Today, Mayor Bob Knight and key event partners unveiled the schedule for the 2002 Autumn in the Air Aviation Festival.
“This event will give our community the opportunity to embrace our city’s aviation heritage and celebrate it,” said Mayor Knight. “Our plan is to continue to build on this festival so that it becomes one of the great events in the Midwest, if not the nation.”
The Aviation Festival was part of Alf Nucifora’s Strategic Master Plan for Tourism, a community vision focusing on tourism. The 2002 Autumn in the Air Aviation Festival is a community-wide collaboration with the City of Wichita, Greater Wichita Convention & Visitors Bureau, Wichita Festivals, Inc. and other organizations spearheading the effort. The city’s aviation organizations – Boeing, Cessna, Raytheon, and Bombardier – have also been a key part of the planning process for the event. The Big Four Aviation Companies are coordinating an event that will benefit the Kansas Technical Training Initiative.
The month of September will be celebrated as Wichita’s Aviation Heritage Month. Activities will take place throughout September, with the last weekend of the month packing in the finale events of Autumn in the Air. The month will feature several action packed events including a weekend air show at McConnell featuring the world-renowned Blue Angels.
A complete list of events for the 2002 Autumn in the Air Festival is available on Greater Wichita Convention & Visitors Web site at http://www.visitwichita.com/. Future announcements about the 2003 Aviation Festival will be announced as they are confirmed. To volunteer or sponsor this event, contact Wichita Festivals at 267-2817. For information on the festival, visit the website or call 337-9044.