6/22 - The Men in Black Birthday Bash

Start: Wednesday, June 22, 2022 6:00PM
End: Wednesday, June 22, 2022 9:00PM

On the shores of Puget Sound, in the shadow of the infamous Maury Island Incident, a cosplay party celebrating the 75th anniversary of the world’s first encounter with the iconic “men in black,” is set to begin precisely at 6:22 p.m., June 22, 2022. The event – “6/22 – the Men in Black Birthday Bash” – also coincides with the launch of 1947’s “Summer of the Saucers,” when thousands of UFO incidents were reported worldwide. 6/22 is hosted by Quarterdeck in Des Moines, Washington, and is described as a “cosplay event in black and white.” The party will feature live music by JT Underwood and Paper Moon; MIBBBY awards to celebrate outstanding contributions to Washington State mythology. The Northwest’s unique UFO history, and status as the true birthplace of the men in black, has long been celebrated by “Burning Saucer,” the annual meeting of the Maury Island Incident Historical Society (MIIHS). Burning Saucer’s oft-comedic homage to local UFO culture has been labeled the “Birthday Party for the Men in Black” by Den of Geek, featured in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, inspired the award-winning film The Maury Island Incident, landed a segment on the History Channel’s Ancient Aliens, and inspired the Washington State Senate to pass Resolution 8648 to acknowledge the Maury Island Incident’s contribution to Washington history and culture. “Because this is the 75th anniversary of Harold Dahl’s flying disc sighting and man in black encounter, it made sense to shine a spotlight on this amazing story at the place it all began. And after ten years of Burning Saucer, we think it’s time for a 6/22, so the public to experience some of Burning Saucer’s quirky take on history, mythology, and entertainment,” said MIIHS co-founder Steve Edmiston. “Plus, there are quite a few folks with the misapprehension that an alleged crash in a small town called Roswell is the event that ‘started it all,’ and that’s just not quite true – the first sightings of the summer of the saucers happened right here in the Pacific Northwest.”