St. John’s Day ‘07
Posted by: Loren Coleman on June 24th, 2007
St. John’s Day
June 24, 2007
Here is my annual tribute to this special day, which happens to be a little more special than usual for 2007. Does the name Kenneth Arnold (below) ring a bell?
Knights Templars display “Mysterious Head” at Poitiers (1308). Founding of the Order of the Garter (1348). John Cabot discovers North America (1497). Galileo released (1633). “Woman of the Wilderness” utopian community arrives in America (1694). “W of W” angelic visions (1701). Grand Lodge of Freemasons inaugurated (1717). Ambrose Bierce born (1842). Red rain, Italy (1877). Ice fall, Ft. Lyon, Colorado (1877). Fall of jelly-like mass, Eton (1911). Fred Hoyle born (1915). Mick Fleetwood (1942) and Jeff Beck (1944) born.
First day of “flying saucer” history, Mt. Rainier & Mt. Adams, Washington State – famous Kenneth Arnold sighting – 60th anniversary (1947). Filmstock fire kills seventeen people, Brussels (1947). Movie theaters evaluated during huge fire, Perth Amboy, NJ (1947). United Airlines plane struck by lightning over Cleveland (1947). Invasion of grasshoppers battled with flame-throwers, Guatemala/El Salvador (1947). Woman attacked and killed by bees or wasps, Seattle (1947). Bizarre aerial sightings near Daggett, California (1950) and on Iwo Jima (1953).
The deaths of various phenomena researchers, writers, and fans (Frank Scully, June 24, 1964; Frank Edwards, near the coming midnight of the 24th, still on June 23, 1967; Arthur Bryant, June 24, 1967; Richard Church June 24, 1967; Willy Ley, June 24, 1969; Jackie Gleason, June 24, 1987).
Locals have Bigfoot sightings, Logan and Union counties, Ohio (1980). Chupacabras encountered outside disco, Maria Elena, Argentina (2000). Moose hunters see Bigfoot, near Fort Simpson, NWT, Canada (2002). Mysterious fire erupts in Gallipolis, Ohio resident’s car on bridge from Ohio to Point Pleasant, West Virginia (2003). Massive unusual aerial phenomena, Xalapa, Mexico (2005). “Aren’t You Chupacabra to See Me?” airs for first time on Cartoon Network (2005). Nestle uses Bigfoot-costumed marchers to launch Kit Kat Limited Edition – Cappuccino at the Giant Mahkota Parade, Malacca, and Jusco Tebrau City, Johor (2005).
In 2006, coincidentally, the grand opening of the Bates College Museum of Art’s “Cryptozoology: Out of Time Place Scale” exhibition occurred on June 24th. Also on June 24, 2006, this date saw the death of renegade publisher Lyle Stuart who published anomalist writer Frank Edwards’ Fortean book, with the first in 1959, Stranger than Science, a paperbook full of information on cryptozoology as well as ufology.
Unexplained events. Mysterious fiery outbursts. Strange cryptid sightings. Beltane fires. Little people. Miracles. Bathing. Round dances. Collecting of glowworms. Folkloric incidents. Weird encounters.
Respect the wonder and adventure of the 24th of June. What events have dotted your past crypto-histories from this point on the calendar?
What’s in the mix on this day, the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Age of Flying Saucers?
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
Jefferson Starship will be playing in Woodstock, NY tonight. It would be great of we could hear them sing Paul Kantner’s 1969 song “Have You Seen the Saucers?”
Have you seen the saucers?
Do you know there are people out there,
who are unhappy with the way that we care,
for the earth mother?
Tranquility base, there goes the neighborhood;
American garbage dumped in space,
and no room left for brotherhood.
Have you seen our saucers?
You see our lights in your western skies,
California’s rainbow skies;
Your government tells you another missle is flying;
Have you any idea why they’re lying,
To you, to your faces!
Did they tell you?
Have you seen our saucers?
Your mother needs you now she’s getting old
Her face was pretty but you let her go!
Have you seen our saucers?
Star children on the black road to salvation;
Children of the forest and child of the Woodstock nation;
You’ve got to care for the needs of your planet;
Catch the dawn that once was there;
First born atomic generation;
Open the door,
don’t you know that’s what it’s for?
Come on and join us,
on the other side of the sun.
Paul Kantner
1969, 1970 Grunt Music
June 24th is also my birthday. Suddenly it all starts making sense. 🙂
Speaking of Chupacabras and St. John’s day, the denizens of Puerto Rico love both with zeal; the unofficial motto being, “any reason for a party.” Last night, at midnight, pretty much everyone in the San Juan area gathered along the beaches for a long-standing ritual of diving backward into the water for luck and the promise of wishes fulfilled. I must say, seeing this en masse is stranger than any chupacabra sighting ever.
Eireman
San Juan, PR
I have a copy of Stranger Than Science, it’s one of the first Fortean books I ever had, actually…
So, is St. John the Baptist the patron saint of cryptozoology?
I would think some people (Benjamin Radford, especially) might suggest St. Jude, patron saint of lost causes…