Exeter UFO Festival 2022: Paranormal experts, alien costume contest and more
EXETER — Aliens from outer space will descend upon the town Sept. 3 and there's little you can do to stop them.
For some, Labor Day weekend marks the end of summer, but for Exeter it's a chance to celebrate its famous close encounter.
The Exeter Area Kiwanis Club is bringing the UFO Festival back this year on Sept. 3-4 at Town Hall, celebrating the 57th anniversary of “The Incident at Exeter,” in which local residents said they saw a flying saucer.
The two-day festival will feature paranormal guest speakers, a costume contest and a trolley ride to the incident site.
“It’s important that the town gets recognition for not only the event that happened nearby, but also a chance for people to get out and have a lot of fun,” said Robert Cox, president of the Exeter Area Kiwanis Club.
What was ‘The Incident at Exeter’?
The celebration originated from a highly publicized sighting of strange red lights in the Exeter area on Sept. 3, 1965.
In the early morning hours of Sept. 3, the Exeter Police Department began getting reports of flying objects chasing people.
One woman reported being chased by a red-lighted flying object while driving on Route 101.
Two hours later, a terrified Norman Muscarello, an 18-year-old Navy recruit, reported seeing a strange light in the woods near Kensington as he was hitchhiking home from Amesbury, Massachusetts.
Two officers went back to the farmhouse with Muscarello and later said they had also seen a flying object that they couldn’t explain.
According to a newspaper account, the men described the object as “about the size of a house” which “hovered silently over the nearby farm buildings frightening animals in the barn before disappearing in the distance.”
The Air Force said the sightings were either a mirage caused by a temperature inversion or one of five B-47 planes in the area at that time.
Although the sighting actually took place in Kensington, it was famously attributed to Exeter in John Fuller’s book “Incident at Exeter.”
Who will be speaking?
The festival will feature 10 guest speakers — five on Saturday and five on Sunday — from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
This year’s guest speakers include father-son duo Paul and Ben Eno, who will be speaking about “Time Storms,” and Kathleen Marden, who will give a presentation on “Betty and Barney Hill: Their UFO Abduction and Today’s Jaw-Dropping Evidence.”
The Enos are co-hosts of “Behind the Paranormal” and believe that UFOs, ghosts and other paranormal events are closely connected. Their show, which attracts an estimated 3 million listeners, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
Marden is a leading UFO researcher, author and lecturer. Her educational background in social sciences has shaped her interest in scientific ufology. She has given lectures around the globe.
The Enos will present their story at 12:45 p.m. and Marden at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday.
Sunday guest speakers include Bob Terrio who will speak about “Ancient Aliens in Mexico,” and Mack Maloney who will talk about the “Latest Developments in the U.S. Military’s Study of UFOs.”
There will be a "meet the speakers" event Saturday from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the Town Hall. Seats are limited to the first 50 people and the fee will be $20 per person. Only cash payments are accepted.
Alien Costume & Alien Pet Contest
The festival will have an Alien Costume and Alien Pet contest at noon Saturday. The costume contest is for children ages 12 and under while the pet contest is open for all.
A “genuine alien" will be on hand to judge the contests.
Contestants will get a chance to march in their costumes from Town House Common Park all the way to the town bandstand.
This event is free to participate.
Trolley ride to the Kensington site
One of the highlights of the festival each year is the trolley ride to the Kensington site, which will only be happening on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The trolley will leave from 10 Front St. and bring riders to the incident site, which is approximately 5 miles south of the town, in the neighboring town of Kensington. The tour will be narrated by local Exeter-terrestrial expert and Founder of Granite Sky Service Mike Stevens.
“As people are seeing the area, they can also listen to the story,” said Cox.
Tickets are $5 for adults and payments are to be made only in cash. Riders are first come, first serve and the trolley will leave every 30 minutes, with the last trolley leaving at 3:30 p.m.
Food, souvenirs and other activities
The Exeter Area Kiwanis Club will be providing food and refreshments located at the tent by the Bandstand. Expect carnival-type food and drinks such as hotdogs, hamburgers, potato chips and sodas to be served from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Don’t forget to pick up your UFO T-shirts, hats and posters. The souvenir booth located in front of Town Hall will be open both days from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The festival will also have plenty of activities for children including Alien Arts & Crafts, face painting and a UFO crash debris site.
"We expect a large crowd, and we expect everybody to have a good time," said Cox. "We hope the kids enjoy all the children's activities and the people going to listen to the speakers enjoy those as well."
According to Cox, the festival is free to attend but there is an admission for special events, like meeting the guest speakers and trolley ride. The cost of the events are between $5 to $20 and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to a long list of charities and programs the Kiwanis Club supports.
2022 Exeter UFO Festival Schedule
Saturday, Sept. 3
Speakers
9 a.m. – Valerie Lofanso, “Aliens in Our Backyard”
10:30 a.m. – Ralph Blumenthal, “The ‘Abduction’ of John Mack: A Hero’s Journey into the Heart of Cosmic Darkness”
12:45 p.m. – Paul and Ben Eno, “Time Storms”
2:15 p.m. – Lynne Nickerson, “UFOs: An Alternate Reality of What?”
3:45 p.m. – Kathleen Marden, “Betty and Barney Hill: Their UFO Abduction and Today’s Jaw-Dropping Evidence.”
Other activities
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. – UFO Festival souvenir shop
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Food and refreshments
10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Trolley Ride to “Incident at Exeter”
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Kid’s activities
12 p.m. – Alien Costume and Alien Pet Contest
7:30 p.m. – Meet the speakers
Sunday, Sept. 4
Speakers
9:00 a.m. – Mike Stevens, “Granite Skies”
10:30 a.m. – Peter Robbins, “The Origins of UFO Ridicule: How America’s Greatest Newspaper Helped Perpetuate America’s Greatest Deception”
12 p.m. – Paul and Ben Eno’s Behind the Paranormal radio show featuring all participants
1 p.m. – Jennifer Stein, “Description of UFO 101 a brief historical review”
2:30 p.m. – Bob Terrio, “Ancient Aliens in Mexico”
3:40 p.m. – Mack Maloney, “Latest Developments in the U.S. Military’s Study of UFOs”
Other activities
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. – UFO Festival souvenir shop
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Food and refreshments
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Exeter NH UFO Festival 2022: Paranormal guest speakers, alien costumes
