Roswell UFO Festival

UFO Festival in Roswell

Happily, New Mexico is a very quirky state -- which is part of its enduring charm. We even have a State Cookie. And nowhere is that predisposition for things slightly skewed more evident than in our UFO Festival in Roswell.

The History

The Colorful Version

In July 1947, New Mexico rancher W.W. “Mack” Brazel saddled up his horse and rode out with the son of neighbors Floyd and Loretta Proctor to check on the sheep after a fierce thunderstorm the night before. As they rode along north of Roswell, Brazel began to notice unusual pieces of what seemed to be metal debris, scattered over a large area. After dragging a large piece of it to a shed, he took some of it over to show the Proctors. They told him he might be holding wreckage from a UFO or a government project.

Thus was born the Roswell Incident, which annually attracts thousands of doubters, believers, scholars, scientists, authors, astronauts, tourists and children of all ages – from this world and beyond - to this small Southeastern New Mexico city in search of a little truth and a whole lot of fun, foolishness and entertainment during the UFO Festival.

“The folks in Roswell have taken a bit of their history – real or imagined – and created an event that has a world-wide interest and appeal,” said Mike Cerletti, secretary of the New Mexico Tourism Department (NMTD), “and no museum in New Mexico captures the adventurous spirit of its citizens like the International UFO Museum and Research Center. The efforts of the citizens of Roswell to celebrate its past while benefiting its future are to be commended and celebrated.”

The Wikipedia Version

The United States military maintains that what was actually recovered was debris from an experimental high-altitude surveillance balloon belonging to a classified program named "Mogul." Many UFO proponents maintain that a crashed alien craft and bodies were recovered, and that the military engaged in a cover-up. The incident has turned into a widely known pop culture phenomenon, making Roswell synonymous with UFOs. It ranks as one of the most publicized and controversial UFO incidents ever.

On July 8, 1947, the Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF) issued a press release stating that personnel from the field's 509th Bomb Group had recovered a crashed "flying disc" from a ranch near Roswell, sparking intense media interest. Later the same day, the Commanding General of the Eighth Air Force stated that, in fact, a weather balloon had been recovered by RAAF personnel, rather than a "flying saucer." A subsequent press conference was called, featuring debris said to be from the crashed object that seemed to confirm the weather balloon description. The case was quickly forgotten and almost completely ignored, even by UFO researchers, for more than 30 years. Then, in 1978, ufologist Stanton T. Friedman interviewed Major Jesse Marcel, who was involved with the original recovery of the debris in 1947. Marcel expressed his belief that the military had covered up the recovery of an alien spacecraft. His story circulated through UFO circles, being featured in some UFO documentaries at the time. In February 1980, The National Enquirer ran its own interview with Marcel, garnering national and worldwide attention for the Roswell incident.

The Festival

There's usually some excellent ntertainment, special lecturers and guests - a whole program of free lectures and symposia. But there's also a film festival, an alien costume contest. So while some folks want to explore the issues of alien visitation, others want to dress up and pretend they are the aliens.

A little something for everyone. For more information visit Roswell UFO Festival

Based on information provided by New Mexico Tourism and the Roswell UFO Festival

UFO Festival in Roswell Happily, New Mexico is a very quirky state -- which is part of its enduring charm. We even have a State Cookie. And nowhere is that predisposition for things slightly skewed more evident than in our UFO Festival in Roswell. The History The Colorful Version In July 1947, New Mexico rancher W.W. “Mack” Brazel saddled up his horse and rode out with the son of neighbors Floyd and Loretta Proctor to check on the sheep after a fierce thunderstorm the night before. As they rode along north of Roswell, Brazel began to notice unusual pieces of what seemed to be metal debris, scattered over a large area. After dragging a large piece of it to a shed, he took some of it over to show the Proctors. They told him he might be holding wreckage from a UFO or a government project. Thus was born the Roswell Incident, which annually attracts thousands of doubters, believers, scholars, scientists, authors, astronauts, tourists and children of all ages – from this world and beyond - to this small Southeastern New Mexico city in search of a little truth and a whole lot of fun, foolishness and entertainment during the UFO Festival. “The folks in Roswell have taken a bit of their history – real or imagined – and created an event that has a world-wide interest and appeal,” said Mike Cerletti, secretary of the New Mexico Tourism Department (NMTD), “and no museum in New Mexico captures the adventurous spirit of its citizens like the International UFO Museum and Research Center. The efforts of the citizens of Roswell to celebrate its past while benefiting its future are to be commended and celebrated.” The Wikipedia Version The United States military maintains that what was actually recovered was debris from an experimental high-altitude surveillance balloon belonging to a classified program named "Mogul." Many UFO proponents maintain that a crashed alien craft and bodies were recovered, and that the military engaged in a cover-up. The incident has turned into a widely known pop culture phenomenon, making Roswell synonymous with UFOs. It ranks as one of the most publicized and controversial UFO incidents ever. On July 8, 1947, the Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF) issued a press release stating that personnel from the field's 509th Bomb Group had recovered a crashed "flying disc" from a ranch near Roswell, sparking intense media interest. Later the same day, the Commanding General of the Eighth Air Force stated that, in fact, a weather balloon had been recovered by RAAF personnel, rather than a "flying saucer." A subsequent press conference was called, featuring debris said to be from the crashed object that seemed to confirm the weather balloon description. The case was quickly forgotten and almost completely ignored, even by UFO researchers, for more than 30 years. Then, in 1978, ufologist Stanton T. Friedman interviewed Major Jesse Marcel, who was involved with the original recovery of the debris in 1947. Marcel expressed his belief that the military had covered up the recovery of an alien spacecraft. His story circulated through UFO circles, being featured in some UFO documentaries at the time. In February 1980, The National Enquirer ran its own interview with Marcel, garnering national and worldwide attention for the Roswell incident. The Festival There's usually some excellent ntertainment, special lecturers and guests - a whole program of free lectures and symposia. But there's also a film festival, an alien costume contest. So while some folks want to explore the issues of alien visitation, others want to dress up and pretend they are the aliens. A little something for everyone. For more information visit Roswell UFO Festival Based on information provided by New Mexico Tourism and the Roswell UFO Festival © 2010
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