Within UFO Towns
How Belleville Turned Lights Into Legend
Belleville's 1987 flap shows how a police sighting, repeated reports, and later celebration turned a brief scare into civic folklore.
On this page
- Glen Kazmar's January 1987 sighting window
- How later witnesses and investigators widened the flap
- Why a Halloween season festival preserved the case
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Introduction
Belleville’s place in Wisconsin UFO history comes from a short burst of sightings in early 1987 rather than a decades-old local legend. What made the episode unusual was that the first widely reported witness was a police officer, Glen Kazmar, and that other law-enforcement personnel soon reported seeing similar lights. The combination of official witnesses, repeated reports, media attention and later investigation transformed a brief winter flap into one of the state’s most durable UFO stories. Nearly four decades later, the case survives less as an unresolved mystery than as a piece of civic identity, remembered through Belleville’s annual UFO Day celebrations and the town’s continuing reputation as one of Wisconsin’s self-described UFO capitals. [bellevillewi.com]bellevillewi.comSource details in endnotes. [2ufodays.org]ufodays.orgAboutUFO Days is an annual event held in Belleville, Wisconsin commemorating a UFO sighting that made national news in 1987.Read more…
Glen Kazmar’s January 1987 sighting window
The Belleville flap began on the night of 15 January 1987. According to later newspaper accounts and investigator summaries, Belleville police officer Glen Kazmar reported seeing a formation of bright lights while on patrol near the village. The lights were described as red, white and blue, with a particularly bright blue light at the centre. Kazmar reportedly observed the display around 8:30 pm and again shortly before 3:00 am. [ufowisconsin.com]ufowisconsin.comr1987 0115 daneUFO Sighting 1987 in Belleville, Wisconsin15 Jan 1987 — Is Kazmar, in general, a believer in UFOs? "I keep an open mind on… UFO sighti…
What gave the report unusual weight was that Kazmar was not presented as a casual observer staring into the night sky for entertainment. He was on duty, using the habits of observation expected from a patrol officer. Local reports soon added that Dane County and Green County officers had also observed unusual lights and that dispatchers sought information from aviation authorities. One widely circulated claim held that an FAA facility in Aurora, Illinois, indicated a radar target in the area at roughly the same time, although later retellings often varied in detail and did not produce publicly available radar records that conclusively resolved the matter. [UFO Days and UFO Stories]ufodays.netthe other ufo days belleville wiThe Other UFO Days-Belleville, WI13 Aug 2019 — Category: Elmwood, Recent Posts, UFO Days Event, UFO HistoryTags: Belleville, George Wheel…
The original descriptions were not especially exotic by UFO-history standards. Witnesses generally spoke about lights rather than a clearly visible structured craft. That distinction matters. Many UFO cases become harder to evaluate because observers see distant lights at night without reliable information about altitude, distance or size. Belleville was no exception. The case gained attention because multiple observers reported something unusual, not because investigators recovered physical evidence or obtained clear photographs. [ufowisconsin.com]ufowisconsin.comr1987 bell daneUFO center probes abduction reports from Belleville, New Glarus areas.", "UFOs seen again…Read more…
How a single report became a wider flap
The January sighting did not remain an isolated incident. During the following weeks, newspapers around southern Wisconsin carried additional reports of strange lights. Residents in and around Belleville and nearby New Glarus reported seeing unusual aerial objects, and local discussion quickly expanded beyond the original police observation. Headlines from the period show how the story evolved from one officer’s report into a regional wave of sightings. [ufowisconsin.com]ufowisconsin.comr1987 0115 daneUFO Sighting 1987 in Belleville, Wisconsin15 Jan 1987 — Is Kazmar, in general, a believer in UFOs? "I keep an open mind on… UFO sighti…
This widening phase is important because it illustrates how UFO flaps often develop. Once a highly publicised report appears, more witnesses come forward. Some may have seen the same event from different locations. Others may reinterpret earlier observations through the lens of the new story. The result can be a genuine increase in reports without necessarily proving that every report concerns the same object or phenomenon.
Belleville attracted attention from organised UFO researchers, including investigators associated with the J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies. Don Schmitt, who would later become nationally known for his work on Roswell-related claims, became one of the most visible investigators connected to the case. The National Center for UFO Studies announced that it had begun examining the reports, treating the concentration of sightings seriously enough to warrant field investigation. [ufowisconsin.com]ufowisconsin.comr1987 bell daneUFO center probes abduction reports from Belleville, New Glarus areas.", "UFOs seen again…Read more…
Several features made the flap attractive to investigators:
- Multiple witnesses rather than a lone observer.
- Reports from law-enforcement personnel.
- Claims that sightings occurred from different locations.
- Allegations of radar confirmation.
- Continued reports over weeks rather than a single night. [UFO Days and UFO Stories]ufodays.netthe other ufo days belleville wiThe Other UFO Days-Belleville, WI13 Aug 2019 — Category: Elmwood, Recent Posts, UFO Days Event, UFO HistoryTags: Belleville, George Wheel…
Yet none of those factors resolved the central problem. The reports still depended largely on testimony. No physical traces, instrument recordings or publicly available documentation emerged that could establish exactly what had been observed.
What investigators thought they had found
By spring 1987, the Belleville flap had become large enough to draw public meetings and regional media attention. One frequently repeated account describes hundreds of people gathering at Belleville High School to hear investigators discuss their findings. Don Schmitt and colleague Richard Heiden presented conclusions that treated at least some of the reports as genuine unidentified objects rather than obvious aircraft or astronomical misidentifications. [Wisconsin Frights]wisconsinfrights.comWisconsin Frights UFO Capital of Wisconsin?Explore these 3 UFO Hotspots30 Jun 2021 —… Alien pancakes, killed by a UFO, and more of Wisconsin's Strangest UFO Cases. UFO Day – Bel…
For believers, the case seemed stronger than many UFO stories because it involved officers, dispatch communications and repeated reports from separate witnesses. The phrase “Belleville Wave” later became attached to the cluster, reflecting the idea that the town had experienced a concentrated period of unusual activity rather than a single incident. [WISN]wisn.comufo sightings in wisconsinWISNHave UFOs been spotted in Wisconsin?8 Feb 2022 — Author and longtime UFO report investigator Donald Schmitt said the Belleville Wave…
Sceptics, however, pointed to the same limitations found in many flap cases. Witnesses observed lights at night under conditions where distance and scale are difficult to judge. Publicity can encourage additional reports that are not necessarily connected to the original event. Claims about radar contacts and official confirmation often become stronger in retelling than they appear in contemporary documentation. The available record does not provide a definitive explanation, but neither does it provide evidence strong enough to establish an extraordinary one. [ufowisconsin.com]ufowisconsin.comr1987 bell daneUFO center probes abduction reports from Belleville, New Glarus areas.", "UFOs seen again…Read more…
That ambiguity is one reason the Belleville flap remains part of Wisconsin UFO history. It was never cleanly solved, yet it also never produced the sort of evidence that would move it beyond the category of an intriguing but unresolved local mystery.
Why Belleville remembered this case when many towns did not
Most UFO flaps fade quickly. Belleville’s survived because the story attached itself to local identity at exactly the moment when the village received regional and national attention. News crews arrived, investigators held meetings, and residents found themselves living in a place suddenly associated with something strange. [AP News]apnews.comAP News Wisconsin community remembers strange lights with UFOAP NewsWisconsin community remembers strange lights with UFO…October 20, 2018 — 19 Oct 2018 — Since the late 1980s, Wolf's homemade UF…
The police connection mattered. A report from an officer carried more public credibility than a rumour passed around a café or tavern. Whether or not the officers correctly interpreted what they saw, their involvement made the incident feel like a public event rather than a private anecdote. That distinction mirrors a broader pattern seen elsewhere in Wisconsin UFO folklore, including Elmwood, where police testimony also helped sustain local memory. [ufowisconsin.com]ufowisconsin.comr1987 bell daneUFO center probes abduction reports from Belleville, New Glarus areas.", "UFOs seen again…Read more…
Another reason the case endured is that it arrived during a period when UFOs still attracted significant local newspaper coverage. Residents could collect clippings, attend talks and debate competing explanations. The story became woven into community memory before the internet fragmented attention into countless other topics.
How UFO Day preserved the story
Belleville’s most visible response to the flap was not another investigation but a festival. Later community accounts trace today’s UFO Day directly back to the 1987 sightings. What began as a way of commemorating a famous local mystery gradually evolved into a broader autumn celebration tied to Halloween. [bellevillewi.com]bellevillewi.comSource details in endnotes.
The modern event typically features a parade through town, costumes, themed decorations, food, live entertainment and activities designed for families rather than serious UFO research. Community descriptions openly link the festival to the original police sightings while presenting the occasion as a celebration of local identity. [bellevillewi.com]bellevillewi.comSource details in endnotes.
This transformation is revealing. The festival does not depend on proving that extraterrestrial craft visited Belleville. Instead, it preserves the memory that something unusual happened, that local officers reported it, and that the village briefly found itself at the centre of a media frenzy. The mystery became folklore.
| Writers covering the festival years later often noted that the event looked less like a gathering of devoted UFO believers and more like a traditional small-town parade with an extraterrestrial theme layered over it. Alien costumes, novelty floats and Halloween imagery replaced the urgency of the original investigation. [Isthmus]isthmus.comshe came from another planet at belleville ufo dayIsthmus | Madison, WisconsinShe came from another planet at Belleville UFO Day30 Oct 2007 — Rather, the centerpiece to the Belleville Wis…</span></span></span> | Madison, Wisconsin |
The Belleville flap in Wisconsin UFO history
Within Wisconsin’s larger catalogue of UFO reports, the Belleville flap occupies a middle ground. It is not among the state’s oldest stories, nor does it offer dramatic physical evidence. What distinguishes it is the combination of police witnesses, repeated reports, investigator involvement and a civic afterlife that remains visible decades later. [ufowisconsin.com]ufowisconsin.comr1987 bell daneUFO center probes abduction reports from Belleville, New Glarus areas.", "UFOs seen again…Read more…
The case also illustrates how UFO history and local history can become intertwined. The original sightings remain unresolved. The lights may have had an ordinary explanation that was never firmly established, or they may simply remain unidentified because the available evidence was too limited. Either way, the long-term significance of Belleville lies less in what appeared over southern Wisconsin in January 1987 than in what happened afterwards. A short winter flap became a recurring community ritual, and a brief police report became part of the village’s public identity. [bellevillewi.com]bellevillewi.comSource details in endnotes. [AP News]apnews.comAP News Wisconsin community remembers strange lights with UFOAP NewsWisconsin community remembers strange lights with UFO…October 20, 2018 — 19 Oct 2018 — Since the late 1980s, Wolf's homemade UF…
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Endnotes
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Source: bellevillewi.com
Link: https://bellevillewi.com/ufo/Source snippet
UFO - Belleville, WisconsinUFO Day 2026 is on Saturday, October 31st. [https://www.ufodays.org](https://www.ufodays.org). The annual event includes a UFO-themed par...
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Source: ufodays.org
Link: https://ufodays.org/events/Source snippet
AboutUFO Days is an annual event held in Belleville, Wisconsin commemorating a UFO sighting that made national news in 1987.Read more...
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Source: wisn.com
Title: ufo sightings in wisconsin
Link: https://www.wisn.com/article/ufo-sightings-in-wisconsin/39013138Source snippet
WISNHave UFOs been spotted in Wisconsin?8 Feb 2022 — Author and longtime UFO report investigator Donald Schmitt said the Belleville Wave...
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Source: ufowisconsin.com
Title: r1987 0115 dane
Link: https://ufowisconsin.com/county/reports/r1987_0115_dane.htmlSource snippet
UFO Sighting 1987 in Belleville, Wisconsin15 Jan 1987 — Is Kazmar, in general, a believer in UFOs? "I keep an open mind on... UFO sighti...
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Source: ufodays.net
Title: the other ufo days belleville wi
Link: https://ufodays.net/2019/08/13/the-other-ufo-days-belleville-wi/Source snippet
The Other UFO Days-Belleville, WI13 Aug 2019 — Category: Elmwood, Recent Posts, UFO Days Event, UFO HistoryTags: Belleville, George Wheel...
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Source: ufowisconsin.com
Title: r1987 bell dane
Link: https://ufowisconsin.com/county/reports/r1987_bell_dane.htmlSource snippet
"UFO center probes abduction reports from Belleville, New Glarus areas.", "UFOs seen again...Read more...
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Source: isthmus.com
Title: she came from another planet at belleville ufo day
Link: https://isthmus.com/archive/scenes/she-came-from-another-planet-at-belleville-ufo-day/Source snippet
Isthmus | Madison, WisconsinShe came from another planet at Belleville UFO Day30 Oct 2007 — Rather, the centerpiece to the Belleville Wis...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: You Tube Belleville, WI
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqOHkOiZ-KASource snippet
Belleville, WI - UFO Sighting - Interview with Noah VossIn 1987, a Belleville police officer reported "lights in the sky... Belleville...
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Source: wisconsinfrights.com
Title: Wisconsin Frights UFO Capital of Wisconsin?
Link: https://www.wisconsinfrights.com/wisconsin-ufo-festivals/Source snippet
Explore these 3 UFO Hotspots30 Jun 2021 —... Alien pancakes, killed by a UFO, and more of Wisconsin's Strangest UFO Cases. UFO Day – Bel...
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Source: apnews.com
Title: AP News Wisconsin community remembers strange lights with UFO
Link: https://apnews.com/general-news-48bd7339f9ef4c3aaa367fb0046bdbb8Source snippet
AP NewsWisconsin community remembers strange lights with UFO...October 20, 2018 — 19 Oct 2018 — Since the late 1980s, Wolf's homemade UF...
Published: October 20, 2018
Additional References
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/227646875084988/posts/1521601615689501/Source snippet
UFO Days in Belleville, WisconsinEvents for UFO Days! Two additions...Daniel will be doing a presentation in the auditorium on Saturday a...
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Source: milwaukeemag.com
Link: https://www.milwaukeemag.com/milwaukees-flying-saucer-outbreak-alien-pancakes-and-other-ufo-tales/Source snippet
Milwaukee's Flying Saucer Outbreak, Alien Pancakes and...28 Oct 2021 — Milwaukee's Flying Saucer Outbreak, Alien Pancakes and Other UFO...
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Source: washingtontimes.com
Link: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/oct/20/wisconsin-community-remembers-strange-lights-with-/Source snippet
UFO...20 Oct 2018 — After the UFO sightings in Belleville, she approached Schmitt, who was in Belleville in June of 1987 to announce the...
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Source: projectaquarius.mufon.com
Title: UFO Newsclipping Service 1987 02 no 211
Link: https://projectaquarius.mufon.com/wp-content/uploads/NewsClippings/UFO-Newsclipping-Service/UFO-Newsclipping-Service-1987-02-no-211.pdfSource snippet
Newsclipping Service28 Feb 1987 — Perhaps UFOs are actually visitors from our own future. DAILY IIF.HALD, AusLin, MN- Dec.?1, 198'(. Pos...
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Source: projectaquarius.mufon.com
Title: UFO Newsclipping Service 1987 05 no 214
Link: https://projectaquarius.mufon.com/wp-content/uploads/NewsClippings/UFO-Newsclipping-Service/UFO-Newsclipping-Service-1987-05-no-214.pdfSource snippet
Project AquariusBelleville site of UFO investi6 May 1987 — Investigator Don Schmitt gave a brief history of. UFO reports. According to hi...
Published: May 1987
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Source: instagram.com
Link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DS7-ckgj_O6/Source snippet
ightings and yeah, in that time period, UFOs and aliens...
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Source: cbs58.com
Link: https://www.cbs58.com/news/uap-hearing-shines-new-spotlight-on-wisconsins-self-proclaimed-ufo-capitalsSource snippet
UAP hearing shines new spotlight on Wisconsin's self-...Jul 28, 2023 — The town of [Dundee]({{ 'dundee/' | relative_url }}) in Fond du Lac County has its own UFO history...
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Source: jamesmdeem.com
Link: https://jamesmdeem.com/stories.ufo.shapes.htmlSource snippet
The What's What of UFOs: The Five Most Common ShapesHowever, Aarno has reported seeing twenty-three other UFOs since 1972 as well as spea...
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Source: curbonline.org
Link: https://curbonline.org/2012/ufo-festival/index.htmlSource snippet
Alien Enthusiasts Convene for the Annual UFO Day in...11 Oct 2012 — In January of 1987, two police officers saw what they believed to be...
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Source: islands.com
Link: https://www.islands.com/1861995/trio-wisconsin-towns-claim-ufo-capital-of-the-world-dundee-elmwood-belleville/Source snippet
This Trio Of Wisconsin Towns All Claim To Be The 'UFO...23 May 2025 — This Trio Of Charming Wisconsin Towns All Claim To Be The 'UFO Cap...
Published: May 2025
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