Late in the
night of Sept. 19, 1961, New Hampshire couple Betty and Barney Hill were returning from a vacation in Montreal, Canada, when they
allegedly became involved in the first widely reported UFO abduction case in
the United States.
The
couple told the U.S. Air Force that they were kidnapped by aliens on board a cigar-shaped spacecraft, while
driving near Lincoln, N.H. and otherwise could not account for two hours of that
evening. Although they filed a government report, they did not go public with
their story until it was leaked in a Boston publication in 1965.
The Hills'
story became the subject of a 1975 television movie staring James Earl Jones
and Estelle Parsons. A historical marker was placed near the site of the
incident in 2011.
"TakeMe to Your BBQ," a recent children's book that barbecue lovers may enjoy has
a connection to the Hills story as well as another more recent and famous UFO
incident in Stephenville, Texas.
In the 2013
book by Kathy Duval, aliens land on Texas cowpoke Willy's farm and demand a
square dance and a square meal. After they fill up on some barbecue from his
offset smoker, Willy turns the tables and leaves the messy aliens in the dust
so to speak. It is a fun story, vividly illustrated over 36 pages.
The idea for
"Take Me to Your BBQ" came to the Houston, Texas resident while
she was working on another children's book. Like many writers, she had a case of
writer's block and began doing some "free writing" -- typing whatever
came to her mind.
