After an initial announcement in June that the annual Chehalis Flying Saucer Party was cancelled, a small group led by Lewis County Historical Museum Interim Executive Director Doug DeVany announced they intend to “Party on!”
It is once again scheduled for Sept. 11-12 in downtown Chehalis. It will feature speakers — including Shanelle Arnold, granddaughter of Kenneth Arnold, the pilot whose 1947 “saucer-like aircraft” sighting is commemorated by the Flying Saucer Party — along with a dinner and screening of “Close Encounters of a Third Kind” at the Chehalis Theater and more.
Additionally, organizers are accepting vendor applications for the Flying Saucer Party. Interested vendors can find the application online at https://tinyurl.com/3nbrdfbm.
The Chehalis Flying Saucer Party was first held in 2019 to commemorate Kenneth’s historic June 24, 1947 flight. This year marks the 79th anniversary of his sighting.
It was on that flight when he saw nine metallic objects flying in an echelon formation stretching nearly five miles between Mount Rainier and Mount Adams, as he flew near Mineral toward Yakima to refuel on his way to Oregon. Knowing the distance between the volcanoes, he used them as reference points and calculated their speed to be at least 1,200 mph, far faster than even experimental aircraft at the time, which still hadn’t broken the sound barrier.
Originally from Idaho, Arnold departed Chehalis that fateful day and flew into the history books, putting Lewis County on the map as the location of the first sighting that sparked the “Summer of the Saucers” in 1947. Following an East Oregonian article detailing Arnold’s encounter after he landed in Pendleton, Oregon — which described what he saw as “saucer-like aircraft” — thousands of other sightings were reported nationwide, and the term “flying saucer” was coined.
Before Arnold died in 1984, he published a book detailing his own sighting along with others he helped the U.S. Air Force investigate in the late 1940, titled “The Coming of the Saucers,” which Shanelle has now republished and made available on Amazon.
But her grandfather’s sighting and book won’t be all Shanelle will discuss at this year’s Flying Saucer Party, as her presentation will touch on not only her paranormal beliefs, but her spiritual beliefs, and how she believes they’re connected.
“Shanelle grew up close to her grandfather before he died in 1984. She has (an) associate of arts in philosophy from The College of Western Idaho. She is an omnist, someone who believes there is truth in all religions,” organizers stated on the Flying Saucer Party Facebook page. “Also, (she) believes in astrology and reincarnation.”
Along with being a speaker, Shanelle will once again participate in the Saucer Drop. This event goes back to Chehalis’ old Krazy Days Festival in the 60s and 70s, where “saucers” (mini Frisbees) are tossed out to the crowd for them to catch, with each one having a prize taped to it. Prizes are typically deals or free items at local Chehalis businesses.
And during the Flying Saucer Party, the Chehalis Theater will be hosting the “Close Encounters of the Dinner Kind,” featuring an “out-of-this world” six-course meal featuring a steak dinner and a screening of Steven Spielberg’s 1977 film.
“As part of the Chehalis Flying Saucer Party weekend, we’ll be getting in on the extraterrestrial action with a six-course themed dinner served throughout Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi classic,” the Chehalis Theater said in a Facebook post. “From ‘First Contact Crostini’ and ‘Cosmic Crop Circle Salad,’ to a Devils Tower-inspired main course, the menu is built for a very close encounter of the delicious kind.”
The dinner and movie begin at 5 p.m. on Sept. 12 and cost $89 per person. To learn more, visit the Chehalis Theater’s Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/chehalistheater or call the theater at 360-948-2682.
For more information on the Flying Saucer Party, follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/flyingsaucerparty or email DeVany at director@lewiscountymuseum.org.
