Altitude adjustment: Flagler Beach Aviation Days expands to full month

Don Pierce moved to Flagler Beach two years ago and since then has spent time learning about his new community by immersing himself in the area’s culture and history.

Volunteering as a docent at the Flagler Beach Historical Museum, Pierce talks about what’s on display with the confidence and knowledge of a museum veteran.

Pierce is one of nearly 9,000 people who visit the beachside museum annually and he’s looking forward to Flagler Beach Aviation Days exhibitions being featured at the museum throughout November.

“I joined the museum this year and it’s exciting learning the history of the area,” said Pierce. “It brings the whole history together and the surrounding area. There are other museums in the area, this one concentrates on Flagler Beach. Every day I learn something new.”

What began in 2018 with a three-day event has expanded to a full month of exhibits, aviation presentations and walking tours, with the help of partners at the Flagler County Tourist Development Council, the City of Flagler Beach and the Florida Department of State’s Cultural Affairs Division, according to museum director Kathy Wilcox.

“This month we’re focusing on the rich aviation history of Flagler Beach,” said Wilcox. “When we started this event last year we had a great turnout.”

Special highlights of the program offer an insider’s look at the surprise visit by famed aviator Charles Lindbergh in November 1931, to the contributions of Okey and Martha Bevins, the role played by the Civil Air Patrol during World War II, and an up close and personal look at the area’s fascinating history with airplanes.

Aviation Days activities coincide with the completion of the museum’s first sectional revision devoted to surfing. Featured among the extensive surfing history of Flagler Beach are world and national champions like Frieda Zamba, Haley Watson and Robbie McCormick.

Wilcox hopes that those who visit for aviation days will take a look at the changes to the museum, founded in 2001 by Katherine Wilson, which will continue until the end of January 2020, culminating in the installation of a sea turtle sculpture as part of the Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s Turtle Trail.

“We want to encourage younger people to come into the museum and we felt that this was a way to start that,” said Wilcox. “It’s a work in progress and this is just the beginning. It kind of brings it all full circle.”

A schedule of Aviation Days events can be found at flaglerbeachmuseum.org.