Travelling through the West, there are many iconic extra-terrestrial and UFO landmarks, from the Little A’Le’Inn just outside Area 51, Nevada…
…to the International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell, New Mexico…
…to, of course, the Wal-Mart Supercenter.
With so much “activity” happening out West, it came as a surprise to me when on a recent cross country trip down the East Coast, I ran across the so-called UFO Welcome Center…in Bowman, South Carolina of all places (because we all know how welcoming the Carolinas are of undocumented aliens).
Dating back to 1994, the UFO Welcome Center has been built and maintained by its owner and caretaker Jody Pendarvis as a potential meeting place between Earthlings and alien travelers. Complete with a couch for the weary intergalactic traveler and, um, whatever this is…
…the Welcome Center is an odd, offbeat treat. Held together by only eight screws, the entire structure is built from a hodgepodge of materials such as mattresses, wires, packing foam, and more. If anything, it’s a minor architectural wonder of Earthbound building violations.
Although Pendarvis is said to sleep inside of the rooftop UFO on cooler nights, I unfortunately did not get a chance to meet him or any other tourists for that matter. Perhaps for the best. I could only imagine the manic misinterpretation that would ensue if I introduced myself to any “enthusiasts” who could mistake my name Demos as the title of a celestial emissary.
Sadly, the UFO Welcome Center’s Wikipedia page affirms that “to this day not a single UFO or ‘Extraterrestrial being’ has been anywhere near this shack.” Other than a sudden bright green flash which may or may not have been an absurdly-colored, neon VW bug that drove by, I can’t say I’m too surprised. Then again, that’s exactly what the reptilians would want us to believe…
