The downtown area of Dundee Wisconsin looks like many other small Wisconsin towns: three bars, a gas station, a hamburger stand, a church, a baseball field and a scattering of houses. But if you travel a little north of downtown you just might find a little place called Benson's Hideaway. Anyone who stops and spends any time there is likely to come across some strange stories that could convince them that Dundee isn't the quiet conservative little place that it seems to be at first glance.

As soon as you enter this humble tavern you know there's something different about the place. A variety of alien and UFO items - from the alien in the pickle jar to a large UFO cutout hanging from the ceiling - decorate the area behind the bar. This collection is a result of many gifts delivered throughout the years to owner Bill Benson by people who know him. What do they know about him? If you talk to Bill for any length of time, you'll begin to understand...

Bill can tell you about the formation of fighter jets that chased a red light over nearby Long Lake on September 15, 1998. He might tell you about the morning a witness thought they saw boat lights out on the lake only to see the object turn vertical and intentionally enter the surface of the water. Or he may relate the story of the crop circle that appeared in the reeds on the lake. "Let me show you," he'll say as he delivers a stack of 8x10 photos that include many of this odd crop circle. Sure enough, the photos show a man standing in the center of a pretty authentic looking crop circle. "He's standing above six feet of water," Bill comments, "tell me how you'd fake that!"

Yes, Bill is a character with stories to tell. If you look through the rest of the photos in the stack you'll see many showing UFOs over the skies in Dundee. Is Bill Benson just making this stuff up to get customers into his bar? Is he the only person who sees these things? The answer is a resounding no.

I've personally talked to many people who have seen and witnessed strange things in and around Dundee. One of the most memorable was a witness named Beth who is sure she saw a lake monster up close and personal. In the summer of 1994 she was vacationing on Long Lake when she saw what appeared to be a dragon head appear out of the water. Beth states that "I saw a big black swan type sea monster. It had a dragon type face." She was close enough to the creature to clearly see that it was not a swan or a duck - in fact it wasn't like anything she'd ever seen before, she was very animately certain about this. Beth was alone when she first saw it, but immediately ran into a nearby cabin to tell the other people that were vacationing with her about this strange sight. When she came back out with the rest of the group, the creature had already disappeared back under the surface of Long Lake leaving yet another Dundee mystery.

I heard Beth's story while standing atop a place they call Dundee Mountain. It's not actually a mountain per se, it's actually what they call a "kame" which they say was formed by the glaciers as they moved through the area. If you picture a giant gumdrop you'll get an idea of what it looks like. In addition to being considered a very sacred location to the Native American population, it's a popular UFO skywatching spot in the area that gives you get an awesome view of the southern sky. Almost every night during the summer you can find a group of people here, and if you chat with them you'll find that many have personally seen UFOs from this location. Have I ever seen a UFO from Dundee Mountain you might ask? Well, I've seen a few lights in the sky that I couldn't explain, but nothing spectacular. For my most spectacular UFO sighting we'll have to return to Benson's Hideaway.

Every summer people gather together at Benson's Hideaway for what has been dubbed "UFO Daze." It's a special kind of get-together, kind of a chance for UFO enthusiasts from around the state and beyond to swap stories and confirm that they aren't the only believers out there. For the past two years, the night skies above Benson's during this event have produced spectacular UFO sightings.

The first time I attended UFO Daze I expected to meet some interesting people, but I sure didn't expect to see a UFO. Needless to say, I was extremely surprised. That night, a group of us were given a show by a blue three dimensional pyramid that appeared above the lake. If I had any doubts about UFOs before that day, they were shattered as I watched this pyramid hover over the lake for about 10 to 15 minutes before slowly tumbling off to my right and eventually disappearing behind the treetops.

The next year UFO Daze fell on July 21, 2001, and that night over 50 witnesses saw another spectacular light show. This one consisted of three balls of light traveling south to north over the far side of the lake. This was followed by a fourth object that consisted of three spheres of light and seemed in no hurry to leave. In fact, it was still there when the last witness left at close to 2:00 am. Many photos were taken of the object and two people even got some good video footage.

Of course, these are both just summary reports, but they can give you an idea of some of the things that happen in quiet little Dundee. For full reports of these events, a schedule for UFO Daze this year, UFO videos and photo and much more, I'd invite you to visit the UFOWisconsin web site at http://www.ufowisconsin.com

Thank you,
Jim Aho
UFOWisconsin