Occurred: 1979-06-30 22:00 Local - Approximate
Reported: 2014-09-19 16:00 Pacific
Duration: 2+ hours
No of observers: 0

Location: Franklin Park area, IL, USA

Shape: Unknown
Characteristics: Lights on object, Aura or haze around object, Missing Time

Aurora Borealis-like lights near Franklin Park in late 1970's

This event in my distant past has been a source of puzzlement for close to 15 years now, and the timing is actually one of the most bizarre aspects of the encounter as I will explain.

The dates and times are mere supposition, as the memory is still very vague.

I was attending NIU and driving back to school from my Mt Prospect home, at some point around 10:00 pm. After passing the Curtiss Candy factory, off the 294 Hwy (heading South and looking off into the West), I noticed some strange lights that resembled the Aurora Borealis. I recall stopping and discussing the lights with another woman who had also pulled over to the side of the highway (there were others, but I don't recall interacting with any one else).

The next memory I have that evening is being in the car miles away on the 5 Highway (now the 88) and driving back towards school, with approximately 2 1/2 hours unaccounted for.

However, the strangest aspect of this memory is that I didn't recall this incident AT ALL until over 20 years after it happened-and this is how the memory was sparked. As a struggling writer in Hollywood, I use to make pitch meetings all the time, and from time to time I would see my ideas being produced. I would laugh it off saying, "Aliens are sucking my brain," and on one occasion, I said that same phrase that I had used literally dozens of times—and the memory (though cloudy and with the missing 2 1/2 hr gap) came streaming back and actually scared me.

I know this is an extreme longshot, but Ive been hoping that someone might recall seeing those lights and help me at least put a day and time on the event itself.

Posted 2014-09-25

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