Carnie or Alien? How to Spot The Difference.

              One has a strange aura about them, they have a non human look in their eye, and they clearly are not from around here… The other is an Alien. With summer coming to a close, we celebrate another year spared from impending apocalypse, carnival season has finally arrived! Most communities don’t have the good fortune of multiple carnivals a year, but it comes with a risk. Simply put, more carnivals equals more chances for alien encounters. “It’s just a risk we have to take, it comes with the territory” a city official said.

                Historically speaking, carnies have always been a weird group of people. One only needs to look back into the traveling circus that was the foundation of our modern celebrations. The Bearded Lady, the 400 Pound Man, The Man With A Thousand Piercings, once considered “freaks” are all common place in our modern day. Hell, I spoke to the 400 pound man at Cherry Buffet last week. He was not interested in giving a comment for this story however. Times may have changed, but one thing has not. Aliens walk among us.

                It’s no mystery why the carnival is such an attractive place for an alien to assimilate as human, let’s face it carnies are weird.  Three teeth, one eye much larger than the other, weird hunch in their back, and the thousand yard stare are tell tale signs of a creature that probably is not human. Have you ever watched the way they nonchalantly toss your kid into on to a ride held together buy duct tape and zip ties? How could they be so careless with human life? Simple, they are not humans themselves.

                The problem has not gone unnoticed by city officials however, as in the early 90’s Streator passed legislation banning “Illegal Aliens” from working in public events, including carnivals. This crackdown imposed severe fines and penalties on any show runner or carnival organizer caught employing extra terrestrial beings. “How are we supposed to get background checks from another planet?” A fat man in suit and tie, mustache and oversized hat said. “It’s unconstitutional to make us do background checks in the first place!” He added.

                Despite the backlash from event organizers, the effects of the law cannot be denied. Since it was passed, carnivals have had 60% less extra terrestrial visitors working and UFO sightings have been in decline during public events as well. That being said, it’s a long road ahead of us however. Last year alone, 13 suspected aliens were investigated by us and the number is expected to rise this year.

                Streator’s carnivals and festivals are a great place to take the family to make happy memories you will never forget. As Streator citizens ourselves, we appreciate the lengths the event organizers go to provide us safe and fun family entertainment. It’s important to note that they are not responsible for the uptick in other worldy workers. City officials also add: “Though they are illegal, they pose little threat the public, including citizens who attend the event”.

                While the statement does seem to ring true as abductions are rare during carnivals, we still advise everyone to keep their wits about them when attending any public event. That being said, one shouldn’t live in fear, instead focus on enjoying time with your family, riding the rides, and trying to figure out if the ring toss game is rigged or not. (Spoiler, it definitely is!). Enjoy the summer festivities, as you never know how many days we have left before the end of the world.

                But next time you get cotton candy or a corn dog, buy tickets from a vendor, or let a stranger guess your weight; keep your eyes peeled for the unexplainable. Take a good look at the overweight man in the sleeveless shirt handing you a water rifle to shoot those illusive ducks, he might not be what he seems. He might just be... a carnie.

                Streator Mysteries is a nonprofit paranormal journalist organization. Our stories are based on independent investigations, anonymous sources, and eye witness accounts, thus should be taken with a grain (or shaker) of salt. For legal reasons we consider ourselves a “parody” news source, but the truth is out there if you are willing to look for it. Streator Mysteries, answering the questions nobody is asking.