July 25th at Foster Lake in Alfred NY is the UFO Regatta

By MARZENA LEWANDOWSKI

Position: Audience Member
Division: Applause & Moral Support

Position Overview:

The Alfred Twenty-First Century Group is seeking dedicated individuals to fill several dozen temporary Audience Members positions at the UFO Regatta. This role is responsible for providing strategic applause, consistent encouragement, and moral support. Ideal applicants are enthusiastic and naturally quick to clap. This is an exciting opportunity for anyone who thrives in a lively, waterfront environment and is eager to make a meaningful impact on the morale of the participants. Audience Members are essential to the success of the event. No previous spectating experience required. If you’ve ever watched someone do something improbable and found yourself unable to look away, you’ve got what it takes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Your primary responsibility is to enjoy yourself.
• Laugh with participants, never at them.
• Offer unsolicited engineering advice only after the race is over.
• Provide unwavering support regardless of the vessels’ progress, direction, or relationship with the surface of the lake.
• Capture photographic evidence you can later share with us.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Demonstrated interest in watching other people do the hard part.
• Appreciation for creativity in all its forms.
• Ability to recognize potential.
• Willingness to celebrate commitment.
• A lawn chair is optional but may improve job performance.

Benefits:

• Free admission.
• Light work schedule (one afternoon).
• Waterfront office with a lakeview.
• Complimentary fresh air.
• Unlimited entertainment.

Company Culture:

At UFO Regatta, we celebrate dreamers, creatives, and people who think outside the box. We believe every performance deserves an audience, every great venture is worth witnessing, and every Unidentified Floating Object could use someone rooting for it. That’s where you come in.

How to Apply:

Show up at Foster Lake, Alfred Station, on Saturday, July 25, at noon.Bring your friends. Bring your family. Bring some sunscreen. Leave your inner skeptic at home.

For event details, official rules, and registration information, visit the A21CG Facebook page.

Career Opportunity: UFO Captain

By MARZENA LEWANDOWSKI

Join the Fastest-Growing Fleet of Unidentified Floating Objects in Upstate New York.

Position: UFO Captain

Division: Homemade Naval Architecture & Experimental Buoyancy

Position Overview: The Alfred Twenty-First Century Group is seeking imaginative and adventurous individuals to join the growing ranks of our Unidentified Floating Object captains. This temporary position offers the opportunity to design, build, and command a one-of-a-kind vessel for the UFO Regatta. Successful applicants will work collaboratively with their crews while advancing the Regatta’s mission of celebrating creativity, ingenuity, and the occasional triumph over physics. This role is instrumental in entertaining spectators. Become part of an organization where every performance review ends with applause.

Key Responsibilities:

• Recruit teammates.
• Design and construct an Unidentified Floating Object.
• Captain your vessel across Foster Lake.
• Demonstrate resilience in the face of unexpected buoyancy outcomes.
• Don’t sweat it if your vessel sinks.

Minimum Qualifications:  

• Have at least one idea (it doesn’t have to be good).
• Strong imagination required.
• Experience watching DIY videos preferred.
• Ability to distinguish “floating” from “sinking” preferred but not required.
• Willingness to laugh at yourself is a must.  

Benefits:

• Free admission.
• Opportunity to earn an award for Audience Favorite, Most Imaginative Design, and Fastest Contestant across several age groups.
• Networking opportunities with fellow inventors and audience members.
• Chance to secure your place in local folklore.
• Unlimited applause.   

Company Culture: At UFO Regatta, we believe buoyancy is an aspiration. We value creativity over perfection, imagination over budget, and teamwork over technical specifications.

How to Apply: Dream it. Build it. Float it. Report to Foster Lake on Saturday, July 25, at noon.No résumé required. Your portfolio floats underneath you.

For event details, official rules, and registration information, visit the A21CG Facebook page.