Memorial Day is just around the corner, which makes right now the perfect time to look for a local event to celebrate the men and women who have given their lives in military service. Make sure to mark your calendar for the Memorial Day Flower Drop and Air Fair on May 30th that the whole family can enjoy together.
Head out to the Palm Springs Air Museum from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm for the very special event. A brief Memorial Day service will be held at the beginning of the event, which is dedicated to all the fallen service men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.
The highlight of the service is a fly by and flower drop of 3,000 white and red carnations from a B-25 Mitchell bomber. The entire day will be filled with musical performances, flight exhibitions, WWII re-enactors, children’s activities, and much more.
The dramatic shower of flowers began under the late Bob Pond, one of the air museum’s founders in 1996 and first chairman of the board. “I’m not sure where the idea came from,” said Phil Hixon, a longtime friend of Pond’s and chairman emeritus of the air museum. “To my knowledge, it came from or through Bob. He was very patriotic.”
Hixon said he and Pond met as fellow airplane enthusiasts with hangers across from one another. Together with other like-minded veterans, they answered the question, ‘How about an air museum in Palm Springs?” Pond donated many of the planes now housed in the museum and Hixon said the collection continues to be updated including the latest additions, an F-4 Phantom used in Viet Nam and a T33 Shooting Star Jet-Powered Trainer Aircraft that can still travel 500 mph.
“This event has really grown a lot,” Hixon said. “It’s very touching. While there are fun things when we’re not dropping the flowers, when we do, the crowd is hushed and the appreciation for veterans is there. Many people can take a carnation home.”
Activities start at 10 am; Flower Drop Memorial Service starts at 1 PM
Palm Springs Air Museum, 745 North Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs, CA