Devils Tower to Host UFO Convention
This Friday, a 4K remastered version of Close Encounters of the Third Kind will premiere in theaters nationwide. The 1977 Steve Spielberg classic turns 40 this year, and considering how closely the specter of the apocalypse looms over America, it’s high time to revisit one of the first mainstream films to imagine how humanity might react to a visit from some extraterrestrials.
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But for some fans of the film, a 4K remaster isn’t enough. From September 14 to 16, a horde of UFO enthusiasts will congregate at Devils Tower, the Wyoming rock formation featured prominently in the film.
The 800-foot tall tower, which is actually the fossilized core of an ancient volcano, is practically one of the main characters of Close Encounters, and the eventual landing spot of the extraterrestrials. Someone even made a supercut of its appearances in the film.
The mid-September meetup is being billed as the 1st Annual Devils Tower UFO Rendezvous, implying that the event will continue beyond the film’s 40th anniversary. According to KOTA, festivities will include a parade, costume contest, barbecue and live music. Cash prizes will be awarded to the best costume and parade float. There also will be a contest to see who can build the best Close Encounters–inspired replica of Devils Tower.
It will be hard to beat Richard Dreyfuss’s mash potatoes rendition from the film, though.
The meetup isn’t all fun and games, however.
“There is a scientific side of it, there’s a lot of people that are taking it very seriously and they’re the ones that are more interested in the convention and the speakers, and then there’s the festival,” organizer Brian Olson told KOTA.
Among the speakers are UFO investigators, people who claim to have been abducted and others willing to lend credence to the idea that the truth is indeed out there.
For more information, visit the Devils Tower UFO Rendezvous website.
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