The City of Wichita received notice today that the planned Aviation Festival scheduled for September of 2003 has met the criteria for special recognition as a Centennial of Flight Commissioned event.
The U.S. Congress created the Centennial of Flight Commission in 1999 to serve as a national and international source of information about activities to commemorate the centennial of the Wright Brothers' first powered flight on the sands at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903. There will be much centennial excitement in 2003 in both North Carolina and Dayton, Ohio, home place of the Wright brothers. Wichita’s event will join a host of other celebrations worldwide.
The Commission reviews submittals and accepts events that meet the following criteria:
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Sponsored by a reputable organization that is willing to provide basic details about itself and its event;
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Open to the public or have a large invited attendance; and
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Relevant to the centennial of powered flight or the history of aviation.
The special recognition by the commission makes Wichita's event a reputable event that will be recognized worldwide. With this designation, event planners can market the Festival with a special logo icon that only selected events can possess. The event will also be posted on the Commission’s website at http://www.centennialofflight.gov/.
"This gets us one more step closer to creating a world-class aviation event that Wichita will be proud of for 2003," said Mayor Bob Knight.
The Aviation Festival was part of Alf Nucifora's Strategic Master Plan for Tourism, a community vision focusing on tourism. The plan was delivered in 2000 and has been in the development stages for a year. The planned event for 2002 is scheduled for September 27 - 29. It is a community project with Wichita Festivals, the Greater Wichita Convention & Visitors Bureau, the City of Wichita and other organizations spearheading the effort. For more information on the festival, contact CityArts at 337-9044.