By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — If there is one thing that draws a crowd, it’s antique automobile and airplane shows. So bringing those two groups together would seem to be a perfect match.
The inaugural Wings and Wheels fly-in/cruise-in soars into Houlton’s International Airport on Saturday, July 27, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Houlton International Airport.
Cruise-ins are popular during the summer months as they give antique automobile owners an opportunity to show off their road machines. The events are called cruise-ins because the auto owners simply drive in to a designated area and park their vehicles for people to take a closer look at.
The idea for a “fly-in” formed when Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce Director Jane Torres, Houlton’s Town Manager Eugene Conlogue and Houlton’s Economic and Community Development Director Lori Weston were brainstorming new ideas to draw people to the town. The suggestion was “put on the back burner” for a couple of months, but was resurrected when Jon Miller called Torres seeking help in putting together an advertisement for cruise-ins in a statewide magazine.
“I asked Jon what he thought about doing a fly-in/cruise-in and he loved it,” Torres said. “It snow balled from there.”
“This is going to be a great event and the town’s first attempt at combining the great auto hobby with the airplanes at the airport,” Miller said. “There has always been a connection between cars and planes and it is very exciting to bring the two together at the Houlton Airport.”
Because it is a “cruise-in” and not a competition, no awards will be given out. Instead, it will be an opportunity for automobile buffs to show off their cars to the public.
“Cruise-ins originated in the late 1940’s and became popular in the Hot Rod era of the 1950’s,” Miller explained. “Cruise-ins are a social event where anyone involved in the automotive hobby can gather to share their passion for the open road, swap stories, plan events, see old friends and almost always make new ones.”
The Border Patrol and Customs Border Protection will have airplanes and helicopters on display at the event, Torres said. Those aircraft, however, will not be able to touchdown or take off due to aviation rules. Instead, they will have displays set for people to see the aircraft.
Private planes will be allowed to fly in, and Torres said she has between 20-30 pilots from around the state who have committed to the event. Some of the planes will be accessible to the general public for those that want to get a closer look. The U.S. Border Patrol will also have a “Huey” helicopter on-hand.
“We have this incredible asset to the town with our airport, and many people have never been up to see it,” Torres said. “
In addition, Leigh Cummings will do a presentation on the Houlton Army Air Base and its role in the community. Included in the discussion will be talks about the Prisoner of War camp that housed German soldiers from 1944-46.
The Houlton Army Air Base was created in 1941 during World War II because of its close proximity to the Canadian border. Before the United States entered the war, it was supplying airplanes to the British by transporting them to Canada.
In 1944, a large portion of the base was converted to “Camp Houlton,” a prisoner of war interment camp that housed upwards of 4,000 prisoners until it closed in 1946. Only a few remnants of the POW camp remain in existence.
For entertainment, the local band “Mellow Endeavor” will perform from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. In addition, about 20 vendors and craft booths will be available.
