Crop Circles Discovered Near Rocanville
Langenburg High School
Langenburg, SK

By Jade (grade)

Are we alone in the universe? Do U. F. O. s exist?

Those are only two of the questions raised by the discovery of two crop circles in a wheat field north-east of Rocanville, Saskatchewan.

The strange sight was first noticed by Bob Langley on the morning of September fourth. He had been moving a swather to an adjacent field for his employer, Wayne Kingdon, when he spotted a circle in a nearby field. After stopping for a better look, Langley spotted another circle a short distance away.

Soon after the discovery, Langley, Kingdon, and others headed out to the wheat field for a closer inspection of the strange circles. What they found was definitely interesting.

The circles were very concise, and the wheat flattened within them spiralled out from the centre in a counter-clockwise pattern. The stalks of wheat were also loosely interwoven.

The circles happened to appear in a field being used to raise money for the local rink, and that fact has raised accusations of a hoax to boost fund-raising efforts. Kingdon is quick to dispel that theory, stating that if that was the purpose, the circles would have been better located near a busier road and a means to collect money from curious onlookers would have been created.

Still, since news of the circles was first broadcast, dozens of people have visited the sight, though none have left with the certain knowledge of what created the mysterious circles.

What created them, indeed. There are several factors to consider when looking at the source of the strange phenomenon. One, there were no visible tracks around the area indicating that someone had been there. Two, there was no evidence of anything stuck into the ground to act as a centre point for the circles. Three, the weather prior to the appearance of the circles was calm, which rules out storms as the cause of the circles.

Several strange incidents also compound the mystery. Horses near the circles became very skittish, people who lay down in the circles had the sensation of spinning, and unusual colour patterns appeared on a videotape of the area.

Hopefully, some light may be shed on the topic through the help of Dan Clairmont, and Esterhazy, resident and part-time investigator for groups interested in unexplained phenomena.

Clairmont took samples from both the wheat and soil in the circles to be sent for testing in Vancouver. One such test involves using a microscope to determine if the area had been briefly exposed to a high heat source. Apparently, this has been the case with samples from other crop circles.

Science has yet to provide an explanation for the strange circles, but through the use of some advanced technology, a clue to the cause may eventually be discovered. Until then, residents of Rocanville will be left to ponder the mystery.

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