PASCAGOULA—While some cities try to hide their mysterious, weird or strange stories, Pascagoula celebrates its crazy, dresses it up and even hosts a special annual celebration to commemorate the story that has been told for more than 50 years.
Pascagoula Main Street hosts Goula Palooza annually in remembrance and celebration of one of the many events that make the city famous. On October 11, 1973 Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker were fishing off the west bank of the Pascagoula River when they claim they were captured by some type of aliens in a UFO.
The two men told deputies they heard a whizzing sound, saw two flashing blue lights, and saw an oval-shaped object. Parker and Hickson say they were “conscious, but paralyzed” while three creatures took them aboard the object and examined them.
As the story developed, at first deputies were skeptical, but they became believers when the men were left alone and were visibly shaken by what happened. The Pascagoula Police Department had also received dozens of phone calls that same evening of sightings of an unusual object in the sky.
And that date and event is now part of Pascagoula’s History. Calvin Parker has penned a book about the event, Pascagoula-The Closest Encounter: My Story that can be purchased through Amazon. Netflix also created an episode of Files of the Unexplained on Netflix that focuses on Pascagoula. The half-hour episode explores the origins of what has now become a local legend, focusing not just on what the duo claims happened to them but also on how the event transformed their lives.
“Believe it or not, we like to celebrate this event,” said Main Street Pascagoula Executive Director Susannah Northrop. “We host this event each year to commemorate the Pascagoula abduction that occurred on that October 11 in 1973.”
This year’s event included live entertainment from “Neon Kitty” and several guests attended in alien costume. Downtown businesses offered special drinks and discounts to commemorate the unbelievable event. Stay tuned for information about the out-of-this-world event that happens each October.
*Images are courtesy of Main Street Pascagoula
