Ridge Paranormal Happenings #2 - UFOs and Mothman

This post is taking me a little off my intended path to cover ghost stories on the Ridge but it is a timely subject given that Patch ran an article by Shannon Antinori on this topic today - UFO sightings in Illinois. A UFO, or unidentified flying object, definitely falls into the "paranormal" realm.

Illinois has always had its tales of UFO sightings and other strange phenomena in the skies going back to the late 1800s. In fact, the entire topic of UFOs first reached fever pitch around the country at that time.

There are many organizations that concentrate on UFOs - or "unmanned aerial systems" as they are called today by some government groups. ("UFOs" still works for me.) One that is active around the south side of Chicago and the south suburbs is the Illinois branch of MUFON, the Mutual UFO Network, established in 1969. Sam Maranto from this group used to be a regular provider of sessions and programs at the Blue Island Public Library. Their website is http://www.mymufon.com/ and they do hold meetings - in fact, there was one this past week-end.

I am not aware of any UFOs being sighted or touching down on the Ridge, nor have I heard of any tales of alien abductions. This isn't to say none have happened, but if they have, they haven't received widespread attention in recent years.

The closest UFO activity to the Ridge I have heard of (so far) is along Pulaski Road from about 71st Street north to about 55th Street. In recent years, there have been sightings of moving objects with lights in the sky. There have been sightings in the south suburbs and many spots around the city.

Readers may or may not be aware that Chicago has its own "Mothman" folklore. A Mothman is a large man-like flying creature. The first one came to notice in West Virginia in 1967 and led to the book and movie "The Mothman Prophecies." Since then they are popping up all over the world - even Moscow in Russia has a Mothman.

In 2017, Chicago had over 55 sightings of our local Mothman - or Mothpeople. But this wasn't the first time. In 2011, a couple driving down South Pulaski Road saw a large bat-like humanoid figure in the air by the "Indian statue" on the corner of 63rd and Pulaski and took a picture of it, which has appeared all over the Internet since and is included here. In August 2017 , someone else reported seeing such a creature flying over a gas station near 55th and Pulaski.

Chicago's Mothman is usually seen at dusk or nighttime, near the Lake, around water or in a park. It is usually described as a large bat, bird, or insect-like unfeathered creature with humanoid features. Usually it stays in the sky but there have been reports of it swooping down on people or landing on cars and peering into the windows with its glowing red eyes. You can Google "Chicago Mothman" and find more information on this topic.

If you see Mothman around the Ridge, or have had a UFO experience locally, please let me know. I would love to hear your story - in strictest confidence, of course.