It can border on the outrageous, the credible and even the entrepreneurial. For centuries people claimed to have boarded UFOs, encountered aliens and even sipped on Crop Circle Beer. Skeptics may dismiss believers as nerds and nutters but there's no doubting the increasing popularity of the paranormal in the mainstream. Canada has one of the highest rates of UFO sightings per capita and, for many Canadians, life beyond earth is a definite reality.

One of Canada's earliest paranormal sightings

Broadcast Date: Aug. 24, 1962

Sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) are hardly a new phenomenon. They have been documented throughout the centuries and all over the globe. Here in Canada, reports CBC Assignment's Rex Lambert, one of the oldest and most curious paranormal events dates back to 1845. One September evening near Cornwall, Ont., a farmer notices brilliant dancing lights surrounding Marsh Point Farm.

Soon more and more people witness the spectacular lights accompanied by strange sounds of clanging and explosion. Befuddled neighbours decide to keep an overnight watch but fail to solve the mystery. After a year, the bizarre manifestations slowly disappear without a trace. Despite interviewing numerous witnesses and scientists, no credible explanation is ever offered for the strange activities at Marsh Point Farm.