The 18th Annual McMenamins UFO Festival Is On This Weekend In Oregon

Are you a believer in all things pertaining to UFOs? Do you live in Oregon? Well, this weekend, McMinnville is holding the 18th annual McMenamins UFO Festival at Hotel Oregon.

Included in the line up for this year’s UFO Festival is a hypnotherapist, an alien abduction expert, and Air Force veterans according to the Portland Tribute.

The McMenamins UFO Festival website lists the following speakers.

• Yvonne Smith – Hypnotherapist and alien abduction expert
• David Schindele – Retired Air Force captain and UFO experiencer
• Robert Hastings – UFO/nukes phenomenon expert
• Robert Jacobs – Retired Air Force officer and UFO experiencer
• Melanie Young – Starchild Project co-founder and former neonatal nurse

One of the other guests involved this year is James Clarkson, a 65-year-old who considers himself a UFOlogist. He is so dedicated to the world of UFOs that he wrote a book on the matter, Tell My Story: June Crain, The Air Force and UFOs. Prior to that, he was a police officer. Clarkson, who has been delving into the world of UFOs and alien life forms for 30 years now, believes the subject of UFOs and the alien life forms they may carry as important as any other modern political issue. “Even if the importance is not realized in my lifetime,” he says.

While many people point to Roswell as the reason why they are curious about UFOs and aliens, Clarkson states that it was an event during his time as a military police investigator in the 1970s that led to his interest in UFOs. When speaking to a desk sergeant, he saw a card reading, “National UFO Reporting Center” and his interest was instantly piqued. Later, in the 1980’s, when he saw news coverage in regard to a UFO sighting in Alaska, Clarkson remembered that card. Frustrated with the coverage of the Alaskan UFO incident at the time, he called the National UFO Reporting Center.

“I don’t want to report a UFO. I want to get involved,” he responded when questioned during that call.

Along with the UFO specialists, the UFO Festival will feature other activities including “an alien costume parade, free live music indoors and out, a 5K run, [and] a pet costume contest,” according to KOIN.

So, why does McMinnville hold an annual UFO Festival?

Apparently, it all dates back to an event in the 1950s, according to KOIN. May 11, 1950, to be exact. On that day, Evelyn and Paul Trent were working on their farm. Happening to glance up, they saw a large, metallic, disc-shaped object in the sky and decided to take some photos of this strange phenomenon.

This pictures turned out to be, arguably, the most famous images of a reported UFO sighting ever taken.

Since then, many people have claimed to have taken photographs of UFOs. However, as James Clarkson told the Portland Tribute, only two in ten images reported and investigated are likely to be of “true UFOs.”

When investigating UFO sightings, Clarkson draws on his experience as a police officer and a fraud investigator.

“I use exactly the same kind of skills that I used as a police officer. I have 20 years of training in that field. I look for people who just… try to describe their experience without embellishing it.”

You can find out more information (including ticket pricing) on the 18th annual McMenamins UFO Festival via their official website.

Are you interested in attending the 18th annual McMenamins UFO Festival? Have you ever had an experience with UFOs or aliens? Let us know your thoughts in regards to UFOs and alien life forms by commenting below.

The 18th annual McMenamins UFO Festival will be held May 18-21 at Hotel Oregon in McMinnville.

[Featured Image by homeworks255/iStock]