I tend to think of myself as one of three living UFO enthusiasts in the domestic United States, mainly because I pitched many stories on many UFO news and events during my decade in media, and most of them were politely ignored, probably because nobody read the few UFO-related blogs I did publish. (Obviously, my forthcoming book will be different!!!) I’ve never even had a UFO friend, though I’ve had many friends encourage my interest in UFOs, the way I might encourage a friend to pursue surfing: It’s not for me, but I am happy for you.
For these reasons, it was a great surprise to me when a) my girlfriend bought us tickets to AlienCon 2023, which I didn’t even know was happening, and b) there were, like, 10,000 other people there.
AlienCon is a weekend full of back-to-back panels and lectures on various UFO- and paranormal-related topics with a a UFO- and paranormal-related marketplace open for shopping throughout. There were 3-4 program choices for every time slot, and attendees were warned to line up early if we wanted to ensure our first choice. I’m happy to share that — after a few false alarms — I was granted entry to all my first choices. Here’s a brief summary:
History’s Most Compelling UFO Incidents
I thought this would be a good introduction for Mary, who began the day as a UFO novice. The panel featured a few MUFON officials as well as a retired Navajo Nation police officer, who provided a lot of interesting cultural context while burying the lede about his personal abduction experience (!). It was hard to hear everyone — a motif throughout the day.
Giants: Scientific Evidence of a Forgotten Race
You can imagine how excited I was to see this evidence. Unfortunately, the speaker’s Powerpoint was not working, so he had to describe it. During a brief audience Q&A, an attendee with a Southern accent asked about “the ancient apocalypse,” which I misheard, with great interest, as “the ancient octopus.”
UAPs: Breaking the Barriers of Science
This was the only event we attended in the large auditorium, and it was overwhelming. I have little to no idea what anyone said. I hope this doesn’t make it sound like I didn’t relish every minute, because I did.
Cryptozoology 101
Ken Gerhard was, far and away, the liveliest and clearest-spoken presenter we saw all day. He wore a leather crocodile hunter hat, and had lots of opinions: two things you want in a cryptozoologist. “In my opinion,” he said, “the Mothman isn’t a cryptid, chupacabras aren’t cryptids” — here I gasped — “and Skinwalkers aren’t cryptids.” Fortunately, Bigfoot and Nessie are cryptids, and there is strong evidence for both.
I was worried about the food situation at the convention center (I am always worried about the food situation at places) but it turns out they had concessions, including a pretty good veggie burger. (Mary had chicken tenders, one of which she wrapped in a napkin and put in her coat pocket for later.) Not including lunch (a business expense), I spent $105.38 on the following souvenirs:
Hand-painted alien-themed press on nails and a sticker ($35.65 and regretted immediately)
AlienCon socks ($22)
Two color prints of UFO sightings ($16.16)
A T-shirt that says “Sasquatch Syndicate,” ft. picture of Bigfoot with boobs ($10)
Reprints of the local Roswell newspaper the day of (and the day after) the UFO incident, and a mug featuring the same ($21.57)
A T-shirt from an anti-alien invasion organization I found vaguely offensive but hilarious (FREE!!!!!! after some begging.)
There were more talks we could have gone to at 3:20 (“Stargates of Ancient Egypt”) and 4:40 (“Recover Your Contact Experience - Additional Ticket Required”), but it turns out that six hours at AlienCon is enough. I met R2D2! It was everything I dreamed, and so much more. Next year I would like to present. I just have a feeling I would be great.
Yours truly,
Katie