“Keep’em Flying: 75th Anniversary of Vance Air Force Base” exhibit closes, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center

The Keep ’em Flying: 75th Anniversary of Vance Air Force Base exhibit at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center (CSRHC) in Enid will close Friday, November 11. Be sure to visit this display in the J. E. and L. E. Mabee Foundation Exhibit Gallery through Veterans Day weekend.

In 1941 land was purchased south of Enid to build a base to train pilots for World War II and was named Enid Army Flying School. Seventy-five years later, Vance Air Force Base is considered the second busiest Radar Approach Control (RAPCON) facility in the United States, training pilots for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and US Allies. The exhibit was researched and developed by staff of the OHS and CSRHC, and includes the history of Vance Air Force Base from its creation during World War II to present day. The creation of the Keep ’em Flying exhibit would not be possible without the generous support of the Enid community.