Wright Brothers and flight
2/21/2003The Wright Brothers and flight will be the theme of Dayton's Bicentennial celebration this year.
For three weeks, beginning July 3, Dayton will host celebrations, programs, and exhibits demonstrating Ohio's role in the birth and development of aviation and aerospace.
The programs will include an air show, events honoring the Wright Brothers, and an international blimp meet.
Deeds Point, near downtown Dayton, is being dubbed by organizers as “Celebration Central” and the focal point for the Dayton events. The 12-acre area, which provides a dramatic view of the Dayton skyline, will be focus of many of Dayton's main events of a celebration called “Inventing Flight: Dayton 2003.”
Dayton will hold its annual Independence Day ceremonies downtown, while Deeds Plaza will host an Inventing Flight gala. Entertainment and exhibits will open at the plaza July 4.
The City Folks Festival, titled “Inventing America,” will take place in downtown Dayton, July 5-6. From July 11-13, there will be an International Blimp Meet and the Dayton Black Cultural Festival, featuring a tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen.
The International Aerospace Symposium will take place July 14-17. The Vectren Dayton Air Show will take place July 17-20, and the National Aviation Hall of Fame will host its induction ceremonies July 19-20.
A statue of the Wright brothers will be placed in the Deeds Legacy Plaza. The area will be filled with pavilions and exhibits. There will be four main pavilions at the Legacy Plaza. Each pavilion will have a theater as well as standard displays. The plaza will have a gathering area, a performance stage, a tower and clock, a lecture hall, and a children's area.