3 Towns Claim UFO Capital of Wisconsin: Dundee, Belleville, Elmwood, Campbellsport (Wisconsin) (2021)

📍 Location

📝 Description

As of December 2025, there is no single, verified ‘UFO Capital of Wisconsin’ designation. The concept remains a local folklore motif tied to three towns—Dundee, Belleville, and Elmwood—each hosting ongoing UFO-themed events, while Campbellsport is associated with Benson’s Hide-A-Way and the former UFO Daze festival. Dundee’s long-running UFO Daze ended in 2021 after Bill Benson’s death, but Elmwood and Belleville continue to host annual UFO Days (Elmwood in July; Belleville around Halloween), keeping a shared regional history of unexplained sightings alive. Historical and contemporary reports about the Dundee area (Long Lake and Dundee Mountain) continue to circulate in local press and UFO-focused outlets, though none have produced universally verified evidence to crown a single Wisconsin location as the definitive “UFO Capital.” Notable incidents cited in legacy coverage include the 1987 Belleville sighting by local law enforcement and the longstanding Elmwood encounters; the 1994 radar claims linked to the Dundee-area narrative are referenced in older accounts but publicly verifiable documentation remains limited. The broader story is maintained by local histories, festival organizers, and UFO history outlets rather than a formal scientific consensus.

🔍 Circumstances

Circumstances center on longstanding local lore and annual festivals tied to unexplained aerial phenomena in south-central and western Wisconsin. Dundee (Long Lake/Dundee Mountain) has been a focal point since crop circles appeared in 1947, with periodic reports through the 1980s–2000s; Benson’s Hide-A-Way operated as a UFO-themed hub and hosted the annual UFO Daze festival from 1988 until 2021. Elmwood has hosted UFO Days since the late 1970s, including reports of a 1976 incident that drew statewide attention; Belleville has hosted UFO Day around Halloween since the 1980s following 1987 sightings by local law enforcement. In 2021, Bill Benson’s death led to the formal end of UFO Daze in Campbellsport, though Dundee’s footprint remains in local folklore and tourism materials. Current festival activity (Elmwood and Belleville) continues into 2025 with yearly parades, fundraisers, and community events. Publicly accessible reporting on radar-confirmed incidents from the 1990s or 1994 remains sparse and often contested in reliability.

👤 Physical Description

Descriptions commonly involve unusual lights over Long Lake and Dundee Mountain, historical crop-circle phenomena, and various unexplained aerial displays reported by residents and visitors. Public-facing artifacts include Benson’s UFO Headquarters (an “alien in a jar” and UFO memorabilia) and festival parades, with participants often wearing foil hats and themed costumes. There is no universally corroborated physical evidence (e.g., matched radar returns, recovered craft) that has been widely accepted by the scientific community; accounts largely rely on witness testimony, local folklore, and festival lore.

ℹ️ Additional Details

Key elements include three towns claiming the title (Elmwood, Belleville, Dundee), annual festivals (UFO Daze in Dundee; UFO Days in Elmwood and Belleville), and a history of sightings dating back to the mid-20th century. Dundee’s UFO Daze ended in 2021 after Bill Benson’s death; Elmwood and Belleville continue to host annual UFO Days, with Elmwood’s festival described as longstanding (decades). Local coverage and UFO-history outlets continue to document the lore, including references to crop circles, police testimony in Belleville (1987), and Benson’s role as a local promoter. The 1994 radar-related claim cited in older discussions is not readily verifiable in accessible public records.

🔗 Sources (12)

👥 Community Contributions

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