SIGHTING: ATHENS, TX

Witness Testimony

"Four lights hovering over powerlines leaving graphite type substance on groundSearch Related Photos of Athens is shown trying to make sense of a substance he found on the ground near Athens Housing Wednesday. Four perfect circles containing the graphite-like substance were found on the ground near two powerlines. A night earlier, and business owner both saw four mysterious lights stall for about 15 seconds, in front of the porch on which they were standing. The UFO then appeared to shoot straight up at great speed, and then out of sight. The substance has been sent to a plant pathologist in Overton for evaluation.Athens Review, May 26, 2011 "Space aliens in Athens?" Trying to explain a UFO sighting ain’t easy. Art Lawler The Athens Review The Athens Daily Review Thu May 26, 2011, 07:48 PM CDT ATHENS The staff here at the Daily Planet ... uh ... Review, was working the day watch out on council meetings Wednesday morning when the phone rang.Editor xxxxxxxx picked up the receiver, and heard the voice of one xxxxxxxxxxxx.The editor began taking notes, as he learned of four unidentified-flying objects that the man believed had landed briefly just west of Athens Housing, located in front of the Loop 7 underpass on the east side, off U.S. Highway 175."Yes sir, we'll check that out," the editor promised the caller.It was Thursday that the editor ordered this reporter to get to the bottom of this story."Call this guy, and see what the heck's going on. And if you go out there, don't get distracted, and stop at those phone booths that always hold you up," he said.I told the editor that we don’t have that many phone booths anymore."Hello, the man carrying the voice of Mr. xxxxxxxxx said."Heard you spotted a UFO, sir. We're calling to the get the facts," the reporter said."This is really embarrassing," xxxxxxx said. "We started not to say anything about this to anybody." "Why's that, Sir?" "Everybody will think we're crazy," he said."Naw, naw," the reporter said, reassuringly. "Now sir, we need to get to the bottom of this. Were the eyes of the aliens green, and were they bald-headed and wrinkled? If you could just give us a quick description, Sir."We didn't see any faces." "I see." "We saw four lights." "Who's we?" The man nervously explained that ((female name deleted)), the owner of ((deleted)) Housing, and he were sitting on the front porch of the office smoking cigarettes when it happened late Tuesday night."They (the UFOs) appeared to be about 10 to 15 feet in diameter." "That's a guesstimate, I suppose? "Yes, but they looked like they were the same size as the four circles on the ground on the other side of the lot." "Circles? What kind of circles, Sir?" The man explained that it appeared four UFOs could have stopped there under the power lines."We're not crazy, Sir. Really. I don't believe in UFOs, and I've never had anything like this happen to me before." "Did you say it was cigarettes you were smoking?" " Yes Sir. Why?" "No reason. Just curious. So, what's your evidence, Mr. xxxxxxx?" He explained the line that made the circle felt like a soft, powdery substance, something like graphite. He said it did no damage to the bermuda grass beneath it.Under further questioning, Ms. xxxxx and Mr. xxxxxxx explained they hadn't seen the circles on Tuesday night. What they did see, both of them individually, was four lights at close range. They too were 10 to 15 feet in diameter.They were said to have flown around the side of the lot, making a left turn, then stopping just above another power line, where they are described as having stared at the two humans for about 15 seconds.Either that, or it was suggested they could have been drawing more energy from the power line they were a few feet above."I promise you, we're not crazy," said Ms. xxxxx. "It looked like they were sitting on top of the power line, and that we scared them off." How did the UFO leave ma'am? "After they saw us, they formed a perfect diamond, and then went straight up in the air very fast and disappeared." Attempts were made to photograph the dark circles, but they're hard to see in a photograph. But they are there.Mr. xxxxxxx scooped up some of the powdery substance, and poured it into a Land O Lakes All Natural Whipped Butter container, so people could see it better. No one at the Review wanted to touch it.The reporter assured the couple he wouldn't make them look crazy. He, in fact, saw the same circle, felt the substance, and can verify it was there.As for the lights, they're on their own about that. Suggestions like a car turning around with its four lights on bright, was dismissed.More proof was needed to identify the substance. Henderson County Extension Agent xxxx xxxxxx, was called to the site to look and sniff and diagnose.He said he thinks it's a fungus, but he sent samples of the circle dust to a plant pathologist in Overton, and expects to get results back in two or three days.Pressed as to how a fungus could make perfectly-round circles, xxxxxx reminded the reporter that the fungus is alive.And apparently it has the sense to make perfect, geometric circles. "It's very common," xxxxxx said.The county extension agent didn't dismiss the two sightings by the two citizens, because he had read an article recently in the Longview paper."There was a sighting just about like this one recently in Longview," he said, "They saw lights, and they found marks on the ground." But xxxxxx was adamant that he was not making any evaluation of any alleged lights, and what they were all about."I'm just talking about stuff within my bailiwick," he said. "I'm just commenting on the lights." "I promise you we are not crazy," Ms. xxxxx said, again."Yes ma'am," the reporter said. "You definitely saw something, and with what happened in Longview recently, maybe somebody else can explain what has been happening in the East Texas sky recently." One thing seemed certain late Thursday evening. xxxxxx will get to the bottom of this thing.Article from the Athens Daily Review (May 26th, 2011) "