WINSLOW — Several events will be held this month in Winslow that should not be missed. The Old Trails Museum will be hosting the Fall History Highlight in conjunction with the High-Desert Fly-In and Fly Back in Time Gala. The Fall History Highlight will be held at 5 p.m. this Thursday, Oct. 11, at the Winslow Visitors Center/Hubbell Trading Post, located at 523 W. Second St. At the event Verde Valley Archaeology Center’s Executive Director Kenneth Zoll will give a free presentation of Arizona’s First Meteorite Man: H.H. Nininger, who in 1946 founded the American Meteorite Museum in the former Meteor Crater Observatory and conducted fieldwork at the nearby crater. On Saturday, Oct. 13, attendees can take a Winslow Senior Center shuttle from the free parking along Airport Road to the historic Lindberg Regional Airport hangar, located at 701 Airport Road, where the Winslow Rotary Club will host a pancake breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. for $6 per person. Visiting pilots will enjoy complimentary breakfast, gift bags, fuel discounts, and a Federal Aviation Administration Safety Seminar. The High Desert Fly-In will be held from 8 a.m. to 12 noon at the airport where attendees will be allowed on the tarmac to view some of the Just Cruis’n Car Club’s vintage automobiles as well as general aviation, special-use and historical aircraft. The latter will include medical transport aircraft, Arizona Game and Fish’s Cessna 185 and a restored 1956 T-34 Mentor, which was a 2017 Copperstate Grand Champion. The EEA (Experimental Aircraft Association) Young Eagles program will provide complimentary plane rides to young people ages 8 to 17. The rides will be first-come, first-served from 8 to 11 a.m., and a parental waiver will be required. Inside the hangar, the Flying Fun Kids Area will include hands-on activities provided by the Winslow Public Library and an interactive United States travel map. Also in the hangar, the Flying Through History Area will include the Old Trails Museum’s Flying Through History: The Winslow-Lindbergh Regional Airport, the Swamp Ghost and World War II exhibits. Historian Erik Berg and the Western New Mexico Aviation Heritage Museum in Grants will share displays and talk with attendees about early aviation in the Southwest, and the BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) Railway drone pilots will also have a display and talk about their program. The Fly Back in Time Gala will be held that evening from 6 to 9 p.m., where attendees will enjoy a catered buffet dinner by Creations in Cuisine at 6:30 p.m., followed by dancing to the nostalgic sounds of the Big Band Connection from Flagstaff. They are also invited to travel back in time by dressing in period attire and trying for a prize in the Vintage Threads Costume Contest. Guests will enter on the west side of the hangar, which will be beautifully decorated by the Winslow Public Library and be greeted with door-prize tickets by members of the Cherry Bombs, a non-profit women’s group. They can begin their evening with free retro treats from the Candy Terminal provided by the Winslow Chamber of Commerce, as well as with free photos by Deborah Allen Photography (available online after the gala). Attendees to both the Fly-In and Fly Back in Time Gala can bid in the High Desert Silent Auction, which includes items donated by local businesses and individuals. The auction will continue until 8 p.m. that night during the gala, when bidding will close and winners can take their items. Parking for the gala is free on the tarmac behind the hangar. In a first-time partnership with Winslow Head Start, the High Desert Fly-In invites attendees to become “Fly-In Angels” by donating new or gently used winter outerwear (coats and jackets) and accessories (hats, gloves, and scarves) for 4 to 6-year-old children. Donations will be accepted at the Fly-In or Gala. Cash donations are also welcome for “Angel Bucks” that will be used to buy more clothing. The High Desert Fly-In Committee thanks Pro 5 Design of Peoria for their Business Patron sponsorship this year. For all the latest updates, find them on Facebook or go to High Desert Fly-In website at www.highdesertflyin.org, where Venuti Film’s videos of the 2016 and 2017 Fly Back in Time galas are available for viewing. Admission is free to the High-Desert Fly-In and tickets to the Fly Back in Time Gala are available at the Winslow Visitors Center, the airport and online from the High Desert Fly-In website for $25. Please purchase your tickets by Thursday, Oct. 11, as there will be no ticket sales at the door.
