KECKSBURG, Pa. — The 20th annual Kecksburg UFO Festival is underway this weekend.
Hosted by the Kecksburg Volunteer Fire Department, the festival commemorates the mysterious 1965 Kecksburg UFO sighting, which marks its 60th anniversary this year.
“That’s when multitudes of people saw this burning fireball that went through Canada over much of Ohio and Pennsylvania, came in over the greater Pittsburgh area about 4:47 p.m...but according to many reports, it fell, not far from here, over a hill, into a large wooded area,” said prominent UFO researcher Stanley Gordon.
A replica of that UFO is set up outside the fire department and many people stop to take photos with it.
The Kecksburg UFO Festival has grown into a national event, attracting people interested in the unexplained and the possibility of extraterrestrial life and cryptids.
“A lot of people here are sharing their recent sightings of UFOs. We’ve had a lot of activity in the greater Pittsburgh area in recent months,” Gordon said.
Vendors come together to sell alien and cryptic merchandise and simpler offerings, like burgers and fries.
While the event serves as a place to speculate sights from space, it also gives people an opportunity to enjoy a pleasant summer day.
A parade was held on Saturday, featuring local fire trucks and old military vehicles.
“I’ve interviewed thousands of UFO witnesses, and while we can explain many sightings, there are a lot of things going on year after year we cannot easily explain away,” Gordon said.
The annual event also raises money for the Kecksburg Fire Department.
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