Thanksgiving with the Aliens

We hit the road for Thanksgiving this year. We traveled to the great state of New Mexico and stayed in Roswell for a few days visiting Grandma and Grandpa and Grandpa’s mom, Grandma-Grandma. When people hear the name Roswell, the first thing that comes to mind is certainly not dairy farms or south-western art or even Thanksgiving destinations, although there is lots of that there. Admit it, Roswell is known for UFOs and aliens.

UFO Museum

What happened on that July day in 1947? Apparently a UFO crashed into a ranch close to Roswell. There was a cover-up and so any information that has come out since then has been questioned. Is this information legit or is it what they were told to tell? The questions and conspiracy have led to quite a big, fun mystery.

There is a UFO Museum and Research Center right on Main Street, located in an old movie theater, until money is raised for a new state-of-the-art building. I told my mom that it’s very Americana--in a kitschy sort of way. Mom also mentioned that since a lot of the farmers are getting old, they don’t care anymore about getting in trouble for talking so maybe new information that was once hush-hush will start to come out. The museum shows an 80’s-made movie about what ‘really’ happened. It’s narrated by a guy who sounds like he’s introducing the "Twilight Zone" --you know the type, talking serious about ridiculous things.

Model of the crash

There’s a section on the history of what happened, signed statements framed on the wall, copies of the newspapers, models of what the crash must have looked like, and mock-up aliens lingering around. There’s a section on crop circles, rocks and shells that look like alien faces, and ‘proof’ that the Aztecs were astronauts. There are statements about other UFO sightings, including one in Arizona three days before the Roswell crash. There’s even a section on comics that refer to Roswell. Of course our favorite area of the museum was the gift shop.

Newspaper Headline

Hhmm, think it's real?

Roswell has certainly embraced the notoriety. The town-folk think it’s fun. It brings in some tourist money along with the weird alien groupies. The street lights all have alien faces and in the spirit of the season are currently sporting Santa hats. The Wal-Mart has a souvenir section and UFOs painted on the outside of the building. There are aliens waving from shop windows and UFO’s stuck onto the tops of buildings.

Streetlight in front of a piano shop

When we were driving into New Mexico, we happened to see a UFO hovering in the sky right in front of us and yes, I took a picture. Maybe I’ll frame it and send it into the museum. It might even get its own display.