UFO Festival in Roswell July 2nd through 5th

June 11, 8:14 AMAlbuquerque Travel ExaminerNeala Schwartzberg

Previous Next

1 comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Albuquerque Travel Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

  The town of Roswell definitely gets into the UFO spirit

It's not too soon to think about July 4th and how (and where) you want to celebrate. I offer Roswell and UFO Festival as an intriguing option.

New Mexico absolutely deserves its reputation as the Land of Enchantment -- our watermelon mountains that turn pink at sunset, our brilliant blue sky, and our horizon that stretches to infinity.

But, this is also a very quirky state -- which is part of its enduring charm. (Did you know that we have a State Cookie? Yes, we do).

And nowhere is that predisposition for things slightly skewed more evident than in our UFO Festival in Roswell.

The History

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 Festival

Featured entertainment this year includes actor Malcolm McDowell, The Temptations, Jefferson Starship. There's also 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. 

Of course, since the festival falls over Independence Day, activities include the UFO Festival Parade and a July 4th Fireworks display.

A little something for everyone!

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

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Offbeattravel