After waking up and having my lovely southern-style breakfast, I am off to Tuskegee at 8:00 am sharp. It's only a 45 minute drive, but I want to make sure to arrive in time for the 45th Annual Memorial Day Fly-In, located at the Tuskegee Municipal Airport. This is the site of the base where the Tuskegee Airmen trained. It will be a surreal experience being in the same place that the Airmen flew, watching the fly-overs throughout the day. I am very excited to go through the interactive exhibits that will be on display and to enjoy the carnival food (there will definitely be corn dogs and turkey legs consumed this day).
What I'm most looking forward to this day, however, is the chance to meet a real Tuskegee Airman. The man pictured here is LTC William Holland III, a fighter pilot in WWII and a proud member of the Tuskegee Airmen. He is pictured here at the event in 2010, and he died shortly thereafter. Although there are not very many men remaining, I still have the opportunity to talk to at least one. The opportunity to meet and talk to someone who was actually there is one of the most exciting moments of my trip. I hope to be able to ask him how the pressures of representing his fellow African Americans in such a big way and in such a crucial era was like. Was he, like Todd, overwhelmed? I'm looking forward to hearing his response.
That night, I plan on spending some time at P B's Blues Bar to experience live music in the city that Ellison studied it in. I'm looking forward to engaging in the city's music culture. There are apparently no pictures or any websites about this place, so I can't show you anything. This may make the night that much more exciting, though. Who knows how crazy it could get?
That night I will stay my first of two nights at the Kellogg Hotel.
In the spirit of the day, I will be listening to "Flying Home" by Lionel Hampton, originally written by Benny Goodman. This song was the inspiration for Ellison's short story with the same title, and it seems appropriate considering the activities of the day.
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