NUFORC Sighting 84913

Occurred: 2011-07-30 22:00 Local
Reported: 2011-10-26 22:50 Pacific
Duration: 5-7 minutes
No of observers: 6

Location: Cassadaga, NY, USA

Shape: Fireball


Yellowish/orange sphere witnessed by 6-8 people in Western NY

Cassadaga NY 14718

We were sitting on the hotel porch on July 30th 2011, as is customary for tourists and residents on warm evenings. Lily Dale is a Spiritualist Community which runs a summer program and has done so for many years. There were at least 6-8 of us passing the hours before bedtime when an orange sphere floated over the trees from the north and drifted south. It was an orange sphere that I identified as a possible hot air balloon as I tried to find words to describe it. Never having seen a UFO, I was open to the possibility and watched carefully but trying to normalize the experience. It did not speed up, slow down, or change direction and moved at a speed I thought was consistent with a hot air balloon-- but could not understand how one could navigate safely at that time of night nor why it appeared completely lit up. It was about 10:00 pm.

While the sphere was orange, there were areas that appeared more of a yellow color, which someone suggested might be a source of heat that mig! ht be heating the air, were it hollow. At least 4 to 6 of us got off the porch and went into the parking lot beside the hotel for a closer look. It appeared to drift across the sky and we lost track of it as it cleared the trees and continued south. We made no attempt to follow it, as we would have lost our view quickly had we tried. We returned to our conversations and rocking chairs on the porch feeling relatively satisfied we had an explanation that satisfied us, or at least somewhat satisfied me. The Jamestown airport is not far away and I found there is a hot air balloon rental business in the area as well. While I had found solace with my explanation, apparently another disagreed. One resident got up from his seat grumbling "hot air balloon, my ass!" and left in a huff.

It was not until I heard an interview with Peter Davenport on the Rense Radio Program weeks later that I reconsidered the experience with bewilderment. They interviewed a woman who had the same name as mine and who described a sighting in exactly the same words, "a hot air balloon" and there was discussion about similar incidents of orange fireballs in other locations. Bewildered and curious, I looked at several You Tubes of photographed images similar to what I had seen. BINGO. It's what I saw...or something so similar it might have been the object my associates and I had seen.

Lily Dale is located on the east side of Upper Chautauqua Lake at an elevation of approximately 1325 ft. Its coordinates are 42°21'06" North, 79°19'27" West (42.351725, -79.324211). I am not experienced in judging height but It appeared to me to be about 6, maybe 8 story's high and my angle of observation was about 45 degrees. According to Weather History for Lily Dale the evening of our observation it was 70 degrees that evening and the wind was 5 mph.

I was reluctant to add my observation as a good deal of time has passed and our location might prejudice readers and we might not be taken as credible witnesses. I don't think an orange fireball that didn't move in any exceptional manner would be anything that any of us would have thought of as a UFO or worth reporting... and as individuals we are not prone to talk about what happens on our visits to Lily Dale. Cassadaga NY 14718 We were sitting on the porch at the hotel on July 30th 2011, as is customary for tourists and residents on warm evenings. Lily Dale is a Spiritualist Community which runs a summer program and has done so for many years. There were at least 6-8 of us passing the hours before bedtime when an orange sphere floated over the trees from the north and drifted south. It was an orange sphere that I identified as a possible hot air balloon as I tried to identify it. Never having seen a UFO, I was open to the possibility and watched carefully trying to normalize the experience. It did not speed up, slow down, or change direction and moved at a speed I thought was consistent with a hot air balloon-- but could not understand how one could navigate safely at that time of night nor why it appeared completely lit up. It was about 10:00 pm. While the sphere was orange, there were areas that appeared more of a yellow color, which someone suggested might be a source of heat that might be heati! ng the air, were it hollow. At least 4 to 6 of us got off the porch and went into the parking lot beside the hotel for a closer look. It appeared to drift across the sky and we lost track of it as it cleared the trees and continued south. We made no attempt to follow it, as we would have lost our view quickly had we tried. We returned to our conversations and rocking chairs on the porch feeling relatively satisfied we had an explanation that satisfied us, or at least somewhat satisfied me. The Jamestown airport is not far away and there is a hot air balloon rental business in the area as well. While I had found solace with my explanation, apparently another disagreed. One resident got up from his seat grumbling "hot air balloon, my ass!" and left in a huff.

It was not until I heard an interview with Peter Davenport on the Rense show weeks later that I reconsidered the experience with bewilderment. They interviewed a woman who had the same name as mine and who described a sighting in exactly the same words, "a hot air balloon" and there was discussion about similar incidents of orange fireballs in other locations. Bewildered and curious, I looked at several You Tubes of photographed images of what I had seen. It's what I saw...or something so similar it might have been the object my associates and I had seen.

Posted 2011-12-12

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