third annual UFO Festival comes 50 years after Betty and Barney Hill’s
alien abduction case

One of the first alien abduction reports, and probably still the most famous, came from the late Betty and Barney Hill, who lived in Portsmouth.

They claimed that on Sept. 19, 1961, they were captured, examined and released by extra-terrestrials while traveling in the White Mountains. This year, to mark the 50th anniversary of the alleged abduction, the state established a historical marker along the highway.

This year also marks the third annual Exeter UFO Festival, and organizer Dean Merchant said he plans to induct the Hills into the UFO Hall of Fame that he founded.

The free day-long festival on Saturday, Sept. 3, also includes a lecture series, film premiere, live music, and family fun throughout downtown Exeter.

The first inductee into the Exeter UFO Hall of Fame was Norman Muscarello, an Exeter resident whose well-documented report of a spacecraft sighting was confirmed by two police officers. This case, on Sept. 3, 1965, was the inspiration for the book, “Incident at Exeter.”

The alien abduction case and the UFO sighting report are the focus of “Strange Septembers,” a documentary film by Jeff and Jess Finn. The world premiere will take place during the festival at 10:30 a.m. in Exeter Town Hall.

The couple interviewed Stanton Friedman, a civilian researcher who helped define the 1947 Roswell UFO Incident in New Mexico; author and lecturer Kathleen Marden, niece of Betty and Barney Hill; and Thomas Muscarello, brother of Norman Muscarello. All of those interviewees plan to take part in the festival, as well.

Other featured guests include Steve Firmani, founder of MUFON New England, and Richard Dolan, who is among the world’s most prominent UFO researchers.

The Finns’ final interview was with actors James Earle Jones and Estelle Parsons, who played the Hills in the 1975 made-for- TV movie “The UFO Incident.”

Jeff Finn said “Strange Septembers” was initially focused on the Hills’ 1961 case but expanded to cover comparisons and connections with the other big New Hampshire case four years later.

“If both happened the way people claim they did, it’s like the biggest story ever in human history,” he said.

Finn said he approached the film objectively, even though, personally, he leans toward believing in aliens and UFOs. There “almost has to be” other life out there, he said.

He was influenced by watching “The UFO Incident” as a kid. “It freaked me out in the best way and set me on a lifelong obsession with ufology,” he said. 

Finn said there are several reasons why New Hampshire might have more paranormal activity than other states (or at least more reports of such activity), including proximity to the ocean and swamps, power lines, element-rich soil, Pease Air Force Base, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and the Seabrook Station nuclear power plant.

He said Betty Hill once described Exeter as a “UFO window,” which is “a heavy thing to put out there.”

Merchant agreed that the area seems to be a UFO hot spot. Hundreds of cases have been reported in Exeter alone, he said.

The festival’s activities begin with opening remarks at 8 a.m. There are lectures scheduled throughout the day, as well as entertainment with UFO arts and crafts in Founders Park. There will also be alien costume contests for both pets and children.

The evening wraps up with “Alien Café” at the Loaf & Ladle, with live music by Bob Moore & the Peace Mongers. They’ll be serving Harpoon UFO Pale Ale and UFO whoopie pies.

For more information, visit www.exeterufofestival.com.