The N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) announced a plan to provide free public transportation services for the Celebration. With about 35,000 attendees expected each day of the celebration - and no parking available at Wright Brothers National Memorial - the plan is designed to get attendees to and from the events as efficiently as possible and to minimize the impact on local residents. 

The transportation plan is now available online at www.firstflightcentennial.org. Look under "Quick Links" for information on our most frequently asked questions -- now including transportation. 

If you have transportation questions about the First Flight Centennial Celebration, please email them to firstinflight@dot.state.nc.us

The reproduction of the very plane with which Orville and Wilbur Wright made their historic first flights has been built with over $1 million donated by Combs. The plane will be dedicated in a ceremony on December 17, 2003 at 1:00 pm. The flyer will then be on permanent display at the Visitor Center at Wright Brothers National Memorial.

Why would a man whose father told him never to set foot in an airplane go on to great achievement in aviation and develop a long-term passion for sharing the genius of the Wright brothers? Click on the following link to learn more about Harry Combs and this contribution to the American people

The daily Welcome and Centennial Greetings program will feature the Raleigh Boy Choir on December 12, the popular bands The Landsharks and The Embers (3 p.m. in the Pavilion) on December 13, the Elizabeth City State University Chorus on December 14, and Molasses Creek on December 16. 

These musical groups supplement the big-name line-up of 1 p.m. Main Stage Entertainment acts already announced for the First Flight Centennial Celebration that includes Michelle Branch (December 12); The Beach Boys (December 13); The Temptations (December 14); Aaron Tippin (December 15); and Lee Greenwood (December 16). 

Founded in 1968, the Raleigh Boychoir provides a rich musical experience for boys ages nine to fifteen. Eighty singers make up the three performing and training choirs. The choir performs a demanding repertoire from sacred and secular classics, musical theatre, and American folk and patriotic music.

This interactive party band - The Landsharks - plays a wide variety of music including rock and roll, reggae, dance, beach music, calypso and country. The ten-member band has performed with Jimmy Buffett and recorded their first CD at his recording studio in Key West, FL. 

The Embers started making music in 1958, playing a mix of rhythm and blues and heart and soul that came to be known as Beach Music. Over the years they've played for presidents and princes, students and bankers, at the beach and in the city, on record and in concert. They were named North Carolina's Official Musical Ambassadors. They've opened for the Rolling Stones, done commercials for Budweiser, played the Olympics and President Clinton's inauguration, and created the soundtrack for endless summers. Given the temperatures at the Outer Banks in December, some welcome heat.

Directed by Professor Billy C. Hines, the Elizabeth City State University Choir has been described as an "incredible group of voices" and has performed throughout the eastern United States and the Bahamas. It is known for its eclectic musical taste and resplendent audience appeal. 

Molasses Creek arose amidst the rich tidewater marshes of Ocracoke Island, NC, where stunning natural beauty mixes with community to create a rich melting pot of musical traditions. This high-energy acoustic folk-fusion group continues to win a loyal following with a captivating stage presence, elegant harmonies, blazing instrumentals, and a quirky sense of humor. Award winners from Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion "Talent from Towns Under Two-Thousand" contest in 2000, this band has five albums to their credit, and has traveled many thousands of miles across the country to concerts and festivals.