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Extraterrestrial Highway ceremony set

Hollywood hype, political photo opportunities and space alien anecdotes will converge Thursday in a nexus at rural Rachel to dedicate Nevada's Extraterrestrial Highway.

The eclectic assemblage of actors, elected officials and UFO buffs will be on hand for the 1 p.m. dedication of the highway near the classified Groom Lake military installation and the mysterious Area 51, about 140 miles north of Las Vegas.

The dedication, organized by the Nevada Commission on Tourism, is open to the public, but other related events in Las Vegas are by invitation only.

20th Century Fox is using the occasion to promote "Independence Day," a science fiction thriller set to open this summer. The studio plans to screen footage of the film and treat VIPs to a cocktail party on Wednesday.

Expected to attend the dedication are "Independence Day" stars Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Robert Loggia and Brent Spiner, as well as Gov. Bob Miller and Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren.

Renaming the dusty stretch of road, formerly state Route 375, is intended to boost tourism in the area. Fewer than 100 vehicles traverse the highway on an average day.

A panel discussion of matters extraterrestrial will follow the dedication at 2 p.m. Thursday. Taking part will be Don Ecker, research director of UFO Magazine and host of "UFOs Tonight"; Vicki Cooper, publisher of UFO Magazine; Walter Andrus Jr., director of Mutual UFO Network Inc.; and George Knapp, a Las Vegas television reporter and expert on Area 51.

Whether any visitors from outer space would attend was not clear.

"We haven't yet set up the intergalactic money exchange, but otherwise we're ready if they land," said K.J. Evans, a spokesman for the state tourism commission.