Will & Wiley Remembered At Oologah Fly-In Saturday

Eighty years after a fatal plane crash in Alaska, Will Rogers and Wiley Post will be landing at the Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch near Oologah.

It's the annual Will Rogers & Wiley Post Fly-In, and two actors portraying the famous pair are expected to land during the event August 15, 2015.

That day - and the lives of the two aviation boosters - will be remembered on the Oologah, Indian Territory, ranch where Will Rogers was born. Usually a Sunday event, it was changed to Saturday to reflect the anniversary of the deaths, according to Tad Jones, Will Rogers Memorial Museum executive director.

Lester Lurk and Joe Bacon, also known as Will and Wiley, are expected to arrive around 9 a.m. There will be a Moment of Remembrance at 10 a.m. at their respective airports to honor those who have lost their lives in small aircraft accidents. Mary West of Oologah will sing the “National Anthem” and Ross Adkins, Fly-In announcer for the past several years, will present the commemoration program and call for a moment of silence, a news release states.

8/19/2013 Related Story: Aviation Lovers Attend Will Rogers, Wiley Post Fly-In At Oologah

Bring a lawn chair and enjoy blacksmith and emergency responder demonstrations, a fly-in by Air Evac Lifetime, Cherokee storyteller Robert Lewis and antique cars, inflatables and games for kids. There's no charge though donations are accepted. Food concessions will be available.

The fly-in usually attracts dozens of aircraft of many different varieties, some from hundreds of miles away.

If you can't be there, RSU Radio will broadcast the tribute live beginning at 10 a.m. on 91.3 FM. You can also listen at their website.

The ranch is located at 9501 East 380 Road, two miles east of Oologah.

Get More Information At WillRogers.com.