“March of Flight” Fundraising Event on October 21
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – On Saturday evening October 21, 2017, March Field Air Museum will host an all-new, signature fundraising event titled “March of Flight” highlighted by live entertainment performed by jazz singer Troy Clarke and his talented Swing Orchestra that includes some of the finest jazz and big band musicians in the business. Clarke’s first album, “So Nice to Come Home to,” shot to number one on ReverbNation’s charts within days of entering the Santa Barbara jazz market and has remained in the Top 10 ever since.
In addition to headliner Troy Clarke – whose impressive background includes having appeared on television’s Inside Edition with Deborah Norville and The Dating Game, where he was selected The Bachelor with the Best Personality — the celebratory “March of Flight” event will also feature swing-era dancing, 1940s-themed food and drink, interactive games and activities, a fantastic Golden Ticket prize drawing, and more. The community is invited to the festive evening that serves as the official kick-off of a year-long commemoration “Saluting a Century of Service” at Riverside’s historic March Field. Guests will also be among the first to view an all-new “March of Flight: Saluting a Century of Service” exhibit highlighting the proud 100-year history and significant milestones of today’s March Air Reserve Base, which was first established as a U.S. Army Air Corps airfield in 1918.
The festive “March of Flight” event will take place at the treasured March Field Air Museum – a top-rated TripAdvisor attraction located just south of downtown Riverside and adjacent to March Air Reserve Base – where guests will be surrounded by an amazing collection of impressive aircraft and aviation artifacts. Tickets include event admission, live entertainment, hors d’oeuvres and hearty finger foods updated from 1940s classics, two complimentary drink coupons plus a no-host bar. Event guests are encouraged to come dressed in their swankiest 1940s swing attire and dance to the tunes that were playing around the time of March Field’s 25th anniversary.
As part of the “March of Flight” special event, guests will also have the opportunity to play a large-scale version of Battleship and Jenga; write their 100-year congratulation wishes to March Field on a large neon chalkboard; and have “vintage” photos taken as well. Also available (but limited to the first 100 purchasers) is a separate “Golden Ticket” which enters each ticket-holder into a drawing for coveted rides aboard one of two different vintage “Warbirds,” including a Harvard II/T-6 “Pilot Maker” and a PT-22 “Recruit,” and a modern-day helicopter as well. Each Golden Ticket additionally provides entry, this same evening, to an exclusive cocktail reception and pre-opening viewing of the Museum’s new “March of Flight: 100 Years of March Field” exhibit.
Proceeds from “March of Flight” will support the museum’s facilities, programs and exhibits for the community to appreciate now and for generations to follow. This fundraising event takes place Saturday, October 21 from 6 to 9 p.m., and the special cocktail reception/exhibit preview for Golden Ticket holders only is from 5 to 6 p.m. that same evening. Event Tickets cost $100 per couple or $55 per person, with $5 off for Museum members and active duty military. Golden Ticket prices are $100 each, and although there is no purchase limit, these must be purchased in combination with Event Tickets.
To purchase “March of Flight” tickets, please visit www.marchfield.org/upcoming-events or call our ticket order line 951-675-8322 Tuesday-Sunday during business hours (note a small service charge will be added to online purchases).
March Field Air Museum is located alongside Interstate Highway 215 at Van Buren Boulevard, just south of downtown Riverside and adjacent to March Air Reserve Base. For more information about the Museum, please call 951-902-5949 or visit www.marchfield.org. For more information about Troy Clarke, please visit www.troyclarke.comor https://www.facebook.com/troyclarkeLIVE.
Corporate and individual sponsorship packages are available for the March of Flight event by emailing valerie@marchfield.org. Proceeds from this event benefit the March Field Air Museum, a nonprofit education institution dedicated to promoting an understanding of humanity’s reach for the skies and March Field’s pivotal role in the development of flight.
About March Field’s Centennial
March Field (today’s March Air Reserve Base, located immediately adjacent to the museum) is the West Coast’s oldest continuously operating military airfield. Established in 1918 as the U.S. was embroiled in World War I, it began life as part of the U.S. Army Air Corps. Following several sleepy years in the 1920s, March Field was expanded in the 1930s as the world again prepared for war. As March Field passed the quarter-century mark, it was busily training U.S. Army Air Forces personnel for deployment in the Pacific Theater during WWII. Following the war—as the Cold War began—and then continuing for nearly 50 years, March Air Force Base became a Strategic Air Command center for the U.S. Air Force and its nuclear deterrent force.
In 1993, as March Field celebrated its 75th anniversary, it was selected for realignment and subsequently re-designated March Air Reserve Base. Today March Field is home to the Air Force Reserve Command’s 4th Air Force Headquarters and 452nd Air Mobility Wing, the largest air mobility wing of the 4th Air Force. In addition to multiple units of the Air Force Reserve Command, March ARB is also home to units from the U.S. Air Force, Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, California Air National Guard and the California Army National Guard. As it begins its second century as a military airfield, March Air Reserve Base is expanding to encompass new missions in protection of our great nation.
About March Field Air Museum
The March Field Air Museum is a nonprofit educational institution dedicated to promoting an understanding of humanity’s reach for the skies and March Field’s pivotal role in the development of flight. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and rated the #1 Attraction in Riverside by TripAdvisor, the museum is open Tuesday through Sunday and located alongside Interstate Highway 215 at Van Buren Boulevard, just south of downtown Riverside and adjacent to March Air Reserve Base. More than 70 aircraft are on display, ranging from the world’s fastest manned air-breathing aircraft (the SR-71 Blackbird) and a modern-day MQ-1 Predator (remotely piloted aircraft), to early examples of military aircraft, to some of America’s most iconic military planes including World War II bombers. For more information about the museum, visit www.marchfield.org or call (951) 902-5949.
