Kecksburg UFO Festival kicks off in Westmoreland County
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The three-day Kecksburg UFO Festival is underway right now in Westmoreland County.
It's a celebration commemorating the day in 1965 when some claimed they saw a UFO crash into the woods outside of Kecksburg. Some said it was a meteor, others said it was nothing.
Even so, the community uses the occasion to have a celebration.
Stan Gordon, a UFO researcher and author who will speak at the festival, said he was 16 when the UFO incident happened, and he's been captivated by the phenomenon ever since.
"[The UFO] came in over Greensburg, made a turn to the south, came up mountains, then turned back and dropped into the woods," Gordon said, describing the trajectory of the object.
"Some of the locals went into woods right after and came across a large, metallic acorn object semi-buried in the ground," Gordon added.
What happened to the mysterious object?
"Early that evening, the military began to show up, seen by multiple people, including the reporters. The object was removed on a large, military flatbed with a tarp over it. It went to an airforce base near Columbus, Ohio, then continued on to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base," Gordon said.
Others set up booths and discussed their own experiences with UFOs and even Bigfoot.
"All the researchers, between UFOs and Bigfoot, they all have tables set up. We have been jammed with people coming up and talking to us about experiences they've had," said Gordon.
More information about the festival can be found here.