CARBONDALE, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — An out-of-this-world festival is taking place in Lackawanna County this weekend.
Tucked away at Russell Park in Carbondale is the Silt Pond. The pond is part of history, as nearly 50 years ago it was where an alleged UFO crashed.
“The pond was glowing for many hours, if not many days, and spectators came from all over the place. There were thousands of people here,” said Mary Ann Savakinus, director, of the Lackawanna Historical Society.
It ended with police calling it a hoax and stating a lantern was pulled out of the water. However, rumors of a tarp seen on a truck driving away kept the UFO theory alive.
That’s why on Saturday the 50th anniversary of the incident will be honored in the ‘Carbondalien Festival.’
“My generation, anyway, really thought that it was just something that we should be celebrating and talking about no matter what you believe. You know if you believe it was a UFO or you believe it was a lantern,” said Nicole Curtis, co-chair, Carbondalien Festival.
Many small businesses are taking part and getting creative with the theme.
“We came up with a green lemonade. We call it an ‘alien landing’ lemonade," continued Bill Morrison, owner, Morrison’s Catering & Concessions “we went with a little green to it, you know? And a little alien to it.”
Then there is the orange blossom mead.
“Orange because that was the glow of the lantern that was found, or not lantern, or alien, whatever depends on the side,” said Dan Schreffler, president/winemaker, Space Time Mead & Cider Works.
More than 90 aliens are scattered throughout the city, all thanks to the work of artist JFO.
Running full circle, her mother was a witness to the incident.
“She said she got nervous because I was asleep in my crib, but she said she saw it with the lights. It was hovering over some houses and then it just disappeared,” said JFO, owner, JFO Generation Studio
Other local artists are getting involved.
“I made some interesting alien-inspired artwork for this event,” said Kelsey Phillips, artist, Barthold Studio.
Keeping the extraterrestrial buzz alive.
“We get a lot of people that stop in our shop and ask about it and say they heard about an alien crash and everything else,” said Ricky Williamson, owner, The Crystal Spirit.
Visitors can even take part in an immersive experience at the crash site.
“We have a UFO expert, we have one of the scuba divers, we have one of the first teens who was on the scene,” said Brenda Fager, playwright, Russell Park Experience.
Was it a hoax or did a real UFO crash here in Russell Park? Regardless of the answer, the Carbondalien Festival will kick off at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday November 9.
The Steamtown train will be riding into the city for the event where an alien hot air balloon will also be open for rides. For more info check out the Carbondalien Festival.
