ELMWOOD – UFO Days has become more than a hometown celebration with a quirky theme: It draws visitors and speakers from all over the country fascinated with aliens, the paranormal and things unseen.

The festival includes presentations and screenings by filmmakers, podcasters, UFO historians and more, along with community favorites such as kids’ activities, water fights, street dances, grand parade, craft & vendor fair, flying saucer toss, chicken poop bingo, food stands, garage sales and contests.

Residents were asked to decorate their homes with the most unique, out of this world, alien-themed items they could find for chances to win cold hard cash: $100 for first place, $75 for second and $50 for third.

Another creative outlet is the inaugural UFO Days Ugly Truck Contest. Participants are asked to arrive between 5:30-7 p.m. on Main Street in Elmwood with judging taking place 7-8 p.m. Cash prizes are $100 for first place, $75 for second place and $50 for third place. Winners are automatically entered into Sunday’s grand parade to show off their trucks.

Here are some highlighted Saturday events. For a complete listing, visit the UFO Days Facebook page.

Infinite Rabbit Hole will present “UFOs and Elmwood” at 9:30 a.m. at the Elmwood Auditorium (323 W. Winter Ave.) This is “the podcast that always takes it one step further and has a habit of making you think twice about reality. One path may travel to the deepest forests of the Pacific Northwest to track down everyone's favorite upright walking monster, and the next path might lead us to the bottom of the ocean to discover the source of the Bloop, or maybe we get abducted and brought to Zeta Reticuli (that's if you believe that space is real of course). Jeremy and Jeff provide their unique points of view through the world that parallels our own as they act as your guides through the Infinite Rabbit Hole!”

UFO sighting bus tours will leave from the alley by American Legion Park at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets available near the souvenir stand.

Find Darkwoods Paranormal Podcast in the auditorium for “The Thinning Veil, Echoes from the Other Side” at 1 p.m. Saturday for a free presentation. Look for them again at 7 p.m. for a showing of the sci-fi cult classic "Mars Attacks.”  

Barnaby Jones from WI Cryptids, Anomalies and the Paranormal Society will present “Cryptozoology 101: What is a cryptid?” at 3 p.m. in the auditorium. Jones founded the organization in July 2019 to research and investigate the possible connections between different phenomenon, from Bigfoot to aliens, ghost and shadow people, fairies and portals, and Dogmen.

At 5 p.m., head to the Auditorium for “From Skywatching to Podcasting” with Chumming with the Spirits.

From 8-10 p.m. at the Elmwood baseball field, Sara Comeau & The Cosmic Ambassador team

will gather for a guided meditation and a cosmic chat while the sky dims and the stars come alive.

“With our collective frequency raised, Sara Comeau & Jupiter the Doberman will facilitate intuitive messages and healing from our Cosmic Friends, while Jacob Comeau & Greyson the Grey will use the SB7 Spirit Box to invite our Cosmic Friends to offer audible messages to the group. And when night has fallen, you will cast your eyes to the sky as we welcome our extra-terrestrial friends to show up and show out. You’ll learn how to distinguish stars, planets, & satellites from ET Spacecraft!” the event description states. The event is free to attend. It’s recommended you bring a chair or blanket, water or your favorite healthy beverage.

At 9 p.m. the award-winning supernatural drama "The Field" by Tate Bunker will be shown, with an introduction given by the Milwaukee-based filmmaker himself. Lead actress Kara Mulrooney and child actor Sinora will also be in attendance for a live Q&A. Dive into the story behind the film and what inspired its “eerie brilliance.” The film follows a married couple who risk it all to buy a small farmstead near Manitowoc. “Lydia is determined to transform the rotting house into a dream home and finally start a family, but Ben’s photographs reveal they’re not alone.”