THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 26, 1995 TAG: 9510260446
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KILL DEVIL HILLS LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
The First Flight Centennial Commission will review plans here this week for a commemorative coin and a logo for the yearlong celebration in 2003.
The 25-member panel charged with planning the 100th anniversary of Orville and Wilbur Wright's historic flight at Kill Devil Hills will begin a series of meetings today near the site of the inaugural takeoff.
Committee meetings are set for the opening sessions, with the full committee to convene Friday morning.
Funding will be a primary concern, said Charles Hartig, Dare County's public information officer and a member of the commission, on Wednesday. .
Along those lines, the panel will discuss a credit card commemorating the first flight. A portion of each transaction would go toward underwriting the yearlong international celebration.
The sale of a collector's coin also would help fund the commission's efforts. A coin was minted for the Ellis Island centennial. Sales generated some $8 million for the Statue of Liberty.
``We're not counting on a lot of state and federal funding,'' Hartig said. ``Also, we do not want a federal commission established. We think it would be more efficient to keep it at a state level.''
Funding generated by the bank card and the coin would also underwrite renovation of the Wright Brothers National Memorial and the nearby museum.
``This is going to be a yearlong international celebration,'' Hartig said. ``We will need to do some repairs to the memorial, and the museum is not large enough at this point to accommodate the number of visitors who will be coming as the centennial draws near.''
The commission's headquarters will be at the Holiday Inn in Kill Devil Hills. ILLUSTRATION: Illustration
JOHN CORBITT
The Virginian-Pilot
by CNB