IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT.....
Some cities and towns are so desperate to make a name that they do stupid things in order to get publicity for themselves. They hope that the event will get lots of free publicity and bring in needed business and tourists. Bipus, Indiana once held a big-time Siamese-twin competition. No one showed up except two drunken guys tied to each other with gaffer tape. A kibbutz in Israel put on a “Cohen-the-Barbarian” festival. A small village in Hawaii held a karaoke contest only for mutes. Fortunately, the audience was made up of lepers so there was no applause.
With the tax base of many small towns shrinking faster than Billy Barty’s shmeckle, it’s understandable that they pull out all stops to make a few extra bucks. Lajas, Puerto Rico is a sleepy hamlet that has decided to build a UFO landing strip to welcome other-worldly visitors. The citizens of Lajas are convinced that they have had many visits from UFOs recently. Of course, the consumption of rum and tequila in this hamlet could float Australia.
A bright green sign along a lonely country road in southwestern Puerto Rico proudly displays a silhouette of a flying saucer and two words: “Extraterrestrial Route.” Most Puerto Ricans laughed when a horse farmer installed the sign on his property at the request of Reynaldo Rios, a local elementary school teacher who says he’s been communicating with alien visitors to this U.S. territory since he was a child. Reynaldo has doubters in the community since he’s known for baking his head in a micro-wave for hours at a time.
Rios, a 39-year old with a goatee and a shock of dark hair, won’t be ignored. With the blessing of a local government desperate for tourist dollars, he’s dedicated himself to building the UFO landing strip. Lajas Mayor Marcos Irizarry’s support for the idea has provoked outrage among Islanders who complain it would be a waste of money at a time when the government is faced with a staggering fiscal deficit. Irizarry quickly clarified that his municipal government would not invest in the project. Instead, he has promised to help Rios get the proper building permits. The mayor insists his goal is to attract tourists to his small town…even if they are green, shiny ones.
The mayor admits to be among Lajans who believe they have seen UFOs in the area. It was either UFOs…or Nash Ramblers. “It’s a very mysterious place,” said Irizarry, who says he once saw red lights zigzagging the hills. “A lot of people have seen things.” Francisco Negron, the farmer who put up the sign and allows UFO watchers to gather at his ranch, volunteered his property for the landing strip. He and Rios estimate the project might cost up to $100,000…or a best offer whichever comes first. Negron believes a UFO crashed on one of his hills in 1999. He claims he heard a boom and saw the hill go up in flames. He also claims that he once ran in the Kentucky Derby where he finished out of the money.
Rios, who leads a group called “UFO International” that holds nighttime vigils to search for alien life. If they don’t find any they are happy to just look in women’s windows hoping to spot some flesh.
A little known aerostat off the Extraterrestrial Route inspires UFO lore in Lajas. U.S. military uses the aerostat, a tethered blimp with a radar system, to detect low-flying smuggling planes. Rios and others don’t believe that. They are convinced that the aerostat’s true purpose is to detect UFOs. He swears he was once briefly detained while trying to touch the aerostat. The military police detained him because they say he was caressing and kissing it and was dressed in a pinafore. Rios says he first encountered aliens at 13. He says white lights burst into his bedroom, entered his body and cured him of hives he had received during a basketball game.
“If we have the technology to reach the moon, there could be others who have the technology to come here,” said Ronaldo Barea, 26, a sandwich shop owner. “Look at the Bulgarians.”
With the tax base of many small towns shrinking faster than Billy Barty’s shmeckle, it’s understandable that they pull out all stops to make a few extra bucks. Lajas, Puerto Rico is a sleepy hamlet that has decided to build a UFO landing strip to welcome other-worldly visitors. The citizens of Lajas are convinced that they have had many visits from UFOs recently. Of course, the consumption of rum and tequila in this hamlet could float Australia.
A bright green sign along a lonely country road in southwestern Puerto Rico proudly displays a silhouette of a flying saucer and two words: “Extraterrestrial Route.” Most Puerto Ricans laughed when a horse farmer installed the sign on his property at the request of Reynaldo Rios, a local elementary school teacher who says he’s been communicating with alien visitors to this U.S. territory since he was a child. Reynaldo has doubters in the community since he’s known for baking his head in a micro-wave for hours at a time.
Rios, a 39-year old with a goatee and a shock of dark hair, won’t be ignored. With the blessing of a local government desperate for tourist dollars, he’s dedicated himself to building the UFO landing strip. Lajas Mayor Marcos Irizarry’s support for the idea has provoked outrage among Islanders who complain it would be a waste of money at a time when the government is faced with a staggering fiscal deficit. Irizarry quickly clarified that his municipal government would not invest in the project. Instead, he has promised to help Rios get the proper building permits. The mayor insists his goal is to attract tourists to his small town…even if they are green, shiny ones.
The mayor admits to be among Lajans who believe they have seen UFOs in the area. It was either UFOs…or Nash Ramblers. “It’s a very mysterious place,” said Irizarry, who says he once saw red lights zigzagging the hills. “A lot of people have seen things.” Francisco Negron, the farmer who put up the sign and allows UFO watchers to gather at his ranch, volunteered his property for the landing strip. He and Rios estimate the project might cost up to $100,000…or a best offer whichever comes first. Negron believes a UFO crashed on one of his hills in 1999. He claims he heard a boom and saw the hill go up in flames. He also claims that he once ran in the Kentucky Derby where he finished out of the money.
Rios, who leads a group called “UFO International” that holds nighttime vigils to search for alien life. If they don’t find any they are happy to just look in women’s windows hoping to spot some flesh.
A little known aerostat off the Extraterrestrial Route inspires UFO lore in Lajas. U.S. military uses the aerostat, a tethered blimp with a radar system, to detect low-flying smuggling planes. Rios and others don’t believe that. They are convinced that the aerostat’s true purpose is to detect UFOs. He swears he was once briefly detained while trying to touch the aerostat. The military police detained him because they say he was caressing and kissing it and was dressed in a pinafore. Rios says he first encountered aliens at 13. He says white lights burst into his bedroom, entered his body and cured him of hives he had received during a basketball game.
“If we have the technology to reach the moon, there could be others who have the technology to come here,” said Ronaldo Barea, 26, a sandwich shop owner. “Look at the Bulgarians.”
posted by THE RANTING OLD GEEZER at 9:02 AM
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