Strange lights spark inquiry in Farmington

Here's something that doesn't happen everyday! The quantity of reports from Mainers in a wide range of towns within the area make this particularly interesting. From the Lewiston Sun Journal, of course. This hearkens back to some similar events back in November and in October of 2006, in Industry, Maine, and Skowhegan, Maine, respectively (click on links to read the original posts).

Odd lights, low sounds cause stir
By Maggie Gill-Austern, Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 14, 2007

FARMINGTON - Strange lights with no obvious cause were spotted all over northern Franklin County Tuesday night, Sheriff's Department dispatchers said.

"The phone was ringing off the hook," dispatcher Bill Hoyt said.

Multiple callers from multiple towns - New Vineyard, Wilton, Phillips, Industry, and around Mt. Abram - called to report bizarre, low-to-the-ground lights, he said.

"They were seeing, basically, a string of seven or eight lights low in the sky, that were fixed," he said. "There (were) also reports of jet engine noise low to the ground." One person who called worked with jet airplanes, Hoyt said. "They were not like any lights he had ever seen." Some people said they looked like stars.

Hoyt called a Federal Aviation Administration office in Boston, which monitors air traffic in this part of New England, wondering if what people saw and heard could be related to military exercises.

"They said the only air traffic was a couple of routine air flights at 40,000 feet," he said.

Hoyt doubts it was aliens.

"I think, personally, most of the time there's an explanation for everything," he said. "But you know, I don't deny the fact that people see things they can't explain."

"It was kind of odd," he said. "All these reports were from different locations at the same time. Maybe it was a meteorite."

The jet-engine sounds and the fixed-ness of the light pattern make him question that theory, though, he said.

[Source]

Some witnesses posted responses to the article online, recounting their experience that evening. Jeanne said, "I also saw the lights as I was leaving Edmunds store in Phillips. At first I thought it might be the big dipper. There were 7 or 8 big bright lights in a half moon quite low and then all of a sudden they were gone. Also I heard sounds of jets but these lights were way too low for jets. when I got out of my vehicle I saw another big bright light and it also disappeared."

Another poster, Audrey, comments, "I first saw the activity in the sky driving north of Belgrade and then again in New Vineyard. Almost as quickly as I could count the number of objects( at least 9) they would disappear. When I arrived in Kingfield and stepped out of the car I could hear what appeared to be airplane engine noise but did not see any further unusual lights."

The other commenter, Kingfielder, gave an even longer response: "I heard jets last night, like you often hear when they are doing maneuvers/practice, and I also saw a bright light in the sky at one point, and thought, 'if that's Venus it's a lot brighter than I've ever seen it... and it's in a different place.' Then, the light went out. I put my coat on and went outside and did see four or five lights (accompanied by the jet engine sound) flying around at different speeds and heights, both close and in the distance. With rapidly blinking white lights most of the time, and sometimes no light visible but just the roar of the jet. I also saw more of the same bright yellow lights (like a bright yellow moon, but maybe 1/20th the size), sometimes these lights were moving and sometimes appeared on the horizon as stationary. Perhaps moving away from me, but hard to tell. This went on for about a half an hour. The last I saw of them, they all headed toward the southwest (from Kingfield) and didn't return."