UFO Symposium set for Tinley Park

March 28, 2008
By Kristen Schorsch SUN-TIMES NEWS GROUP

TINLEY PARK -- A handful of red lights appeared in Tinley Park skies in 2004 and 2005, capturing the attention of dozens of residents.

Some people said the lights moved or changed formation, while others said they were still. One resident nicknamed the lights the Clean-Up Crew, referring to a single glow that followed a trio of lights.

The National Weather Service reported nothing unusual. Same for the Federal Aviation Administration.

Many of the sightings were caught on videotape. Want to see for yourself? Check out the footage during the UFO Symposium on Saturday at the Tinley Park Convention Center, 18501 S. Harlem Avenue.

"We're trying to get people engaged in conversation, learning information that they will not get on television," said Sam Maranto, Illinois director of the Mutual UFO Network. "Basically we'll have them review the information themselves and make their own opinions."

Lights in the sky

Maranto said he can prove "beyond a shadow of a doubt" the red lights spotted in Tinley Park were no flares. The certified MUFON field investigator is one of five experts who will dole out the latest information Saturday about unidentified flying objects. They'll present cases and evidence, including radar data, photos and footage.

"The human race is being engaged by extraterrestrials, and this has been going on for a long time," Maranto said. "It is the great secret. ... It's been going on since day one, since the beginning of time for (human beings)."

Military threat

Best-selling author Don Schmitt, who has written extensively about Roswell, N.M., also is a panel member. Schmitt said he plans to focus on how the military allegedly threatened local reporters and police in Roswell, N.M., to cover up one of the most famous UFO incidents in history.
In 1947, witnesses said a flying saucer exploded in the air and crashed to the ground on a ranch about 75 miles northwest of Roswell. U.S. government officials claimed a weather balloon and wooden crash dummies landed.

"It appears something truly extraordinary crashed outside of Roswell, and (the government) is still covering it up," Schmitt said. "I'm not saying it was a UFO or alien bodies, but it was something truly extraordinary."