AZTEC ? It began in 1998 as a newly hired librarian’s fundraising idea, and it has grown into an internationally respected UFO conference.

Katee McClure, the event planner for the 12th Annual Aztec UFO Symposium this weekend, said she expects more than 300 people to attend the two-day conference. Many are coming from out of state, some from across the country.

The symposium didn’t always have such worldwide fanfare. Only about 50 people attended the first conference in 1998, event founder Leanne Hathcock said.

Hathcock, the Aztec Public Library’s director, was a recently hired librarian

12 years ago charged with organizing a fundraiser. She’d read a few books about a supposed 1948 UFO crash northwest of Aztec, and people constantly came into the library seeking information about the wreckage. The rumor obviously was of public interest.

She decided a UFO conference in Aztec would be a good way to raise money for the library’s projects. Little did she know her idea would spark immediate interest from around the globe.

Soon after Hathcock posted information online about her conference idea, she received calls from places such as New York City and South Africa. Newspapers, magazines and television stations inundated her with requests for information.

Although only 50 people showed up in 1998, Hathcock had stumbled on a sleeping giant.

“It wasn’t big at all. But the interest was big,” Hathcock said.

The symposium has grown almost every year since its inception. It has featured world-famous speakers and lured television crews from Japan, National Geographic and the History Channel, among others.

“We have probably gotten all the speakers that anyone has ever seen on television,” McClure said. “There’s always a bunch of people that are interviewed on (UFO documentaries), and we’ve had them all.”

The speakers for this year’s event are Durango resident Niara Isley, an extraterrestrial researcher; Norio Hayakawa, a UFO researcher and activist; Victoria Liljenquist, a documentary filmmaker; David Hatcher Childress, an author and archaeologist; and Michael Salla, a scholar in international politics, conflict resolution and U.S. foreign policy.

The speakers will take the stage, in the order listed above, between 9 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. Saturday. A panel of Four Corners residents will speak at 5:30 p.m. about their personal brushes with UFOs and other paranormal phenomenon.

A meet-and-greet dinner for attendees is scheduled from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday to kick off the weekend. Tours of the alleged crash site, about 12 miles northwest of Aztec, are scheduled for 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday.

Other activities this weekend include an art contest and a vendor area, featuring items such as event memorabilia, collectibles, quilts, DVDs and books. No fee is required for entrance into the vendor area.

Police officers, firefighters, military personnel and emergency medical technicians are admitted to the symposium free, but must pay $10 for Friday’s dinner.

The Aztec UFO Symposium is respected as an intellectual discussion regarding the existence of extraterrestrials, and it’s not grounded in sensationalism, Hathcock said.

“It’s a credible, serious discussion by credible people trying to find real answers,” Hathcock said.

All proceeds benefit the Aztec Public Library. McClure said the Friends of the Aztec Library, the organization in charge of the symposium, typically clears about $6,000 in proceeds each year. Most of the money will go toward the library’s new digital arts project and community events.
Source: Daily Times

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