When a Facebook event appeared on the platform in July to storm Area 51 and “see them aliens,” it was easy to dismiss the whole affair as a joke. That was especially true since the person who posted the event had intended it to be exactly that.
However, when over two million people responded to the event with assurances that they were “going,” it suddenly became a joke that officials had to take seriously. As The Guardian reported , the U.S. Air Force warned that anyone legitimately attempting to storm the base could face deadly force as a result.
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While this buzz continued, the internet watched and waited to see whether people would still make the trip by the time September 20th came around or if they would just get bored and stay home.
Today, we have our answer.
Despite what some of the more cynical onlookers may have expected, people did, in fact, show up to the gates of Area 51 this morning.
As The Guardian reported , about 75 people showed up at around 3 am.
This followed the arrival of what Lincoln county sheriff Kerry Lee estimated to be 150 people at the gates and 1,500 people at the nearby towns of Rachel and Hiko the night before.
Although state and local officials have maintained they would make arrests if people crossed the gate, no action needs to be taken if they stop short.
As Lee said , “It’s public land, the sheriff said. “They’re allowed to go to the gate, as long as they don’t cross the boundary.”
And should any of them make the attempt, officers remain on guard nearby to intercept them.
So far, two confrontations with police have taken place as one woman was caught attempting to duck under the gate and a man was caught urinating nearby.
It is currently unclear as to whether either of them have been arrested.
But while this small group had the rugged spirit to traverse the desert and reach the Area 51 gates, most of the arriving guests have stayed in Rachel and Hiko.
Both towns are now the sites of impromptu Area 51 festivals and the band Wily Savage set up a stage on Thursday night at Rachel’s Little A’Le’Inn restaurant and motel.
As the night went on, they played for hundreds of campers who were committed to enduring the chilly 45 degree temperatures.
At present, it’s also unclear whether the relatively small crowd will be the extent of the interested “raiders” who actually make the trip to the Nevada desert.
Lincoln County emergency manager Eric Holt estimated that authorities could likely sustain about 30,000 visitors to Rachel and Hiko.
Despite the low turnout thus far, however, the fact that 2.1 million people counted themselves as planning to attend remains a relative cause for concern.
h/t: The Guardian
