Those Lights at Night

Bare Buttes is like any other California desert town: hot, dusty, and known best for its tourism. But unlike flashy Palm Springs or hipster Joshua Tree, Bare Buttes isn't known for pool parties or hiking-its draw is its extraterrestrial visitors.

No one living outside the town needs to know that Bare Buttes' "alien abductions" are fake, organized a few times each year by its small but spunky Performance Committee. The committee sustains just enough hype to avoid suspicion while keeping touri...