CARBONDALE, Pa. — The locations "Area 51" and "Roswell, New Mexico" immediately conjure up images of little green men. But a little town in northeast Pennsylvania also fits the bill.
People fascinated with life beyond earth, like alien and UFO researcher Bill Weber, know that the city of Carbondale, Pennsylvania, is legendary in extraterrestrial lore, so much so that he wrote a chapter in his book about Carbondale.
Exactly 50 years ago, a strange glowing object was reported to have hovered over this old coal mine pond behind Russell Park in Carbondale before plunging into the water.
Mayor of Carbondale, Michele Bannon, said that she has a friend who saw the unidentified flying object "hover over the pond for 5-7 seconds and then went down in."
The tale garnered international headlines and drew tens of thousands of spectators from across the country, as well as a large police and military presence.
Although a railroad lantern was retrieved from the pond, the military was extremely discreet during the investigation, and many reported to see a separate covered object carted away in a flatbed truck in the middle of the night.
Chana Manarchuck of Carbondale was 26 years old when the suspicious sighting took place, and she lived in Carbondale back then, too. "I heard little tales of people that actually were there, and they were saying like a Russian satellite. The secrecy is what created all that excitement. Like, 'Oh yeah, what was it?'" she said.
Amber Viola traveled from Scranton with her daughter to enjoy the festival. She was convinced that aliens had touched down in Carbondale. "I believe, 100% its real, it crashed 50 years ago. I don't care what anybody says," she declared.
To celebrate the alien anniversary of this peculiar phenomenon, the city of Carbondale hosted the "Carbondalien Festival" in the heart of downtown.
Mayor Bannon also lived in Carbondale when the famous incident happened. She smiled, "I grew up right down the street from where it happened, and I remember the day that it happened, so now, 50 years later, being able to celebrate it and bring people out to enjoy the story—I love every bit of that."
150 people boarded the “Extraterrestrial Express” train from Steamtown Marketplace to the festival.
Others looked as though they had arrived by UFO, donning alien costumes, headbands, and makeup. Even a baby was dressed in an alien onesie.
In addition to all the other festivities, local artist JFo painted more than 50 wooden aliens to take over the town of Carbondale. It took her more than 9 months to complete her arsenal of aliens.
Back at Russell Park, the actual site of the landing, there were even more festivities. A recreated, partially-concealed UFO was paraded around on a flatbed truck, just like the locals remembered it 50 years ago. There was a "Landing Site Experience," where actors walked festivalgoers through a reenactment.
And for those interested in a little bit of a thrill, the adventurous could board a tethered, alien-shaped, hot air balloon ride, to be able to view the UFO crash site from a very unique perspective.
The truth of the alien incident will forever be cloaked in mystery, but it is clear what a strong grasp the event will always have on the city of Carbondale.
Mayor Bannon reflected, "You know, rather than a legacy, I think it's more of our tapestry, you know, it's a piece of the tapestry. You know, we have such a rich history otherwise, you know, the birthplace of underground mining; we [have] the first million-dollar corporation in the United States. We're just an exceptional city, and this just adds to the great tapestry that we are."
She even embraced the quirk of her little town, adding, "And I say if a UFO did land, it explains a lot."