Earthlings arrive at Area 51
Stage set for fun as visitors gather in Nevada for ‘alien raid’
HIKO: The stage was set for music and other space-themed entertainment as Earthlings descended on the Nevada desert for events inspired by an Internet hoax known as “Storm Area 51”.
“It started as a joke, but it’s not a joke for us,” Alon Burton, a member of the band Wily Savage, said on Thursday as he and several other men wrestled a tarp over a makeshift stage near the Little A’Le’Inn motel and cafe in Rachel.
By early afternoon, several hundred people had made their way to the site, where secrecy surrounding Area 51 has long fuelled speculation that it is where the government studies space aliens.
Anticipating a big crowd, a beer company had produced alienthemed cans and a brothel offered discounts to “ET enthusiasts”.
Events were planned in Rachel and Hiko, a 45-minute drive away, the two towns closest to Area 51.
The festivities sparked by the Internet joke inviting people to “see them aliens” could become a cultural marker, a monumental dud or
Area 51 is a place where ordinary citizens can’t go. When you tell people they can’t do something, they just want to do it more.
something in between.
“This phenomenon is a perfect blend of interest in aliens and the supernatural, government conspiracies and the desire to know what we don’t know,” said Michael Ian Borer, a University of Nevada, Las Vegas, sociologist who studies pop culture and paranormal activity.
The result was “hope and fear” for events such as the “Area 51 Basecamp”, featuring music, speakers and movies in Hiko and festivals in Rachel and Las Vegas competing for the name “Alienstock”.
“People desire to be part of something, to be ahead of the curve,” Borer said.
“Area 51 is a place where normal, ordinary citizens can’t go. When you tell people they can’t do something, they just want to do it more.”
Eric Holt, the Lincoln County emergency manager overseeing preparations, believed authorities could handle 30,000 visitors at the events in Rachel and Hiko.
Still, neighbours braced for trouble after millions of people responded to the “Storm Area 51” Facebook post weeks ago.
Rachel resident Joerg Arnu installed outdoor floodlights, fencing and “No Trespassing” signs on his property.
He also organised a night watch of neighbours who feared that there wouldn’t be enough water, food, trash bins or toilets for visitors.
The Federal Aviation Administration closed nearby air space, although Air Force jets could be heard in the sun-drenched skies.
George Harris, owner of the Alien Research Centre souvenir store in Hiko, said the “Area 51 Basecamp” yesterday and today would focus on music, movies and talks about extraterrestrial lore.
The event also promised up to 60 food trucks and vendors, trash and electric service, and a robust security and medical staff.
Harris said he was prepared for up to 15,000 people and expected that they would appreciate taking selfies with a replica of the Area 51 back gate without having to travel several miles to the real thing.
“We just want people to be safe,” Harris said. “As long as they don’t go on the desert floor and destroy the ecosystem, everyone will have a good time.”
The US Air Force has warned people not to approach the gates of the Nevada Test and Training Range, where Area 51 is located.
Authorities in Nye County, home to a conspicuously green establishment called the Area 51 Alien Centre, are discouraging Earthlings from trying to find extraterrestrials.
Michael Ian Borer