Alien abduction commemorated in Pascagoula

No need to travel to the infamous Area 51 in Roswell, N.M., to find evidence of aliens. Just grab the kids, pile them in the car and head south to Pascagoula.

Back in October 1973, Calvin Parker and Charles Hickson made the news when they claimed aliens abducted and examined them the night before, later returning them both to the banks of the Pascagoula River.

Last year, The Sun Herald newspaper revisited the story on its 45th anniversary. Hickson had died in 2011, but Parker retold the story in vivid detail, including the “hazy blue lights” that turned out belonging to a “large, oval shaped craft about eight feet tall, floating two feet off the ground.”

Parker also wrote a book on the encounter, “Pascagoula – The Closest Encounter: My Story,” published last year.

On Saturday, June 15, Pascagoula city officials dedicated a permanent historical marker to commemorate the event. The plaque, which notes that the story is one of the best-documented cases of alien abduction, sits next to the Lighthouse Park boat launch on Frederic Street.

Calvin Parker, left, stands with family at the historical marker in Pascagoula that describes his alien abduction. Photo courtesy Pascagoula Mayor Dane Maxwell.