Town Hypes ‘Crash’ Of Ufo In 1947

Tourist-hungry Roswell, N.M., is trying to cash in on speculation that a UFO smacked the earth there nearly 50 years ago.

“Was it really a flying saucer that crashed near Roswell in 1947?” asks a full-page advertisement. “We don’t know for sure. But Roswell’s blend of climate, culture and recreation has always attracted visitors.”

Although the military denies the UFO story, the topic spawned a recent movie and has figured in numerous TV series, broadcast reports and articles.

Roswell is located in southeastern New Mexico, within driving distance of Carlsbad Caverns and a number of other natural attractions. It also has two UFO museums, one international UFO research center, and an annual UFO Festival in early July. Information: (800) 295-7611.

In a number: The world’s tallest thermometer is in Baker, Calif, at the gateway to Death Valley and the Mojave National Preserve. But you don’t have to see the 134-foot device to read its temperature. Dick Porter of the town of Onset - known as the Thermometer Man because he has 2,376 thermometers in his collection - says you can call (800) 204-TEMP 24 hours a day to get a recorded reading.

Porter’s thermometers, incidentally, are on display at his museum at 49 Zarahemla Road, Onset. Call (508) 295-5504 for hours and directions.

Spicy slogan: Las Brisas in Acapulco calls itself a resort “where children are seldom seen but often created.”

China tourism: More than 38.3 million tourists visited China in the first 10 months of 1995 - a number that is expected to rise in 1996 because of the easing of visa restrictions.

The number of Chinese tourists taking sightseeing trips around their homeland reportedly soared to 600 million, up from 524 million in 1994.

Most overseas tourists came from nearby Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, but the biggest increase was in the number of visitors from other countries, rising 12 percent to 4.86 million.

Still digging: Work continues on the world’s largest mountain carving - South Dakota’s Crazy Horse Memorial.

The 9-story-high face of Chief Crazy Horse is scheduled for completion by June 3, 1998, the 50th anniversary of the start of the work. A new Native American Educational and Cultural Center at the site is set for completion as well.

The remainder of the 563-foothigh, 641-foot-long sculpture of the Indian on horseback is far from finished, and the uncertainties of weather and financing make it impossible to estimate when it will be done.

The nonprofit project is funded primarily by contributions and a $6 per person/$15 per carload (under 6 free) admission fee to the site. More than a million people visit each year for numerous special events, notably the annual Volksmarch to the top of the Indian’s outstretched arm (set for June 11). For information, call (605) 673-4681.