On June 24, 1947, Idaho-based pilot Kenneth Arnold took off from the Chehalis airport on what was supposed to be a simple business trip to Yakima.
That routine flight made history when Arnold, approaching Mineral at an altitude of 9,200 feet just before 3 p.m. that day, looked toward Mount Rainier and saw nine large metallic-looking objects flying at incredible speeds in a chain formation.
He reported what he saw to the U.S. military, but the flying objects remain unidentified 75 years later.
Arnold’s sighting of those unidentified flying objects, which occurred weeks before rumors swirled that a flying saucer was found in Roswell, N.M., has since been credited as the first major UFO sighting in America.
To honor the 75-year anniversary of Arnold’s UFO sighting, three venues in Chehalis — City Farm Chehalis, McFiler’s Chehalis Theater and the Lewis County Historical Museum — will play host to the Chehalis Flying Saucer Party on Sept. 17.
“It should be really fun,” said Lewis County Historical Museum Director Jason Mattson.
First party was in 2019
Mattson and Pacific NorthWEIRD producer Vince Ynzuna of Rochester banded together to organize the first Chehalis Flying Saucer Party in 2019. That event was a success, but organizers were unable to hold it for the last two years due to COVID-19 restrictions, Mattson said.
“It’s kind of a big one because it’s the 75th anniversary (of Kenneth Arnold’s UFO sighting),” Mattson said of this year’s Flying Saucer Party.
The museum will be free to enter during the party and will host multiple UFO-themed exhibits, including a new permanent Kenneth Arnold exhibit that will be unveiled that day. The museum will also showcase an exhibit celebrating the 75th anniversary of Yard Birds Mall & Storage opening in Chehalis, which happened to coincide with Arnold’s sighting, Mattson said.
Catch a falling saucer
At 1 p.m., the museum will host a free Saucer Drop, a reimagining of an old Chehalis Krazy Days tradition of tossing toy discs from the museum’s gazebo. Kids try to catch the falling saucers and win prizes, donated by local businesses, attached to each one.
At McFiler’s Chehalis Theater, free flying saucer cartoons will be playing all day. For $5, attendees can view “The Day the Earth Stood Still” at 8 p.m. McFiler’s will also host free live music by Kirby Swatosh at 4 p.m., The Jacked Lords at 6 p.m. and Tinkham Road at 8 p.m.
Renowned UFO experts will give presentations throughout the day at City Farm and will join for a question-and-answer panel, moderated by Ynzuna, at 6:30 p.m. Each of the presentations costs $10 to attend.
VIP passes — which include admission to all seven presentations, a movie pass, 20 percent off food at McFiler’s, an event T-shirt, a goodie bag and a one-year membership to the Lewis County Historical Museum — are available for $60 each. They can be bought at the museum or online at flyingsaucerparty.org.
Individual presentation passes and movie tickets can be purchased at the museum the day of the event.
All proceeds will benefit the Lewis County Historical Museum.
A full schedule of events is available at flyingsaucerparty.org.
