government and military have something to hide about the Roswell crash, flying saucer debris and deceased extraterrestrial bio-intellectual entities? My answer: yes.
Additionally, during my time at the festival, I became acquainted with other festival goers. I met two fantastic guys from Austin, Texas, a badass older woman from Georgia, and a posh British gentleman who flew in from New York City. They all shared the same passion and interest in ufology like me. The woman mentioned having gone to the UFO Con in San Francisco a few months ago and said it was very crowded (thousands of people went) and there was no standing room at any of the speakers' panels. She indicated it was a great experience although San Francisco was a very expensive city to visit.
I bought a few books for further reading about the Roswell crash, government cover-ups and alien abductions. I got all of these books signed by the authors. Here's a list of the books I purchased:
- Fire in the Sky: The Walton Experience, by Travis Walton (currently reading)
- The Children of Roswell: A Seven-Decade Legacy of Fear, Intimidation and Cover-Ups, by Don R. Schmitt and Thomas J. Carey
- Tell My Story: June Crain, the Air Force & UFOs, by James Clarkson
- The Presidents and UFOs: A Secret History from FDR to Obama, by Larry Holcombe
- Zen in the Art of of Close Encounters: Crazy Wisdom and UFOs, edited by Paul David Pursglove. This is a brilliant anthology of essays, speeches and excerpts about UFOs and paranormal events, by various writers and speakers. It was published in 1994 but the information is still relevant in this time. (currently reading)
The books I bought at the UFO Festival.
Oh! I have to say... I was really excited to meet Nick Pope, who was described by another festival goer as a "rock star in the UFO field." He used to head the British Ministry of Defense, having access to top-secret files on UFO and paranormal investigations. Yeah, he was basically like Mulder of the British X-Files. I met him outside Applebee's when I headed outside to go back to my hotel and I said hello to him. I became awestruck by his presence.
After experiencing the UFO Festival, I decided that I want to attend more UFO conferences in the future to hear and meet more journalists, researchers, and experiencers. I've always been interested in UFOs and extraterrestrial life since I was 12 (hey, it was the 90s, after all); learning about UFOs has been a lifelong passion of mine. I think a lot about the Universe and why we humans seem to be so "alone" on a pale blue dot in the massive black sky. But I know we are NOT alone. I am hungry to learn any bit of information I can get my hands on. Also, I am doing ufology research to improve dialogue in my second narrative short film The Unseen (which I plan to write, direct, and produce in 2018-19 after some extensive script improvements). The Unseen is a short sci-fi suspense thriller about a cardiosurgeon who claims to have been abducted by aliens.
So, yeah... I plan to attend two MUFON conferences in the fall of 2017 in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. I will also go to International UFO Congress in 2018. Travelling makes me calmer and relaxed, especially when I'm feeling very sad, lonely and grieving over the loss of my spouse/soulmate/best friend. Travelling and meeting new people give me a good distraction and I need more of it.
Anyway, thanks for reading (does anybody even read this? I highly doubt it).
