the object on the ground or the military presence in town. “A lot of people would like to know once and for all — what was this object?” he said. “There are a lot of interesting accounts and stories but we still don’t have a definitive answer or closure.” Since 2005, the Kecksburg Volunteer Fire Department has hosted a UFO festival every July that includes a UFO-themed parade and a UFO conference. LIVERMORE (DERRY TOWNSHIP) This former town, whose population had declined from 211 in 1870 to 57 in 1950, was razed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the early 1950s in order to build the Conemaugh River Dam to help with flood control. All its residents were relocated well before the flood-waters washed over the town, but stories persist that it wasn’t so simple. One legend holds that a witch who once lived there was burned to death by residents and cursed the town to flood. Floodwaters did damage the town and claimed the life of one Livermorian as part of the Great St. Patrick’s Day Flood of 1936. Some say if you go to where Livermore once was at night, you’ll hear the sounds of wailing and other unexplained noises and even, if you’re lucky, a phantom train. However, most spooky stories center around the Livermore Cemetery, which re-portedly was relocated to higher ground prior to the intentional flooding. Some say the cemetery itself is haunted; others believe the disturbed spirits remain un-derwater. One ghost supposedly pushes people to the ground, while another has been known to steal things from the car while you explore (a claim that, if true, is more likely to have an expla-nation rooted in this world). Two certain facts about the cem-etery are that it was not, as has been reported, used in the film-ing of George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, and that it is strictly off-limits to trespass-ers today because of repeated vandalism. HAUNTED HAPPENINGS BIGFOOT CREATURES & UFOs In addition to research-ing Kecksburg for the past 51 years, Gordon also runs a website called stangordon. info and hosts a hotline which people can call and report sightings of UFOs, bigfoot and other strange creatures. The Chestnut Ridge area, which is a 100-mile-long mountain range that runs through Westmoreland County, has always been a hotbed of unusual sightings, he said. Many reports can be explained, Gordon said, but others cannot so readily be dismissed. This year already, he said, he and other volunteers have investigated credible witness reports of a large, hairy beast with red eyes and arms hanging to its knees crossing the road in front of their vehicle as well as reports from two witnesses, independent from one another, who claimed to see a forma-tion of six or seven red, spherical objects floating in a counter-clockwise motion before disappearing over the ridge along Route 30 heading east from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe. “Historically, (Chestnut Ridge) has always been an active area,” Gordon said. “There have been lots of sightings that continue yearly with reports of UFOs, bigfoot encounters, strange creatures and mysterious booms. The earliest recorded firsthand account of a bigfoot there was 1931 in Indian Head (Somerset County), so whatev-er’s going on up there has been going on for years and years.” PIZZASIENA THE BEST PIZZA IIINNN IN WWWEEESSSTTTTTEEEERRRNNN WESTERN PPPA PA Anatolia Fine Turkish Cuisine Coming Soon Beside Pizza Siena GREENSBURG SHP CTR • 724-837-7750 408 East Pittsburgh St. • Greensburg IN THE RT. 30 PLAZA • 724-539-0122 $2.00 OFF ANY PURCHASE OF $15 OR MORE DINE IN ONLY With this coupon. Not valid with other offers. Excludes Alcohol. Expires 9-30-16. ANY PURCHASE OF $30 OR MORE DINE IN ONLY Discover Westmoreland 2016 | 53 adno=6332207 314 Thirty Plaza • Latrobe New To Our Latrobe Location Enjoy your cold beer with your meal or 6 packs to go Mon.-Thur. 11am-11pm • Fri. - Sat. 11am-Midnight • Sun. 12pm-10pm PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WE DELIVER Delivery Fees May Apply - WITH THIS COUPON - - WITH THIS COUPON - $5.00 OFF With this coupon. Not valid with other offers. Excludes Alcohol. Expires 9-30-16. adno=6330277 LARRY LINT FLOORING 2016 READERS’ CHOICE Gold Award Carpet /Flooring 724-446-0480 •Wendel, PA www.larrylint.com Contractor License #PA004471
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