With the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, Moose Jaw is rolling out the blue carpet next week and holding activities to honour the air organization’s history.
Homestand ’24 kicks off the centennial celebrations at Ross Wells Park on Saturday, Sept. 7. Organizers plan to play a one-minute trailer for the documentary “Wings of Honour,” while brief speeches by dignitaries and air force personnel will follow.
A flyby by planes from 15 Wing Airbase is expected.
The City of Moose Jaw is contributing to the celebratory atmosphere by lighting up city hall’s clock tower in blue from Sept. 7 to 14.
The Western Development Museum is highlighting the role the RCAF has played in Canadian history — particularly during the Second World War — by giving 20- to 30-minute guided tours of the British Commonwealth Air Training Program (BCAPT) Gallery.
Those tours occur on Saturday, Sept. 7, Sunday, Sept. 8 and Saturday, Sept. 14 at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Tours are included with regular museum admission; WDM members enter for free and military personnel receive a 10-per-cent entrance discount.
Meanwhile, the museum is holding an RCAF seek-and-find in September, with visitors encouraged to explore the galleries to find the names of different aircraft that the air force has used over the decades.
The aircraft gallery is set up like a BCATP base, which was used to train pilots during the Second World War. Several design aspects that easily distinguish these bases were the dark green shingle-clad buildings and the bright yellow training aircraft that the RCAF and Royal Air Force used.
On Friday, Sept. 13, the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre’s Mae Wilson Theatre is showing the documentary “Wings of Honour,” which is a powerful and emotional feature-length film directed by Robert K. Barrett that celebrates the RCAF’s 100th anniversary.
Through its backdrop of rarely seen RCAF archival footage and dramatic contemporary footage, the film showcases compelling stories from past and present RCAF members.
The evening kicks off at 6 p.m. with a cocktail cash bar reception, followed by the film showing at 7 p.m.
Then, on Saturday, Sept. 14, the theatre is showing Top Gun at 3 p.m. and Top Gun: Maverick at 7 p.m., courtesy of the Capitol Film Society.
The documentary is free to attend, though the showings of Top Gun 1 and 2 cost $20 for both movies or $15 each. All military personnel can attend for free.
On Saturday, Sept. 14, the Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery is holding a free event to recognize the exhibition “Skyward Bound: A Journey Through RCAF History from WWII to Today.” This exhibit is in partnership with the library and 15 Wing, while Violet Tang curated it with assistance from Rob Bos and Jennifer Doede.
Opening remarks start at 11 a.m., while a tour of the exhibit occurs at 11:15 a.m.
Also on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Downtown Moose Jaw Association is hosting the Little Chicago Show and Shine on Main Street from Manitoba Street to Athabasca Street.
There will be four stages of live music, a raffle and a dozen award categories. There will also be more than 400 vehicles from across the decades, ranging from pre-1949 to the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and today.
This event is free, except for people registering their show cars.
For more details about Moose Jaw’s RCAF centennial activities, see the Facebook page.
