Aahana Swrup
‘Trainwreck: Storm Area 51’ is a documentary that delves into a 2019 internet meme that unexpectedly got out of hand and invited national military attention. It all started when a 20-year-old Facebook user, Matty Roberts, jokingly made an event encouraging people to raid Area 51, the United States Air Force’s highly classified facility in Rachel, Nevada. The idea remained that if people “stormed” the military base in large numbers to search for aliens, then the authorities “couldn’t stop them all.” Within a matter of weeks, more than a million people expressed their interest in attending the event, turning it from a niche joke to a cultural phenomenon.
As the event’s date, September 20, 2019, neared, the idea of millions arriving in Nevada became increasingly real. Consequently, Roberts attempted to set up a festival of some kind in the vicinity of Area 51, which brought him to Connie West, the owner of one of the only motels in Rachel, Lincoln County. Ultimately, complications and security threats pushed the two business partners apart, creating two vastly different festivals in Nevada on the much-awaited date. Even though West’s event was significantly less well-attended, she still emerged from the ordeal with a success story of sorts.
Connie West Won a Lawsuit Worth Millions
Shortly after Matty Roberts decided to host a festival-like event to go along with his viral Facebook post, he came into contact with Connie West. The latter is the owner of Little A’Le’Inn, one of the only businesses in Rachel, Nevada, at the time. Around the same time, her inn had already received numerous queries for bookings of her motel rooms and camping sites. Like the other residents of the small community, she also had her own reservations about the idea of millions arriving in the area. Nonetheless, she agreed to collaborate with Roberts to organize a festival, naming it Alienstock. Soon enough, the two were in conversations with Frank DiMaggio to sort out the complicated but crucial details of investors and sponsors. However, on September 9, 2019, a little more than a week before the event, Roberts and DiMaggio pulled out of the deal.
Instead of Rachel, the duo decided to move their festival to Las Vegas, a place with the available infrastructure to pull off such an event. Thus, while West stood her ground and hosted the Alienstock in the town a few miles away from Area 51, Roberts had his own event, dubbed the Bud Light Area 51 Celebration, in Las Vegas. Around the same time, Connie sued Hidden Sound LLC, including Roberts, DiMaggio, Brock Daily, and John Greco. Ultimately, the court passed its judgments in favor of the inn-owner, on counts of “defamation per se” and “intentional interference with contractual relationships and prospective economic advantage.” Reportedly, West won more than $3 million in the lawsuit. In the Netflix documentary, DiMaggio boldly claims, “She (West) can chase me to the ends of the earth. They can put me in jail. She’ll still never get the money.”
Connie West Continues to Run the Famed Little A’Le’Inn Today
The Little A’Le’Inn has been in Connie West’s family for more than 25 years. Originally named Rachel’s Bar & Grill, the establishment’s proximity to Area 51 has always been a source of attraction and a feature that the inn-owners have played up for their customers’ benefit. Even today, West and her mother, Pat Travis, continue to run the place, located at 9631 Old Mill Street, on the Extraterrestrial Highway. The establishment offers lodging, camping options, RV spaces, and an adjoining alien-themed restaurant. Today, the inn remains open for business, holding events, Thanksgiving potluck dinners, and more. The Little A’Le’Inn also boasts a special “out-of-this-world” alien burger on its menu, which many have raved about online.
Connie West is Open to the Idea of Hosting Another Alienstock
In 2019, the Alienstock festival in Rachel, Nevada, saw a considerably sparser crowd than what was expected. Even so, Connie West considers the event a success. In a conversation with Global News, she said, “This is the most fabulous time. It’s been a great turnout, and it wasn’t the humanitarian disaster that everyone claimed it would be.” The following year, in 2020, the Little A’Le’Inn entertained the idea of carrying on the tradition and hosting another event around September 10 to 12. Nonetheless, the festival was eventually cancelled, likely on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since then, the owners of Little A’Le’Inn have only expressed further interest in the return of the Alienstock festival. Since the inn still holds the trademark for the festival in the US, a revival of the event remains possible. In fact, reports suggest that a small group of previous Alienstock attendees have been gathering at the inn for a commemorative celebration for the past couple of years. Pat Travis, West’s mother, spoke to the Las Vegas Review-Journal in 2024 about the possibility of continuing the tradition. “We’re trying to get finances and everything else to get another one (Alienstock festival) put together, maybe next year.” Although West herself has preferred to stay away from the public eye since her experience with the press in 2019, she likely continues to be a part of these events and business decisions.
