By Toby Martinez
Roswell Daily Record
The City of Roswell is adopting a second annual UFO Festival. UFOXPO, a celebrity mixer, and film festival will be held March 10 – 12 at the Roswell Convention and Civic Center. It will host over 40 events, including film screenings, live music, celebrity guests, UFO talks, food, cosplay, and more.
Thom Reed, the founder of UFOXPO, is well known for his family’s encounter, currently referred to as Berkshire’s UFO Incident, which took place in Sheffield, Mass., on Sept. 1, 1969. The city of Roswell played a significant role in establishing what happened to the Reed family on that hot Labor Day evening. The event of that night became the first to be officially inducted into the United States as a historically true off-world event.
Reed was approached by the City of Roswell about the possibility of moving his festival to New Mexico. Reed agreed as a token of gratitude for the role the city played in establishing historical accuracy with regard to his event. The International UFO Museum Museum and Research Center played a part in confirming case details.
In 2015, attorney Debbie Kessler, of the Kessler Law Firm out of Tennessee, traveled to Roswell to assist the Great Barrington Historical Society in their mining of source documents relating to Reed’s case. Utilizing the resources at the International UFO Museum and Research Center. The state of Mass. was able to use the now-authenticated documents obtained, as well as others, as source documents. In addition, Kessler verified that WSBS Radio, an AM station in Great Barrington, Mass., had broadcast the incident on September 1, 1969.
The Reed Family incident
Reed described the events his family was part of on the night of Sept. 1, 1969. “There were three objects, two of which were round spheres, and one which hovered approximately three stories high and not far from our car, which I’ve referenced as looking very much like a turtle shell,” Reed said of the incident. “It was almost rustic, with darker pewter and shades of silver and bronze. The shell itself emitted a red or orange glow. It was a good 100 yards in size. We felt a vacuum and then a silence. Unknown to us, the WSBS radio station of Berkshire County, at the behest of the police department, had broken into a broadcast to ask locals for help locating the objects.” Reed continued.
Soon thereafter, the Sheffield Police Department was dispatched to the Old Sheffield Covered Bridge to intercept the objects. “In stark contrast to much of the coverage regarding the event, we have always held steadfast that there was a human element involved in extracting us from our vehicle. Due to the amount of government-funded manufacturing facilities in the area working on the space race, it wasn’t hard for people to conclude that a governmental agency was involved. The majority of those who investigated my family’s incident for the state have speculated we were taken underground,” Reed said. “The area resembled a large airplane hangar. It was considerably larger than any of the objects we saw.”
In the Berkshires during that time period, employees of General Electric and Sprague Electric, who developed the goodwill message left on the moon by Buzz Aldrin during the Apollo 11 landing, frequented Nancy Reed’s diner in Sheffield, MA. “When you assess the level of government activity in the area, coupled with the underground railroad, NASA being just two hours away in Cambridge, Mass. and the goodwill message being manufactured in the area, it’s hard not to draw a connection,” Reed said.
A monument in Reed’s honor was installed by the town of Sheffield’s department of public works and overseen by a Boston law firm. It was unveiled on August 26, 2015, which received live coverage by ABC News, N.Y., at what has now become the Thom Reed UFO Monument Park, dedicated in loving memory of his late father Dr. Howard Reed, for his role in getting the event cited at the United Nations.
“Our family endured a lot,” Reed said. “And with that our diner became a judgment-free space, where those involved could openly speak on behalf of what they saw regarding the activity in the area. The UFO park is an extension of what my family started, and a memorial for my father, who lost his life on the anniversary date our case was cited at the United Nations. He saw this through and lost his life over it. That’s my motivation. The park is a memory of those we loved and lost.”
Roswell and validation
Reed’s Berkshires UFO Incident and the 1947 Roswell Incident both had links to government organizations. The Roswell Daily Record reported investigations into both incidences, both cases made international news, and both are displayed and highlighted in the Roswell International Museum and Research Center. Kessler’s trip to Roswell for research helped shed new light on the case.
Robert Blechman, a legally retained attorney, and colleague of the politician and attorney Dr. Howard Reed helped organize the United Nations Symposium on Extraterrestrial Intelligence and Human Future held on October 2, 1992. Coincidentally, Dr. Howard Reed lost his life on October 2, 2006, the anniversary of the symposium.
Governor Charles D. Baker of Massachusetts issued a citation proclaiming the factual significance of the event in October 2015. The citation was amended and reissued on November 2015 to include the date the event occurred. The documents were also sealed by Magistrate Kevin Titis in the 30th District Court.
The State’s Plaque at the Thom Reed UFO Monument Park displays the Governor’s Citation which officially archives Reed’s mark in history, which stated, “The incident was factually upheld, founded, and deemed historically significant and true by means of Massachusetts historians. The records highlighting the historic event are now officially part of the Great Barrington, Mass. historical collection, and your recent induction into Massachusetts history.”
“The formal statements were made by sitting government officials regarding the Reed family’s “off-world incident” and represent the first official step in UFO disclosure.,” journalist John Coster said.
An article in the Roswell Daily Record on July 2, 2015 stated, “For historians or a township to officially induct a historical event and for it to be considered true history, it must have had a life-changing impact on the area one way or another, whether good or bad.” The event had altered the natural progression of the county.
UFOXPO
This year’s event encompasses three days, March 10, 11, and 12.
“This event will focus on the details regarding the Roswell UFO crash and Berkshire’s UFO Incident,” Reed said.
This inaugural event will feature red-carpet film premiers from James Fox, Caroline Cory, Melissa Tittl, Skylar Davis, Rhiannon Alley, Michael Mazzei, and Maurice Hogan, along with a selection of other films. Speakers include Travis Walton, Mike Bara, Marc D’Antonio, Ben Hansen, Darrel Sims and more. Hansen will also be hosting a skywatch at the Cielo Grande recreation center.
Virtual guests include Rita King, Ryan Sprague, Steve Bassett, Brittany Barbieiri, Debbie Kauble, Jesse Marcell III, Tracy Tormé, Vinnie Adams plus others. The Roswell UFO Symposium and UFO Man podcasts will be live broadcasting from the event along with KGRA radio.
A letter from the Roswell Convention Center and Civic Center, written by Elizabeth Michael, states, “The City of Roswell officially welcomes our partnership with Thom Reed, founder of UFOXPO and the key witness to the Berkshires UFO Incident. You have our full support, and we look forward to our annual event, which will complement the UFO Festival. Welcome to Roswell.”
By offering a multitude of UFO-flavored events we bring like-minded people together, who wouldn’t have met otherwise,” Reed said. “We’re All inclusive and interactive.”
For tickets and more information, go to www.ufoxpo.com.
