Mysterious Suburban Chicago Crop Circles

NBC 5 Chicago ^ | 7/26/02 | NBC 5 Chicago

[Dengar01]

Timing Suspicious On Mysterious Suburban Crop Circles
Could Eerie Mystery Have To Do With Movie Release?

Is it a case of mysterious crop circles -- or an elaborate movie hoax?

A soybean farmer in Naperville said the broken, concentric rings that appeared in a field off Diehl Road left him scratching his head.

"Have you ever heard of something so crazy?" Steve Berning said. "Unbelievable."

Berning said the circles appeared last weekend and damaged more than 10 percent of his 8-acre field.

The circles do resemble similar ones seen in England, but in this case, the timing of their appearance in the western suburb is a bit suspicious.

Two weeks from now, "Signs" hits the big screen. The movie starring Mel Gibson involves -- you guessed it -- mysterious crop circles.

William Leone, an investigator with the Mutual UFO Network, said soil analysis could determine whether the circles have human or extraterrestrial origins.

But Illinois Farm Bureau spokesman Dennis Vercler scoffed at that idea.

"Since I don't believe in UFOs -- at least not soybean-destroying UFOs -- I have to assume whoever did this did it intentionally as a malicious prank," Vercler said.

Meanwhile, Berning doesn't seem overly upset about the circles.

"There's some damage, which upsets me," Berning said. "But I'm more curious than anything. I"ll always be asking questions."

[11Bush]

And you really think that an advanced life form from a distast galaxy is going to spend time making fancy line in a bean field. Let me guess, they do it to kill time between abducting locals for 'probe' research.

And you have the nerve to call Vercler ignorant. Show me some proof, and please do not cite the local supermarket tabloid as a source.

[VOA]

Y'sure it's not a publicity stunt for the movie?

It's either that and/or sheer boredom in action in flyover country.

I'll have to watch the "Hot Property" (celebrity) section of the real estate section
of The Los Angeles Times.
It's a lock that Mel Gibson or one of his major co-stars will be selling their
old digs and moving to better ones with the release of the new film.
(Heck, even Louie Anderson got new digs and a press release in Hot Property
when he landed his hosting duties on "Family Feud"!)

[rellimpank]

--they have to work it in with draining blood from and cutting lips off dead cattle too--

[general_re]

Deepest mysteries of the universe bump...

[per loin]

In an age as devoid of artistic creation as ours, crop circles are welcome.

[Honcho]

Time for the tin foil hats

[babylonian]

What makes you think I believe an advanced life form from a distant galaxy is making all the crop circles? Those are your words, from your imagination, not mine. Lay off the star wars movies.

Who do you think makes them?

[twigs]

The scenes with the cornfields were filmed near my home. I can assure you that we have had no crop circles, at least none that have been publicized!

[Notforprophet]

They probably wanted to shake up all the establishment types. Naperville can be pretty bourgeois at times.

[realpatriot]

"In an age as devoid of artistic creation as ours, crop circles are welcome."

Shhhhh!!!! The perps will want taxpayer support for their "art."

That said, you have my vote for "Quote of the day!"

[Notforprophet]

Ping

[Junior]

Who do you think makes them?

College kids.

[balrog666]

Deepest mysteries of the universe bump...

Ah, if only it were a mystery...

[lds23]

Ariadne's crown or the Spiral Castle (or Prison)?

[G.Mason]

"I'm not trying to bash the believers...."

I am.

[Desdemona]

"Who do you think makes them?"

Really bored Cubs fans.

[Aquinasfan]

College kids.

At least they're not taking my tax dollars to fund this, but they do owe the farmer some money. We'd all be better off if they stayed in their dorms smoking dope. Or better yet, got a job.

[aimhigh]

and damaged more than 10 percent of his 8-acre field.

and 10% of his income. The police should be investigating this as vandelism.

[PatrickHenry]

Deepest mysteries of the universe bump...

Laugh if you will, unbeliever. But when the come for you, and snatch you in the dead of night, and conduct their dreaded anal probe upon your quivering body, then maybe you'll believe! MMMRRRUUUHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

Hmmm, that was not so obvious to me. If you were going to do such a thing, how would you do it? I've seen the shots of admitted hoaxers doing their trade, but it always seems like their efforts result in circles that look like crap. What I haven't seen yet, is to have these guys do it real time, in front of witnesses, and produce something like #9.