George Harris and Connie West gave updated reports on the plans they have made to fulfill the requirements of the special use permit granted to them in late August by the county commission board.
The events are the Alien Research Center Ufology Expo and the Raid Rachel event scheduled for Sept. 20- 21.
Both are in conjunction with the Storm Area 51 event that is going to happen at the same time.
Harris, who owns the Alien Research Center, and West, owner of the Little A’Le’Inn in Rachel, again stated their express purpose is, “to keep those who really do come, away from trying to go out to Area 51 at Groom Lake on the Air Force’s Nevada Test and Training Range.”
“To give them something else to focus on,” Harris said. “People aren’t really going to get very close to the Air Force facility gates anyway.”
Harris told commissioners he has hired a professional special events planner, Keith Wright, a managing partner with Caesar’s World in Las Vegas. Wright said he has handled events for some of the top entertainers who come to Las Vegas.
Area 51 Basecamp and the Ufology conference at Crystal Springs is intended to be a two-day event packed with live entertainment, conversations with ufologists, telescopeviewing projections, food trucks, screenings of “Bob Lazar: Area 51 & Flying Saucers” and more.
People can visit www.stormarea51basecamp.com, which lists the schedule for the two-day event, inclduding noted UFO speakers Jeremy Corbell and Dick Marcinco. The website also provides information about camping at the research center site. No open campfires will be permitted on the property.
Each RV and/or camper unit is required to be self-contained, including food, water and sanitation, as there will be no extra electricity provided apart from individual private generators. There will be water stations, dedicated Porta Potties and 24- hour professional security. Mobile medical facilities and personnel will also be on-site.
Wright said Real Water in Las Vegas will be sending a semi-truck and trailer loaded with bottled water.
Wright said, “I am treating this as a dead flat site, similar to events held on a dry lake bed, like others I have done before. I’m not relying on any existing infrastructure.”
Parking areas at the research center may not be able to accommodate all of the expected 30,000 or more who may show up and Wright said they are looking at having a remote parking area or two in Alamo. The possibility of having shuttle busses from Alamo was mentioned but not decided.
The paid admission to the Ufology event and live entertainment will be held in a fenced-in enclosure and each person will be checked upon entering, similar to airport security.
Harris said there will be a limit of 5,000 inside the enclosed staging area. “Once we reach the number 3,500, then we’ll start counting and when we reach 5,000 it will be one in, one out, with no re-entry.”
Wright said, “A person does not specifically have to attend the concert and UFO speakers, but can visit inside the research center.”
The event schedule Harris presented lists the times from 1- 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday with all persons required to leave the property at 1 a.m. if not camping.
Harris said they plan to set up a mockup of the Area 51 gate so that people can take a picture of what the real one looks like to take back home. “Again, trying to keep people from trying to go out there.”
Numerous local and national news media outlets have indicated they will likely be filing stories from both locations.
Connie West said in Rachel the NDOT is not allowing parking along the sides of SR375. “It’s just more than I can afford to pay NDOT for that, so parking will have to be done in Rachel itself on private property that will be specifically designated.”
There will be just one entrance into Rachel from the highway, although there will be other exits.
And as at the Alien Research Center, all units must be self-contained, no water hookups, sanitation dump stations or off-the-grid extra electricity provided, and no open campfires permitted. The Little A’Le’Inn restaurant will also be closed.
West has contracted with private medical and security agencies to provide 24-hour service.
It was mentioned that Sundance Helicopters of Las Vegas might be hired by some people to bring them to Rachel and the question of where would the helicopters land was brought up. West said helicopter flights would be limited to daylight hours.
In regards to the presence of law enforcement, County Sheriff Kerry Lee said he expects to have 150 additional officers spread out covering the two events, including a monitoring station at the junction of U.S. 93 and SR 318.
Commission Chair Varlin Higbee said the NDOT will have crews in place to handle traffic control on 93 and 375. “Closer to the event, traffic control will be handled by the event organizers.”
All food vendors at either event will be required to have a license and state health permit in order to be issued a temporary permit by the county.
West expects “The state health department will be here inspecting everything.”
County Planning and Building Director Cory Lytle said his office has been getting so many requests, “we are going to shut that down next week.”
West said no backpacks, only fanny packs and water, will be allowed in the area of the stage for the music event. “We will have security and hydration stations located throughout Rachel.”
