Sand Mountain Reporter (The) - Albertville, Alabama… 31st August 2006…
E.T. Where Are You? By George Jones…
Saturday, as I drove toward Fyffe to check out the UFO Day
happenings, I had the distinct feeling I was experiencing what "The
Twilight Zone"'s opening narration said of those who watched - "You
unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another
dimension - a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of
mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things
and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone."
Riding up Alabama 75 North on a regular day can seem as though you
have entered through a door of "another dimension of both shadow and
substance."
Portions of Highway 75 North might be considered a dimension filled
with the "shadow and substance" of collapsing farm buildings, derelict and
abandoned cars and empty houses from a bygone era creating the feel of
another dimension.
As I cruised along in my red Ford Ranger, with the morning sun shining
down from a slightly hazy powder-blue sky, I thought of the hot-air
balloon ride I missed earlier that morning.
The balloon took off at 6 a.m. and I honestly couldn't motivate myself
to give up my one morning to sleep late.
Anyway, looking towards the heavens, I allowed myself to imagine what
vistas I might have seen riding several hundred feet above good ol'
Alabama terra firma.
Then again, in a more pragmatic mental moment, I was thankful I hadn't
made the trip as an ever-increasing [with age] fatalism permeated my
thoughts.
A fatalism caused me to consider the possibility the colorful, oversized,
hot air bag might have collapsed, plummeting me, and it, to an inglorious
conclusion upon some cornfield below.
Passing through Geraldine and Lakeview, I finally entered the outskirts
of the small rural farming community of Fyffe, where during two days,
Feb. 11-12, 1989, Fyffe became a center of UFO attention. At that time,
about 50 of the fewer than 1,000 residents reported seeing a UFO.
According to published reports at the time, police Chief Junior
Garmany said, "It was big, wide and appeared to be a wide triangular
shape. We kept waiting to hear the sound. We kept looking at each other
and saying 'where's the sound?' We never heard anything. What I saw
the first time was like nothing I ever saw before. It was not a helicopter,
it was not a plane. Not a sound."
Another witness reported the UFO as looking like a "banana" flying at
an angle.
So for a while Fyffe, was the center of the UFO universe, with media
coming from around the world to study the situation. However, after
their brief brush with fame, the community quietly returned to just
another dot on a map of DeKalb County in northeast Alabama.
Last year, city leaders decided to capitalize on the continuing
phenomenon with the inception of Fyffe UFO Days. The meaning was
changed to "Unforgettable Family Outing."
Approaching the heart of downtown Fyffe, I fully expected to see the
town gaily festooned with costumed aliens and flying saucers parked
everywhere.
Imagine my surprise when all I found was an empty main street - no
colorful banners, and no inhabitants, earthly or otherwise.
As I continued to look around, unable to find a human being, the
thought came to me - is it possible, have aliens landed and abducted
everybody in town?
Just about the time I was ready to call Homeland Security – I saw
movement. I spotted what appeared to be an earthling sweeping the
driveway near a school.
I cautiously approached him and asked if he knew where the UFO
festivities where. He smiled, and told me as he pointed - "Over there."
I'm not certain if the organizers of UFO Days didn't want the aliens to
know where they were gathering, but I might suggest a few signs pointing
the way would be helpful for earthlings coming into Fyffe.
Well, I have run out of "space" so, "G.J. go home!"
George Jones is a staff writer for The Sand Mountain Reporter. His
e-mail address is boaz(at)sandmountainreporter.com