Wings & Wheels set for Oct. 2 at Sussex airport

All systems are go for Wings & Wheels 2010, a Georgetown fall festival. This third annual event is ready for take-off from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 2, at the Sussex County Airport in Georgetown, and admission is free. The Greater Georgetown Chamber of Commerce, the Delaware Aviation Museum and Lower Delaware Mustang Club, along with premier sponsors Northrop Grumman, NRG Energy and Southern Delaware Tourism, are hosting Sussex County’s only fly-in of vintage planes and classic car show.

Last year’s festival attracted some 4,000 people, and 2010 promises to be even bigger and better, said Karen Duffield, executive director of the Georgetown chamber. Along with the fly-in of World War II aircraft and the car show, the day will feature live entertainment from CAT Country and popular local bands Skinny Leg Pete and The Cruzers. Kids’ games and inflatables, as well as many craft and food vendors, will also be on hand. A new and very poignant element of this year’s event is a special World War II living history program which showcases a panel of Sussex County World War II veterans. Local author and journalist James Diehl has profiled many of these heroic Americans in his 2009 award-winning book, “World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware,” and he has organized this special event for Wings & Wheels 2010. Diehl says that this may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear the live, firsthand accounts from these incredible heroes. “They are our vanishing voices of World War II,” says Diehl. “Help us honor them throughout the day by listening to their stories, watching newsreels related to their plight and asking them questions. We urge you to attend the Wings & Wheels festival as we pay tribute to the humble warriors who sacrificed so much so many years ago.”

A program and exhibit on Fort Miles is planned, and World War II re-enactors will set up encampments again this year, with memorabilia on display to complement the many World War II vintage airplanes expected to fly in. Rides will be available for purchase on select planes by individual reservation; options are listed on wings-wheels.com
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The Lower Delaware Mustang Club organizes the wheels part of the festival with a car show that last year had over 250 registrations. The 2010 event is expected to bring in even more of the classic roadsters and award-winning models. Denny Orem, club president, said, “If the weather cooperates, we could see upwards of 400 cars register this year.”

Additional event sponsors include Anchor Enterprises, CAT Country, Clean Delaware, Delaware National Bank, Delmarva Power, The Insurance Market, Jolly Trolley, Lester Realty, Lighthouse Landing Restaurant, Perdue Farms, Servpro of Sussex County, Sussex County Council, Tyndall’s Construction, Walmart and Waste Management. For more information visit wings-wheels.com
or call 302-856-1544.