Last modified: Monday, October 20, 2008 9:58 AM EDT Attleboro resident David Downs, a member of the Mutual UFO Network, holds a cast of The Abominable Snowman's footprint. He's giving a talk, "Exploring Psychic Phenomena and Local UFO Sightings" tonight in North Attleboro and Tuesday in Norton. (Staff photo by Martin Gavin) Magical mystery man BY MICHAEL GELBWASSER SUN CHRONICLE STAFF - If aliens landed here and said, "Take me to your leader," Dave Downs might have gotten a call. ATTLEBORO Downs is a past president of the New England UFO Study Group. The Attleboro resident, 62, now is a member of the Mutual UFO Network, a nonprofit organization "dedicated to the scientific study of UFOs for the benefit of humanity." Downs, who taught third grade in Rehoboth for 33 years before retiring in 2005, also is a children's magician. And a Colonial re-enactor. He belongs to the Rehoboth Minutemen and the Living History Association, and does a show that introduces children to such gadgets as "the amazing electric Magneto Nervous Machine." This week, Downs will present "Exploring Psychic Phenomena and Local UFO Sightings" to two audiences: at 7:30 tonight at North Attleboro's Little Red Schoolhouse and at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Norton Historical Society. Each event is free, and open to the public. SUN CHRONICLE: You've interviewed local people who claim they've encountered UFOs. What's your favorite story? DAVE DOWNS: The event occurred at 2:45 p.m. on Dec. 17, 1976, on Dean Street, at the border of Rehoboth and Norton (primary witness) and Slater Street (second witness). It involved two witnesses who didn't know each other and saw the same unknown object separately. One witness (primary) took a daylight photo of the UFO. I was at the scene within 30 minutes of the sightings. I spent 40 to 50 hours investigating these sightings, and revealed that the event was a hoax. This one case had the most influence on my subsequent understanding of the phenomena. SC: UFOs are typically described as balls of light, or flying saucers. Why is that? DOWNS: Most people do not spend time looking at the skies and are somewhat unfamiliar with everyday objects in the sky. Many people report sighting UFOs after watching a prominent planet, star or even the moon under certain circumstances. These objects give the illusion that they move, spin, jump or look saucer shaped, depending on the atmosphere, conditions under which they are seen and the mind set of the observer at the time of the sighting. Consequently, many witnesses report seeing balls of light. The saucer shape is the shape that we expect to see. It seems most likely to survive space travel as we know it. SC: Why would aliens visit Southeastern Massachusetts? Wouldn't Washington, D.C., be more appropriate? DOWNS: UFOs did visit Washington, D.C., in 1952. Jets were scrambled and some pilots reported seeing objects where the radar was showing targets. But radar was new then, and it is generally believed that the equipment was somewhat primitive compared to today's radar and operators were probably making mistakes. I would guess that UFOs are seen everywhere. Back in the '70s, when I was active, investigators like myself would look for and collect sightings from our area. Since I live in Bristol County, I would be most likely to collect reports from this area. The casual observer may look at these pockets of sightings and wonder why UFOs "were more prevalent in Bristol County." It's because there was someone there to record the sightings, which are no more prevalent in Bristol County than in other areas. With the advent of the Internet, this situation may not happen as often. Witnesses now have Web sites where they may report their sightings. SC: You're also a Colonial entertainer and a magician. Is there a connection between your three hobbies? DOWNS: I've found that when people describe a familiar magic trick, they have a tendency to exaggerate and relate the events inaccurately, so it seems that a real miracle has occurred. This phenomenon helped me to realize that this also happens with UFO witnesses when they describe the size, distance, speed and actions of their UFO. They may have a tendency to exaggerate. The connection between all three of my hobbies is that I've been able to use them to entertain others. SC: Ever make an alien disappear? DD: No, I've never made an alien disappear. SC: If an alien landed in your back yard today, what would you do first? DD: When I was young, I looked forward to an encounter with aliens. I knew I'd leave with them in a heart beat! But now, I'd run the other way. I have too much to lose. All the "contactees," people who claim to have been abducted that I've met, have had undesirable consequences from their encounter. MICHAEL GELBWASSER can be reached at 508-236-0439 or at mgelbwasser@thesunchronicle.com.