McMinnville's UFO Festival Was Out of This World
The aliens have landed! Well, quite literally. Thousands of people lined downtown McMinnville on Saturday, May 16, to watch the annual UFO Festival parade — full of alien-themed decor and whimsy. I arrived with my counterparts; my younger sister, boyfriend, and friend. Feeling festive, I sprinkled green glitter around my visage and encouraged the others to partake. We all bore antenna headbands to “blend in” with the crowds. People started accumulating: Tin foil hats. Neon green tights. Almond-shaped sunglasses. Brightly colored hair. Young children, families, visitors, travelers. All were welcome here. We waited in a long line at the Evergreen Aviation Museum for the complementary shuttle bus to take us to the center of town. The parade was supposed to start at noon but was delayed 30 minutes because of overwhelming attendance. On 3rd Street, we waited, still swarmed by about 10,000 people, if I were to guess. At 12:30 p.m., the parade started with the first...