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Lights twinkling in the South Texas sky may be more than simply a galaxy of stars, at least according to those who believe some of the inexplicable moving objects and events are actually from another world.

In the everlasting quest to find the truth, UFO researchers, alien authors and enthusiasts of the other-worldly topic gather at conventions and conferences to share their findings and opinions.

In the first "Out of This World" conference and festival, which takes place today at 9 a.m. and continues through Saturday, March 16, at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance and Edinburg City Hall Courtyard, nuclear physicist, UFO researcher and lecturer Stanton Friedman will be one of the speakers.

Noe Torres, a local author, worked as a coordinator of the event, which is the first for Edinburg, Texas.

"To my knowledge, it is the first full-scale UFO conference that features well-known speakers and that runs the whole spectrum of what a UFO conference should be," Torres said.

Also speaking at the event will be Travis Walton, whose account of his abduction in 1975 inspired the movie Fire in the Sky; Ismael Cuellar, who runs a paranormal research group in Laredo; Torres, who has written numerous books about UFOs, including Aliens in the Forest: The Cisco Grove UFO Encounter.

A town hall meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday, March 16, at the Edinburg City Auditorium. It will be an open forum for locals who want to share their stories of UFO sightings and other personal extraterrestrial experiences.

Following the meeting will be the festival, which starts at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 16, at the Edinburg City Hall Courtyard.

"There will be food vendors and artists who will bring in work on the 'Out of This World' theme," said Edward Vidaurre, the arts event coordinator for Edinburg.

The city is also asking attendees to come in their best "Out of This World" costume for the evening's contest -- trophies will be awarded for two categories: most creative and TV/movie personalities.

For more information on the conference and festival, visit www.edinburgufo.com.

Edinburg 'Out of This World' Conference and Festival

WHEN: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today

WHERE: Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance, 118 Paseo del Prado

COST: $15, general admission; $30, reserved seating

BUY TICKETS: Edinburg Chamber of Commerce, 602 W. University Drive, Dustin M. Sekula Memorial Library, 1906 S. Closner Blvd. or call (956) 383-4974 or (800) 800-7214

CONFERENCE AND FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, MARCH 15

9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Dr. Robert Gross, "Science and the Paranormal"

9:50 a.m. to 10:25 a.m. Stephen Andrasko, "The South Texas X-Files"

10:30 a.m. to12 p.m. Stanton Friedman, "Flying Saucers and Science"

1 p.m.-1:55 p.m. Ismael Cuellar, "UFOs Over South Texas"

2 p.m. to 2:55 p.m. Noe Torres, "Aliens in the Forest"

3 p.m. to 4:25 p.m. Stanton Friedman, "A New View of the Cosmos"

4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Showing of the movie, "Fire in the Sky" (Courtesy of the Dustin Michael Sekula Memorial Library).

7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Keynote: Travis Walton, "Fire in the Sky"

SATURDAY, MARCH 16