RACHEL, Nev. (Reuters) – Scores of UFO enthusiasts converged on rural Nevada on Thursday for a pilgrimage of sorts to the U.S. installation known as Area 51, long rumored to house government secrets about alien life, as law enforcement officials beefed up security around the military base.<\/p>\n
Visitors descended early in the day on the tiny desert town of Rachel, a short distance from the military site, in response to a recent, viral social-media invitation to \u201cstorm\u201d Area 51 on Friday, raising concerns by local authorities of unruly crowds overwhelming the community.<\/p>\n
Situated about 150 miles (240 km) north of Las Vegas, the remote hamlet of just 50 year-round residents lacks a grocery store or even a gasoline station.<\/p>\n
Thursday\u2019s visitors established a small encampment outside Rachel\u2019s only business – the extraterrestrial-themed Little A\u2019Le\u2019Inn motel and restaurant – parking themselves in cars, tents and RVs. Some tourists hung inflatable aliens from their campers.<\/p>\n
One couple, Nicholas Bohen and Cayla McVey, both sporting UFO tattoos, traveled to Rachel from the Los Angeles suburb of Fullerton with enough food to last for a week of car-camping.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s evolved into a peaceful gathering, a sharing of life stories,\u201d McVey told Reuters, sizing up the crowd. \u201cI think you are going to get a group of people that are prepared, respectful and they know what they getting themselves into.\u201d<\/p>\n
Music was scheduled to begin Thursday night and continue for two more days. It remained unclear if there would be a mass trek to the grounds of Area 51 on Friday.<\/p>\n
The military site was shrouded in secrecy for decades, stoking conspiracy theories that it housed the remnants of a flying saucer and the bodies of its alien crew from the crash of an unidentified flying object in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. The U.S. government did not confirm the base existed until 2013, when it released CIA archives saying the site was used to test top-secret spy planes.<\/p>\n
Dust blows through the desert as an influx of tourists responding to a call to ‘storm’ Area 51, a secretive U.S. military base believed by UFO enthusiasts to hold government secrets about extra-terrestrials, is expected in Rachel, Nevada, U.S. September 19, 2019. REUTERS\/Jim Urquhart Rachel and its surroundings have nevertheless celebrated their place in UFO lore as a tourist draw. A 98-mile (158-km) road running through the area is dubbed the Extraterrestrial Highway, a purported hotbed of UFO sightings.<\/p>\n
\u201cNO STOPPING IT\u201d
\nIn June, California college student Matty Roberts posted a facetious Facebook invitation exhorting the public at large to run into Area 51 on foot to \u201csee them aliens.\u201d<\/p>\n
When more than 1 million people expressed interest, the U.S. Air Force admonished curiosity seekers not to breach the gates at the military base, which it said is still used to test combat aircraft and train personnel.<\/p>\n
Roberts then teamed up with Connie West, co-owner of the Little A\u2019Le\u2019Inn, to plan a music festival in Rachel dubbed \u201cAlienstock.\u201d<\/p>\n
In early September, however, Roberts disassociated himself from the Rachel event, saying it was poorly organized and he feared it could devolve into a public safety crisis. Instead, he helped stage an alternative Alienstock set to take place Thursday night in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
West said the event in Rachel would go on as planned.<\/p>\n
About 40 miles (64 km) to the east, the small town of Hiko planned an event called \u201cStorm Area 51 Basecamp\u201d at a gift shop dubbed the Alien Research Center. Organizers promised musicians, artists and \u201cprominent ufologists,\u201d and by Thursday had sold 3,200 tickets, according to Linda Looney, the shop\u2019s manager.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis whole thing has been a shock to this little community,\u201d she said, adding that organizers had hired 15 security guards and a private ambulance and ordered 80 portable toilets. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be really cool. I\u2019m excited.\u201d<\/p>\n
The influx of alien hunters prompted Lincoln County, which encompasses both Rachel and Hiko, to draft an emergency declaration that could be invoked to call in help from the state.<\/p>\n
Slideshow (18 Images)
\nThe sheriff\u2019s office said visitors should expect \u201ca large presence of law enforcement.\u201d Authorities urged everyone to bring ample supplies of food, water and fuel.<\/p>\n
Five sheriff\u2019s patrol cars were posted on Thursday just outside the Area 51 gate, where a handful of people had come to take photos.<\/p>\n
Despite a festive, peaceful mood back in town, the official Rachel website was decidedly unwelcoming.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf any event still happens it is going to be a pretty sad affair with no bands, no food, very little infrastructure and a lot of unhappy campers,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
RACHEL, Nev. (Reuters) – Scores of UFO enthusiasts converged on rural Nevada on Thursday for a pilgrimage of sorts to the U.S. installation known as Area 51, long rumored to house government secrets about alien life, as law enforcement officials beefed up security around the military base. Visitors descended early in the day on the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":14906,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,9],"tags":[128,733,983],"class_list":{"0":"post-14905","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-miscellaneous","9":"tag-community","10":"tag-miscellaneous","11":"tag-ufo"},"yoast_head":"\n