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Roswell, NM: Alienating a City

Whether or not aliens from outer space crashed landed outside of Roswell, NM back on July 4, 1947 doesn't seem to matter anymore. The whole city has since been invaded by little green men.

When you first pull into Roswell, it looks just like any other medium-sized city stuck out in the desert. But take a closer look at the town and it's clear that you can't get away from them pesky space invaders.

They're flipping burgers at McDonald's, they're doing tax preparation, they're getting inked at the tattoo shop, and they're even bringing down prices at Wal-Mart. They've taken over the gas stations, running the hotels, they're making beef jerky, and setting up accounts at the credit union.

The City of Roswell even painted alien-shaped eyes on their street lamps, and changed the bulbs inside to a light green.

"It's freak week around here", said one bartender at a Peppers Restaurant in town, referring to the Independence Day weekend, the anniversary when four height-challenged travelers from a distant planet forgot to put down their landing gear and forever changed the destiny of a small New Mexico town. "We get slammed", she went on to say. "It's just non-stop mayhem."

And most business people in Roswell seem to love it.

Rick Robey, a beef jerky manufacturer in nearby Hagerman, is already marketing "Alien Beef Jerky" and selling it to merchants in Roswell. And a brewery up in Moriarty is distributing "Alien Pale Ale" to bars and restaurants in town.

The McDonald's on Main Street is shaped liked a flying saucer. Next door lies the abandoned remains of the Crash Site Cafe, said to be the first UFO themed business in Roswell.

But it's all in fun and games. If you appreciate the crass way we Americans turn a piece of history into an entrepreneurial endeavor, you'll have a great time in Roswell.