Exeter, NH, Police Create Special Patch for UFO Festival

Exeter Police are in the spirit of the Exeter UFO Festival with a special commemorative patch.

The festival takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Exeter Area Kiwanis Club to coincide with the infamous UFO sighting on September 3, 1965.

Legend is that Norman Muscarello saw an object in the sky as he hitchhiked along Route 150 and dove into a ditch. He ran to a house but no one was home, so he continued hitchhiking, but this time for a ride to the police station.

An officer drove Muscarello back to the location of his first sighting, and both then saw a large object about 100 feet off the ground, making the farm animals kick and squeal. A second officer arrived and witnessed the incident as well.

The Air Force's official explanation blamed a "weather inversion", but all three men believed for the rest of their lives that what they saw was extraterrestrial.

Exeter Police Chief Stephan Poulin said the combination of a fundraiser and highlighting his department's part of the "The Indicent at Exeter" was a winner for him.

"I always wanted to recognize the incident with the police roots in the story. Then the opportunity to raise money for our comfort dog was the best reason to go forward," Poulin told Seacoast Current.

100% of the proceeds from the sales to help fund the department’s new comfort dog program, which was announced in July.

200 patches will be sold at the festival in front of town hall at $10 a piece.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH