Roswell Usa: Towns That Celebrate Ufos, Lake Monsters, Bigfoot, and Other Weirdness

Publisher Marketing: The year was 1997 and some 40,000 tourists and reporters descended upon the desert town of Roswell, New Mexico, where 50 years earlier a flying saucer is said to have crashed. Even today, UFOs and "Little Green Men" remain Roswell's top tourist draw. This book takes a fresh new look at the Roswell Incident from an "insider's perspective " - that of lifelong Roswell resident John LeMay, a historian and author born and raised in the Alien Capital of the World. His childhood being filled with tales of flying saucers and alien autopsies, John grew up knowing several key Roswell eyewitnesses, including Robert Shirkey, who said he saw UFO debris being loaded onto a B-29 bomber at the Roswell Army Air Field in 1947. In the first part of this remarkable new book, John's keen insight and marvelous sense of humor deliver a fresh new angle on the story of the Roswell UFO crash and on some of Roswell's other, lesser-known mysteries, such as the "alien ghost" that haunts the former New Mexico Rehabilitation Center; the "Second" Roswell UFO Crash of 1949; Bottomless Lakes where cars sink into the depths and monsters emerge to the surface; and The Headless Horsewoman of Lover's Lane, a Victorian Era Spook with an axe to grind against young lovers. Roswell is by no means the only town to use strange events and bizarre creatures to draw tourism dollars. Nor was it the first. In the second part of John's book, he takes us on a tour of other towns all over the U. S. that celebrate weirdness - like Churubusco, Indiana, where a giant turtle transformed the town into "Turtletown, USA." There is also Point Pleasant, West Virginia, where a moth-like humanoid has inspired an Annual Mothman Festival and a year-round Mothman Museum. Take a dip in the White River Monster Reservoir in Jacksonport, Arkansas, and visit an alien's grave in Aurora, Texas. Cruise along the E. T. Highway near Rachel, Nevada, and have your picture taken with Bigfoot in Fouke, Arkansas. Contributor Bio:  LeMay, John John LeMay is a lifelong Roswell native and past president of the historical society for Southeast New Mexico. LeMay has authored many books on the history of Southeast New Mexico and the Southwest, including Roswell, USA and The Real Cowboys and Aliens: UFO Encounters of the Old West, along with three titles in Arcadia's Images of America series. LeMay is a direct descendant of both James W. Patterson, postmaster of Fort Sumner, and John Edwin Lobley, Fort Sumner farmer. Contributor Bio:  Torres, Noe David Bennett Carren has directed, written or produced more than 200 films and television shows, including episodes of "Star Trek: Next Generation," "Stargate," "Twilight Zone," "Murder, She Wrote," "Diagnosis Murder," and "Walker, Texas Ranger." In his long Hollywood career, he counts among his fondest memories working with "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, as well as the cast and crew of "Star Trek: Next Generation," including Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, and many others. David's recognition as a screenwriter includes a First Place in the New York Television and Film Festival, a Writer's Guild Award Nomination, finalist honors at the Austin Film Festival on multiple projects, and Gold and Bronze Remi Awards. As a director, he earned a Silver Palm at the Mexico Film Festival for his feature film, "The Red Queen." His play, "Christmas," was performed at the Back Alley Theater in Los Angeles and another play, "Comments," won South Texas College's Ninth Annual Play Writing Contest. He has also produced and directed for the stage, including productions of "Wait Until Dark" and "The Nerd." Medallion Books originally published David's first novel, "No Power on Earth," in 1986. Stonelock Pictures optioned his second novel, "I've Killed Mother," and his short story "If She Dies" was published in "Twisted Tales" before he adapted it as an episode of "The Twilight Zone." David earned his Bachelor in Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin and his Master in Fine Arts at Spalding University. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley, where he teaches screenwriting, film directing, film history, and video editing.