PHOTO BY SEAN COLLIER

In the fading light of a chilly afternoon on Dec. 9, 1965, a brilliant streak shot through the heavens above North America. The mysterious object was sighted over at least four states before it crashed into the trees near Kecksburg, a tiny village in Westmoreland County.

Within hours, the area was cordoned off by government personnel — NASA, Air Force or something more clandestine, depending on who you ask — who allegedly whisked the object away under the cover of night. Skeptics assume it was a meteor; others have claimed it was part of a Soviet spy satellite. But alien aficionados will tell you that it was an acorn-shaped UFO.

A model of the purported spacecraft, created for a 1990 “Unsolved Mysteries” episode, sits ominously at the edge of the woods; nearby, a store offering UFO goods is hidden inside the Kecksburg Volunteer Fire Department’s social hall.

We won’t guess as to what happened on that night, but we’ll tell you the best time to investigate: The annual UFO Festival, held each July (don’t miss the parade).

Find It!
5113 Water St., Kecksburg, PA, 15666
UFO Model Found Across Street, Through Parking Lot