Kecksburg marks annual celebration of 1965 UFO crash lore
The county fair met outer space Saturday as UFO enthusiasts gathered for the annual Kecksburg UFO Festival in Mt. Pleasant Township.
The festival, now in its 13 th year, celebrates a UFO crash that is said to have taken place in a wooded area near Kecksburg on Dec. 9, 1965.
https://triblive.com/lifestyles/morelifestyles/13904445-74/kecksburg-continues-to-celebrate-storied-1965-ufo-incident Kecksburg is located about an hour east of Pittsburgh.
A fireball was seen streaking across seven northeastern states and Canada the afternoon of Dec. 9, according to Tribune-Review reports from Dec. 10, 1965.
Those living nearby said that they felt vibrations, followed by “a thump” around the time the object is said to have crashed.
One of the primary witnesses was an eight-year-old boy who said he saw what looked like “a flaming star” fall into the woods.
The area was investigated by state and federal authorities. State police told the Tribune-Review Dec. 10, 1965 that they found “absolutely nothing whatsoever and no marks to indicate anything” after searching the area with equipment to detect radiation.
Astronomers said that the large fireball was likely a Geminid meteor from the constellation Gemini.
https://www.space.com/34921-geminid-meteor-shower-guide.html
Attendees came from across the state and West Virginia to celebrate the incident.
Harmony Rankin, 8, of Brewster Mills, W. Va., came in costume —a tight, gray diver’s wetsuit decorated to resemble a little grey alien — to join the parade.
She will act in an upcoming film about the Kecksburg incident.
“I don’t know if they believe in humans, but I believe in them,” Rankin said.
The festival will continue Sunday with a UFO conference at 1 p.m., which will include a sneak peek at the upcoming film, “Kecksburg.” Conference speakers will give updates on local UFO, Bigfoot and paranormal research. Bob Gatty, a former Tribune-Review reporter who wrote about the incident in 1965, will also speak at the conference.
Jamie Martines is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jamie at 724-850-2867, jmartines@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Jamie_Martines.
