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Celebrating Flight!
By Carol Simmonscsimmons@DaytonDailyNews.com
Anything that could fly, float or even flutter showed up somewhere during Thursday night's Inventing Flight opening ceremonies at Fifth Third Field, as did hundreds of area children, dancers and acrobats - along with some famous Ohio-born astronauts - all to honor the monumental achievement of Dayton sons Wilbur and Orville Wright
While organizers declared the $1 million show a sellout earlier in the evening, $125 tickets were still being sold at the box office prior to the 8:30 p.m. kickoff. Nevertheless, the 10,000-seat stadium appeared nearly full with ticketholders who came to witness a once-in-a-lifetime event, without even knowing exactly what they might see.
In the crowd also, were a host of dignitaries, including members of the Wright family; national, state and local elected officials; and representatives of the U.S. Air Force.
The 90-minute program traced the history of humankind as parallel to its quest "to break the surely bonds of earth . . . to touch the hand of God" as a mythical, magical, mystical journey. Wings, ribbons, flags, balloons, hoops, batons were incorporated in a variety of dance and theatrical vignettes that began with a stick-toting caveman and concluded with a space ship "landing" on the runway-shaped stage.
The high point for the audience, however, seemed to be the appearances of Sen. and former astronaut John Glenn along with the first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong, both native Ohioans.
Glenn, who is serving as the Secretary General of the Inventing Flight celebrations that run through July 20, said the Wright's accomplishment changed the course of history. "Man has forever dreamed of flight. From the day of Da Vinci and his famous ornithocoptors, many men and women have tried and failed. Wilbur and Orville Wright were in many ways the fist astronauts, because they were the first to break the bonds of gravity. They had a dream, because they had the determination and curiosity to change the world.
Glenn also noted the speed of with which further developments followed. "Forty-four years later, Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier. Sixty-six years later, Neil Armstrong orbited the earth at five miles per second, and took the first step on the moon.
"Sixty-six years from the sands of Kitty Hawk to the dust of the moon," he said, introducing Armstrong to thunderous applause.
Armstrong spoke not only of the past, but also of the future. "Just possibly some of the children who are here tonight will visit Mars. Or possibly, the children of the children who are here. Either way, it started right here with the Wrights. The story of two humble bicycle mechanics can inspire the next generation of doers and dreamers and that's what we're going to celebrate during the next 17 days of Inventing Flight. We must inspire the next generation of Wright brothers - or Wright sisters - for the many things yet to be learned. There are many new planets yet to be explored."
[From the Dayton Daily News: 07.04.2003]