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From: UFO UpDates - Toronto <updates@globalserve.net>
Date: Tue, 22 Jul 1997 10:02:47 -0400
Fwd Date: Tue, 22 Jul 1997 10:02:47 -0400
Subject: Roswell - The After Math II


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From: http://www.weeklywire.com/ww/current/tw_curr1.html

The Tucson Weekly

Crash Fest

Roswell Makes An All-Amercan Fortune Off The Saucer
Suckers.

By Jim Nintzel

July 14, 1997:  IT'S NOT UNUSUAL for a small town to do something=20
special on the Fourth-of-July weekend. City fathers and civic=20
organizations often sponsor fireworks shows, parades, picnics,=20
horseshoe tournaments and the occasional tug-of-war competition=20
to celebrate our nation's birthday.

But not many communities build festivals around the notion that=20
the United States government, in conjunction with an elite=20
military command, has for the last half-century conspired to keep=20
the American people in the dark about extraterrestrial beings who=20
have a sinister tendency to mutilate our cattle and abduct our=20
citizens in order to steal genetic material--and generally in a=20
painful and intrusive manner.

Then again, most towns aren't like Roswell, New Mexico, which has=20
the dubious distinction of being synonymous with UFO crashes and=20
government cover-ups. The charming farming community is the only=20
place where the U.S. military has ever announced capturing a=20
flying saucer.

In July 1947, following the recovery of strange debris from a=20
rancher's field outside of Roswell, military officials sent out a=20
press release declaring the Army Air Force had taken possession=20
of the wreckage of a flying saucer: "The many rumors regarding=20
the flying disc became a reality yesterday when the intelligence=20
office of the 509th Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force, Roswell=20
Army Air Field, was fortunate enough to gain possession of a disc=20
through the co-operation of the one of the local ranchers and the=20
Sheriff's office of Chaves County."

The military quickly retracted the story, later telling an=20
excited collection of reporters the wreckage was nothing more=20
than a wayward weather balloon. Military officials stuck to that=20
story until just a few years ago, when, under pressure from New=20
Mexico Congressman Steven Schiff to explain what really happened=20
at Roswell, the Air Force announced they had covered up the real=20
story: The wreckage was actually from Project Mogul, a=20
top-secret, high-altitude balloon project designed to track=20
Soviet nuclear tests.

The admission did little to sway Roswell investigators, who=20
reject the Project Mogul explanation as just another cover story.

Whatever the truth, Roswell has seized on its unique reputation=20
as ground zero in the hunt for UFOs--and festival organizers have=20
a rousing success on their hands.

At the Roswell Encounter, as last weekend's festivities were=20
dubbed, a soapbox derby was spun into the Crash-and-Burn UFO=20
extravaganza, the all-you-can-eat pancake competition became a=20
flying-saucer-eating contest, and the annual fun run became an=20
Alien Chase, with some runners donning ET costumes. The local art=20
museum presented a UFO quilt exhibit, and a local theatrical=20
troupe performed Ezekiel's Wheels, an original stagework=20
exploring the possibility that Ezekiel's Biblical encounter with=20
a "flaming wheel" may have been an early close encounter.

Main Street's windows were decorated not with patriotic themes,=20
but with images of the now-familiar small grey alien and=20
multitudes of flying saucers, inspired no doubt partly by the=20
best-alien-window-theme-display competition, worth $250 to the=20
winner.

The 50,000 residents of Roswell, from Mayor Tom Jennings to the=20
roadhouse bartenders, seem to have fully embraced their town's=20
curious legend.

"Who's to say it didn't happen?" asked one clerk at the local=20
Target, who was sporting a T-shirt boasting the company logo=20
mutating into the head of a small grey. Shoppers were snatching=20
up all the UFO books, dolls and fashion T's the store manager had=20
the foresight to stock.

The fest also brought the UFO cognoscenti to town, from UFO=20
researchers Stanton Friedman, Linda Moulton Howe and Don Schmitt=20
to abductee experts John Mack, Whitley Strieber and Budd Hopkins.=20
Even Erich Von D=E4niken, who set the UFO world afire with Chariots=20
of the Gods back in the 1970s, traveled from his home in=20
Switzerland to be a featured speaker at the Encounter.

Because this was the 50th anniversary of the crash, the media=20
took a particular interest in Roswell. In the weeks before the=20
festival, the story ended up on the covers of Time and Popular=20
Science and got airtime everywhere from Hard Copy to The=20
McLaughlin Group. The town also got an unexpected boost from the=20
U.S. military, which released a report in late June suggesting=20
that reports of the recovery of alien beings were inspired by=20
high-altitude operations involving crash-test dummies--a report=20
so hard to swallow that it reinforced the notion of a cover-up=20
among most UFO buffs.

By the time the celebration rolled around, the media were=20
reporting that 100,000 people were expected to hit town. Those=20
estimates proved wildly overstated--ultimately, closer to 40,000=20
people flocked to Roswell for the Independence Day weekend,=20
bringing with them a fiscal ripple worth an estimated $2 million.

While many of those dollars were spent on motel rooms and in=20
restaurants, the invaders also dropped a bundle on a very large=20
array of UFO paraphernalia. Vendors packed Roswell's community=20
center and nearby streets, hawking T-shirts, books, tapes,=20
jewelry and even jars containing alien specimen remains.

The only obvious flop was out at the alleged crash site, 20 miles=20
north of town, on the sheep-and-cattle ranch owned by Hub Corn.=20
UFO aficionados regularly make pilgrimages to the ranch,=20
wandering for hours hoping to find some sort of remains missed by=20
the military's clean-up.

Music promoter John Brower cut a deal with Corn to have a=20
mega-concert from the impact site complete with live coverage on=20
MTV, but that plan crashed and burned after sponsors got cold=20
feet in the wake of the mass suicide of the Heaven's Gate UFO=20
cult.

But the plucky Brower persisted with his plans to create an alien=20
Woodstock, arranging for campers to rent tents with two cots=20
apiece for a mere $90 a night, payable through Ticketmaster. On=20
Saturday and Sunday nights, Brower had booked several techno=20
bands to perform in a "Crash Site Electronic Exotic and=20
Experimental Music Festival."

Despite the elaborate plans, there were few takers. On Thursday=20
night, only five campers turned up, and most of them were gone by=20
Friday. Adding to Brower's woes, Corn pulled the plug on the rave=20
when the promoter failed to get permits for it.

But while Brower's scheme collapsed, hundreds of people still=20
stopped by the ranch for $15 tours of the site. On Independence=20
Day, a newly installed shrine was blessed by Native American=20
dancers.

Much of the credit for the festival goes to Stan Crosby, a local=20
businessman who first hit upon the idea of playing up the UFO=20
legend in the form of an annual festival. His wife Deon, who=20
serves as director of one of the town's two UFO museums, says=20
Crosby wanted to create a fun and profitable event for the town.

"Stan's main goal is to create a tourism industry," she says.=20
"We've targeted not only the serious people, but the families.=20
People can bring their families and they don't have to feel=20
they're being preached to and they can still be related to UFO=20
and alien activities. It's going great."

________________________________________

From: http://www.lubbockonline.com/news/071997/hotcheck.htm

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
19 Jul 97

Hot-check scam in Roswell stirs federal interest

By JOHN WISE
Avalanche-Journal

The U.S. Secret Service in Albuquerque, N.M., acknowledged Friday=20
that it has entered an investigation into $92,000 in hot checks=20
written earlier this month from a bank account started with a=20
bogus check in Roswell.

''I know we're helping the Roswell police in their investigation=20
(of the hot checks), but we can't release comments during any=20
investigation,'' Secret Service Agent Samuel Bizzini said Friday.

Roswell police have been investigating the hot checks apparently=20
written by Anaheim, Calif., entertainment promoter Jeffrey=20
Immediato, who was in town for the Roswell UFO Alien Experience=20
July 1-6.

At least two hotels and a rental car agency were affected by the=20
round of about 30 rubber checks and several invalid cashiers=20
checks.

Immediato ostensibly was in town promoting several comedy acts and=20
some circus-like side acts, but Roswell organizer Stan Crosby said=20
soon after the checks bounced that he had no idea who Immediato was=20
working with.

The Roswell festival brought in about 48,000 people during the week,=20
and state officials estimate an economic impact of up to $5 million.

Roswell police Detective Daren Treadwell said he initially had hoped=20
to have a warrant issued for Immediato's arrest by Friday.

But Treadwell said Friday he ran into a brick wall when he learned=20
the Bank of America in Roswell had turned over the counterfeit check=20
- allegedly deposited by Immediato - to federal agents. He said the=20
check was crucial evidence for his case.

''I don't know how this is going to work,'' he said. ''I might know=20
more by Monday.''

Treadwell said unless Immediato is found for questioning, the=20
businesses and bank will simply have to take their losses and move=20
on.