U.F.O. Days takes over the small Wisconsin town of Elmwood one weekend every July. For some, it’s a place where they can share stories about the extraterrestrial experiences that have become part of the town’s lore. For most, it’s an excuse to get together with friends and family for three days of fried cheese curds, U.F.O. Burgers, alien costumes and U.F.O. floats in the annual parade — and angle for frisbees thrown from the roof of a local bar.

Local legend has it that Elmwood is a favorite visiting place of extraterrestrials and U.F.O.s, a reputation that inspired the name of the annual festival. The stories go back many decades. One of Elmwood’s most infamous stories is the one about the police officer George Wheeler, whose squad car is said to have been hit with some kind of blue light from a U.F.O. one night in 1976. Six months later, Wheeler was dead, as reported in Howard Blum’s 1990 book, “Out There: The Government’s Secret Quest for Extraterrestrials.”

The 2020 census put Elmwood’s population at 820. Ginny Delong, 34, who grew up in Elmwood and now lives in Menomonie, Wis., said the whole town shows up for U.F.O. Days.

“It’s kind of like a big family get-together,” she said, adding: “But we’re also welcoming to people who want to come and experience it for the first time.”

Wrestling was a new event this year, with some of the wrestlers keeping with the theme and dressing as aliens.

Sara Comeau, “a cosmic ambassador” from Eau Claire, Wis., attended for the first time this year. She hosted two events: a presentation called “Getting to Know Your Cosmic Friends” and a gallery reading in which she said she brought messages from loved ones “on the other side.”

“I got to be my true and authentic self that day, which means so much to me,” Comeau said. “I didn't have people looking at me weirdly because I was carrying around a little alien baby.” She added, “It was really a fantastic experience. Being able to be yourself is the best feeling in the world.”

Amy Bechel, president of the Elmwood Area Community Club and one of the event’s organizers, says she has yet to see a U.F.O. and joked that most don’t see anything “until bar closing.” She wants U.F.O. Days to be a place where people who have can come and talk to others about their experiences.

“We keep trying to encourage people to come and share their stories,” Bechel said. “Sometimes people are hesitant, but they can find people who are willing to listen and not judge in that area.”

Delong says she has brought her children every year of their lives to watch events like the tractor pull — just like she did when she was growing up.

“It was always fun. It was always something different,” she said. “You see people dressed up in silly costumes and all excited and you see all the vendors selling U.F.O. Day stuff. It kind of makes your mind wonder when you're little: Hey, you know, this stuff isn't so scary.”