It has been a crazy year so far on board Midway. The Memorial Day events were amazing, including our two “Top Gun” movie nights, Meet the Aviators and our annual wreath-laying ceremony commemorating fallen American heroes.
To mark the 35th anniversary of Operation Desert Storm, I was honored to speak at our Memorial Day ceremony about my own experiences flying combat missions off Midway in 1991. I guess I am old enough to be history now. Our Fourth of July event for the Big Bay Boom fireworks was, again, the biggest party in town and a great time was had by all. There was no better place to celebrate America’s 250th birthday than on our flight deck.
As we look to the rest of this year, I want to provide an update on the partnerships that support this amazing museum. Steve Miller, our strategic partnerships director, has cultivated an amazing group of companies that have become our friends. More than 30 different organizations have made contributions to support either our museum, our annual gala or Freedom Park.
We are grateful for their continued participation and involvement. I think the best part of joining our team is that you become part of the Midway family. Our partners are invited to all our events and truly become part of Midway Magic. In this issue you will find a list of our friends across the nation who have joined our enterprise.
As regular readers of my letters know, I love to open new exhibits on Midway. I am excited to announce that the bar set from the film “Top Gun: Maverick” will soon be on display. You may remember the Hard Deck bar from the movie, which was modeled after the world famous I-Bar on Naval Air Station North Island.
Our display will be functional and include most of the items seen in the movie. It will be an exhibit during the day but is available for activation for special events. We are enclosing an aft sponson on the port side of the ship with a great view of the “Kissing Statue” and expect it to be open by the end of the year.
Of course, no update would be complete without mentioning the work in progress on Freedom Park. Phase 2D is now nearing completion, which involves electrical and water connections under the pier. The final phase will begin early next year. During all construction on the pier, Midway will remain open to our guests. We are still on track to open the largest veteran’s park on the West Coast in November 2028.
It’s a great day on Midway!
Comments are closed.