Join us again for the event that grows bigger and better each year. And this summer, we'll have Bluegrass music to entertain you while you watch the contestants prepare to launch their craft. It's all FREE. Join us:

Hosted by Joshua P. Warren, for years, we've gathered at the:

Big Ivy Community Center; Barnardsville, North Carolina
on a summer evening to launch brilliant craft after dark

A grill is available, so bring your own food and beverages to enjoy a cook-out setting

Donations are appreciated

Build your own fake UFO, and win a prize pack if yours is the best. It has to go airborne and it has to be safe. They are usually lifted into the night sky by helium balloons, and tethered to the ground with fishing line. You must supply your own building materials, helium, and balloons. Judging is based on what portions are visible in the night sky, creating the illusion of a real UFO. Nothing is too small and simple, nothing is too large and complex. Note: you can purchase small helium tanks and balloons in the party section of most stores like K-Mart, Toys-R-Us, or Party City, usually less than $30. Light sticks and lightweight LEDs are popular construction materials, along with glow in the dark paint.

If you don't want to make one, just come to enjoy the free light show!

Directions: Take highway 19/23 north from Asheville, approximately 10 miles to the Jupiter-Barnardsville Exit (Highway 197 north). Turn right towards Barnardsville and travel 5.9 miles to the Post Office. Turn right onto Dillingham Road. Shortly, you'll see the Community Center and ball field on the left.

Mark it on your calendar now--we hope to see you there August 22, 2008 at 7pm!

Here's how the 2006 event turned out . . .

The 2nd Annual Speaking of Strange UFO Experience was a great success!

The crowd gathered under a perfect, starry sky in Barnardsville, North Carolina (near Asheville) and cheered as brilliant craft hovered high above. This year, triangle-shaped craft dominated the competition. The judges had an especially difficult time determining the winners. Once again, first place went to last year's champion, Jeff Wilson from Tennessee! It was a CLOSE call though, as second went to T.J. and Summer Gahagan, same as last year. It looks like those two will be locked in combat from here on out! While Jeff's employed a pulsating centerpiece, T.J.'s was affixed to a pyrotechnic smoke device, enhancing his illumination with a ghostly haze.

Brian Irish's triangle was the only one to employ a rotor, providing thrust in addition to helium lift. And Caleb Hank's team created a weird plastic form affectionately known as the "chandelier." That craft especially impressed the judges, as it provided a great 3-D effect above.

Still pictures can't truly capture these craft since most employed lights blinking in a pattern. Therefore, a still provides an incomplete representation of the motion effect. But here are some samples from the event and cookout setting. It was a wonderful way to meet other paranormalists topped off by a grand finale in the skies. We hope to see you there next year!