By all indications, it looks like the moment of truth may finally be upon us as officials and alien enthusiasts alike brace themselves for a pair of events this weekend featuring the secretive Area 51 military base in Nevada.
Thousands of UFO fans are winding down their pilgrimage across Nevada, where the “Storm Area 51” Facebook event has morphed into multiple competing events in Last Vegas, Rachel, and Hiko after the Facebook event’s creator pulled out of a planned music festival near Area 51 in fear of “Frye Fest 2.0.”
“Alienstock” took place last night in Las Vegas. Announcing the move, a statement on the Alienstock website read:
“Due to the lack of infrastructure, planning, and risk management, along with concerns raised for the safety of the expected 10,000+ attendees, we decided to transition Alienstock away from the Rachel festival towards a safer alternative. We are officially disconnecting from the Little A’LE’INN, Rachel NV, and AlienStock’s affiliation with them.
We will no longer offer our logo, social media, website or Matty Roberts likeness or scheduled appearance. In short, the relationship has ended permanently. AlienStock will be moving to a safe, clean secure area in Downtown Las Vegas as an alternative. We are not interested in, nor will we tolerate any involvement in a FYREFEST 2.0. We foresee a possible humanitarian disaster in the works, and we can’t participate in any capacity at this point.”
Luke Rudkowski of We Are Change attended Alienstock last night before heading north toward Area 51.
By all indications, it appears the true alien hunters began gathering last night in the desert of Nevada just north of where those simply seeking an out of this world party enjoyed themselves last night.
On Thursday, a news segment aired by local ABC affiliate KTNV showed an attendee practicing his Naruto run, named after Japanese anime character Naruto Uzumaki, who is known for running with his arms swept back as he runs face-first toward battle.
Even the U.S. Air Force has been briefing their ranks on the definition of the run, which has become a part of the Storm Area 51 meme.
By early Friday, dozens of people from across the U.S. began converging on the gate of Area 51 near Rachel in hopes to take selfies near the notorious site and its signs warning of how the military will violently defend the base, reports CBS News.And if you’re a still a little confused about what exactly went down when it comes to planning these events and what is happening today and where, you’re not the only one. Even people there don’t seen to know exactly what is taking place.
Meanwhile, about 45 minutes down the “Extraterrestrial Highway” from Rachel, partiers and ufologists are getting ready to attend Storm Area 51 Basecamp, which is being held at the Alien Research Center souvenir shop in Hiko.
Organizers have already put together a medical team clad in t-shirt uniforms and entertainment offerings including films and music performances from the likes of DJ Paul Oakenfold.
Even the food and drink industry have jumped onto the bandwagon, with Bud Light having stepped up as the official sponsor of yesterday’s Area 51 Celebration in downtown Las Vegas, while fast food chain Arby’s plans to serve a “special alien-themed menu” at Storm Area 41 Basecamp that will include colorful “galaxy shakes” and “redacted on rye” roast beef sandwiches.
Indeed, authorities have been less than happy with the plans to “storm” the location, which is located within the US Air Force’s Nevada Test and Training Range. The military has issued stern warnings to use deadly force if civilians break into the base, while local and state officials have promised to make arrests if people make any such attempt.
In a warning that was equal parts menacing and tantalizing, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein told reporters Tuesday:
“All joking aside, we’re taking it very seriously … Our nation has secrets, and those secrets deserve to be protected. The people deserve to have our nation’s secrets protected.”
Earlier this week, the Federal Aviation Administration also issued “temporary flight restrictions for special security reasons“—effectively a no-fly zone—banning any sorts of aircraft from the airspace surrounding the base, while authorities in Lincoln and Nye County have established “operations centers” that they hope will tackle any problems arising from the potentially tens of thousands of curious visitors expected to swarm the sparsely populated area.
Even local residents in Rachel are up in arms—possibly in the literal sense of the term—over the convergences. In forceful language, the town website announced:
“At this time we have to warn people against coming to Rachel for the botched [event] … We expect riots when those visitors that may show up and paid good money find out that the reality looks nothing like what they were promised.
People will get hurt.
STAY AWAY FROM RACHEL.”
University of Nevada – Las Vegas sociologist Michael Borer told CBS that the events are “a perfect blend of interest in aliens and the supernatural, government conspiracies, and the desire to know what we don’t know.”
Continuing, he explained:
“People desire to be part of something, to be ahead of the curve.
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.”
