This is one of those days when I have a lot of things I’d like to blog about and little time to do any of them justice, so I apologize in advance for throwing out a bunch of unconnected (and unedited) nuggets:<\/p>\n
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Warbird Schedule<\/span><\/p>\n It occurred to me last night that my entry on the Wings of Freedom tour probably should have included some times and locations for those visiting bombers.<\/p>\n On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the planes will be on display at the Heber Valley Aero Museum, which is located in a hanger at the Heber City Municipal Airport in (where else) Heber City. The easiest way to reach Heber is to drive up Provo Canyon beyond Deer Creek Reservoir. If you come this way, you’ll see the airport (and probably the bombers) on your way into town.<\/p>\n Times for walkthrough tours will be as follow:<\/p>\n I understand that Heber will be hosting a “hanger dance” on Friday night to welcome the bombers into town. Details can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n On Monday morning, the planes will fly from Heber to Provo for another three-day stop. Tour times for that leg of the tour are:<\/p>\n The location in Provo will be at the Provo Municipal Airport between Million Air and Advantage Aviation on the Mike Janse Parkway.<\/p>\n I realize that the times on the weekdays are inconvenient for all us working class dogs, but I would like to ask any Simple Tricks readers who can go on those days to please do. Why? Because my friend Dave Wall organized that particular stop — originally, the planes were just going to stop in Heber before moving onto Colorado — and I’d really like to see all his hard work pay off. (Especially since I’m kind of the one who put the idea in his head in the first place…)<\/p>\n Remember that the Collings Foundation<\/a>, which owns and operates these magnificent aircraft, requests a donation of $8.00 for adults and $4.00 for children to tour both planes. The money goes to maintain and fuel the planes, which, according to the company’s press release, cost nearly $3100 per flight hour per aircraft to operate. And, if you have some extra cash or credit available, consider looking into the flight experience. If the planes follow last year’s pattern, these flights will take place in the evening, after the last of the walkthrough traffic; seeing the late afternoon sun arcing across the landscape from the nose bubble of a vintage warbird is something you’ll never forget. Trust me.<\/p>\n You can reserve a seat for yourself on either plane by calling 978-562-9182, or just show up and speak to the Foundation representatives.<\/p>\n Art Show<\/span><\/p>\n In other news, my friend Jack Hattaway<\/a>, who is a potter and ceramicist of some skill, will be making his first attempt at commercialism tonight at the Gateway Mall in SLC from 4 to 8 PM. I’m not sure exactly where it will be — I imagine somewhere near the Olympic fountain — but he and an assortment of other artists will have a booth set up, offering a variety of wares for sale at reasonable prices. If you’re looking for a pot, don’t go to Pier One and buy some cheesy Mexican import crap. Go talk to Jack and get some quality!<\/p>\n Warp Speed, Mr. Scott<\/span><\/p>\n This morning I read the sad news<\/a> that James Doohan, the 84-year-old actor who played Engineer Scott on the classic Star Trek<\/i> series (not to mention six movies and a Next Gen<\/i> episode) has been diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease. There have been rumors to this effect on the Trek<\/i> message boards for a couple of years now, so it isn’t really a surprise, but it is sad nevertheless. The poor old bugger has already been afflicted with Parkinson’s Disease and assorted other complaints. It’s horrible what happens to our bodies as we age, and, for me personally, it’s tough to watch my childhood heroes fade away. Once a regular fixture on the convention circuit, Jimmy will make one final appearance in August at a three-day farewell con alongside all of his surviving castmates (DeForest “Bones” Kelley passed on several years ago). I won’t be able to attend that event — it’s in Hollywood — but I hope he gets a good send-off. I also hope that he doesn’t linger long, the way President Reagan did.<\/p>\n The Race is On<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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