By Thomas J. Sullivan–
The Citrus Heights Historical Society will offer a guided tour of the Aerospace Museum of California on Saturday, June 8, at 10:30 a.m.
Tour guide Ray Oliver, one of the founding members of the California Aerospace Museum and a member of the Citrus Heights Historical Society, will lead the personal tour. The museum is located at 3200 Freedom Park Drive in McClellan Park.
“So many of us living in Citrus Heights, including members of my own family have a personal connection to the former McClellan Air Force Base,” said Larry Fritz, president of the Citrus Heights Historical Society and a history and arts commissioner. “My father served at the base when I was growing up here.”
Fritz said many former U.S. Air Force service members who were stationed at McClellan have since retired here as have many of the civilian workers served there before its closure.
While the tour is hoping to attract at least 20 registrants, both Fritz and Oliver say this specific tour which is open to aerospace fans of all ages can handle a larger number of participants.
The tour invitation by the Citrus Heights Historical Society is also open to veterans, their families, and members of all veterans groups in the community who can share their stories of service at the former base.
The Aerospace Museum of California celebrates the history of aviation and aerospace. With interactive Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) exhibits and hundreds of artifacts on site, aerospace fans can explore and pilot their own adventure.
Registration for Sacramento’s Second Annual Capitol City ACE Academy which provides unique education programs for middle and high school students ages 13-18 interested in aviation and aerospace from June 17 – 21, 2019 is also now open, Oliver said. Visit aerospaceca.org to register.
More than 40 historic aircraft are featured in a four-acre air park, including a U.S. Navy Blue Angels fighter plane and a “Top Gun” F-14 Tomcat. Museum guests can learn about space exploration and see the future of manned and unmanned flight and space travel.
Free admission to the California Aerospace Museum is included for all members of the Citrus Heights Historical Society. All others are $10. To register for the tour, visit www.facebook.com/CHHistoricalSociety.
Those interested in becoming a member of the Citrus Heights Historical Society can visit their web site at www.CitrusHeightsStories.com. Individual membership is $25, family $35, and business is $50.
Regular hours for the California Aerospace Museum at 3200 Freedom Park Drive in McClellan Park are Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays.