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Mike Conley's Tales of the Weird: UFOs in McDowell?

By Mike Conley | The McDowell News

Published: November 11, 2009

If you are out stargazing one clear night and see something in the sky that you can't explain, then who is willing to hear your story and approach it with an open mind?
The Web site for the National UFO Reporting Center is one place. This site is available for folks all over the nation so they can share their stories of seeing unidentified flying objects and aliens. It is billed as the Web's "most comprehensive and up to date UFO information source." Based in Washington state, the National UFO Reporting Center itself has been in continuous operation since 1974 checking into reports of weird objects in the sky and visits from extraterrestrials.
The reports on its Web site are listed by state and then by the city. The section for North Carolina has dozens and dozens of reports. It includes several reports of UFOs seen in McDowell County. All of them were submitted anonymously.
The first report listed for Marion happened on Oct. 28, 2008. The person submitting the report claims to have seen more than 10 strange lights flying around in the sky over Marion.
"First it was just three flashing red and blue lights in a triangle," reads the report. "Then the one on the left (disappeared)."
The person also states that the lights "started moving really fast flying in between houses and around the sky kind of in a weaving pattern. Over the hour and a half we watched there was more 10 of them. Flying in circles with no sound at all."
Another Marion report on the National UFO Reporting Center's Web site is much more detailed.
"I have a pair of Celestron Skymaster 25x100 binoculars and on or about September 1, 2006 at around 9:00 p.m. I was stargazing and tracking airplanes across the sky," reads the report. "At one point I was examining the sky at about 2 or three inches at a time. I was looking towards the northwest and I saw a blue light with no aviation lights flew from (northwest) towards the southeast. I thought it was strange but (went) on with my observing.
"About 1 minute later I saw 2 more identical lights and then more and more. I saw at least 6 to 8 identical lights crossing the sky. These binoculars are powerful enough to see galaxies and other messier objects. At first I thought these lights could be (satellites) but the research I have done says there are only about 14 (satellites) that can be observed from earth and they are only visible for a few seconds at a time as they tumble in and out of the sun's rays. I tracked all of these objects from horizon to horizon. Since then I can go out every night and if I am patient enough, I can see these lights every time. Have you ever heard of this phenomena. Military?"
Still another report on the Web site talks about a weird light in the sky near Pleasant Gardens. It was seen on the night of Feb. 9, 2006.
"I was driving west on highway 70 at approximately 7 pm and was on my cell phone with a friend," reads the report. "I looked up and saw a blue/green colored light toward my center of vision and it moved to the right. It could have lasted longer than a few seconds, but I was driving and couldn't follow where it went. It didn't flash or pulse. I mentioned this to my friend and she said at least 2 people she works with have seen it as well."
Still another local person writes about seeing a "bright green orb falling from sky in the same fashion as a shooting star." This happened on Halloween night in 2005, according to the report on the Web site.
"The object looked similar to a shooting star except that it was moving slower than that of a shooting star and it was bright green in color," reads the report. "It was only visible for a matter of seconds and it left a faint trail falling behind it.
"The object resembled a flare except they have not been seen ascending, only descending. This is at least the third incident that they have been sighted in this city in the last two months. My friend and I saw this object on 10/31/2005 at 02:55 in the morning from the car. Three co-workers of mine have also seen what sounds to be the same thing on two previous occasions. There was also a report made to the local Police Department of two strange circles appearing in a yard the day after the first sighting by my co-workers."
I am not aware of any UFO reports being submitted to the Marion Police Department but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened. If you have seen a UFO like these folks, you too can share your story with the National UFO Reporting Center. Go to www.ufocenter.com and follow the directions.

Contact Mike Conley at 652-3313, ext. 3422 or e-mail nconley@mcdowellnews.com.