On October 4, 1967 a large object, or objects was seen to crash into the water off Shag Harbour, causing residents to fear that a plane had crashed. A search party was assembled, the RCMP and Coast Guard were involved but no crashed plane was ever discovered and none were reported missing. Only a swath of thick yellow foam was seen in the water by fishermen. As a result, the incident was officially classified as a "UFO Incident".
As a result of the incident, the Shag Harbour UFO Museum was created to collect and disseminate information on this and other UFO incidents around the world. The museum and interpretive centre houses television documentaries, newspaper articles, UFO memorabilia, and an exhibit on outer space. As well, a gift shop is part of the museum.
With a loss in government funding in 2012, finances became an ever more difficult issue for the museum. Though it still struggles along each summer, on July 4, 2014 CTV Atlantic News published an article concerning the museum's financial woes, much of which can be read further below.
The museum hosts an annual
Shag Harbour UFO Festival the 2016 edition to be held September 30th to October 2nd, 2016.
On the night of October 4, 1967, at about 11:20 p.m. Atlantic Daylight Time, it was reported that something had crashed into the waters of Shag Harbour. At least eleven people saw a low-flying lit object head towards the harbour. Multiple witnesses reported hearing a whistling sound "like a bomb," then a "whoosh," and finally a loud bang. The object was never officially identified, and was therefore referred to as an unidentified flying object (UFO) in Government of Canada documents. The Canadian military became involved in a subsequent rescue/recovery effort. The initial report was made by local resident Laurie Wickens and four of his friends. Driving through Shag Harbour, on Highway 3, they spotted a large object descending into the waters off the harbour. Attaining a better vantage point, Wickens and his friends saw an object floating 250 m (820 ft) to 300 m (980 ft) offshore in the waters of Shag Harbour. Wickens contacted the RCMP detachment in Barrington Passage and reported he had seen a large airplane or small airliner crash into the waters off Shag Harbour.
Assuming an aircraft had crashed, within about 15 minutes, 10 RCMP officers arrived at the scene. Concerned for survivors, the RCMP detachment contacted the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) in Halifax to advise them of the situation, and ask if any aircraft were missing. Before any attempt at rescue could be made, the object started to sink and disappeared from view.
A rescue mission was quickly assembled. Within half an hour of the crash, local fishing boats went out to the crash site in the waters of the Gulf of Maine off Shag Harbour to look for survivors. No survivors, bodies or debris were taken, either by the fishermen or by a Canadian Coast Guard search and rescue cutter, which arrived about an hour later from nearby Clark's Harbour.
Read more at Wiki
Shag Harbour museum dedicated to
UFO sighting in danger of closing
CTV Atlantic
Published Friday, July 4, 2014 1:30PM ADT
It’s an event that has been debated for almost half a century – did a UFO crash into the waters near Shag Harbour, or was it something else?
Now, it may become more difficult to learn about the decades-old mystery, as a museum dedicated to keeping the story alive is in danger of closing. It all began on the night of Oct. 4, 1967.
Several witnesses reported seeing a strange object in the sky, which they say then crashed into Woods Harbour.
“We saw a light in the sky…then they’d be on for a second, then they’d all go out, then they’d repeat that sequence,” says Laurie Wickens, who reported the incident to the RCMP...
...Since then, a tourism industry has grown in the area. Thousands of people flock to Shag Harbour each year to attend the UFO Festival and visit the museum dedicated to the sighting.
The Shag Harbour Incident Society has spent years collecting items for the museum, but now the building is in danger of closing.
“It definitely is a draw for tourism to our area and I don’t think we can afford to lose it,” says Suzy Atwood of Barrington Municipality Tourism.
The Shag Harbour Incident Society says financial difficulties are to blame for the potential closure.
Up until two years ago, the society received government funding to hire an extra student during the summer months. But it no longer receives that grant, and the society says it is difficult to stay open during regular operating hours.
“The museums have always been very successful in getting funding through the provincial and federal government, so it’s very disappointing,” says Atwood.
“Unfortunately, it will have to…go in storage,” says Nickerson of the items in the museum.
Read more at CTV Atlantic News