Honoring our heroes with music, dance and a museum

Two events scheduled for the weekend give people a great opportunity to learn more about our military heroes, and honor their sacrifice.

The Commemorative Air Force will hold its annual Big Band Hangar Dance on Saturday.

It's preceded by the opportunity to take rides in a fully restored, World War II open cockpit trainer, the Fairchild PT-19.

All fliers of the day trained in that aircraft before moving on to fly bombers, fighters, or other military airplanes.

The CAF uses the dance, held at R.L. Jones Airport, as a fundraiser for its restoration and education programs.

The rides are available for $85 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Doors open at 5:oo p.m. for the Hangar Dance.

A buffet dinner from 5:00 to 6:00 is followed by free swing dance lessons from 6:00 to 7:00.

Then, the 18-piece "Sounds of Music" orchestra takes the stage for non-stop dancing from 7:00 to 10:00.

Tickets for the dance and optional buffet may be purchased online at www.caftulsa.org or by calling 918-794-4182.

In Broken Arrow, the long-awaited opening of the Military History Museum also takes place Saturday.

Founded in 2001 by retired USAF and WWII aviator Col. Robert Powell, the museum has spent several months preparing its new home in Broken Arrow.

Its goal is to ensure that Oklahomans "both young and old...understand and never forget the price of freedom."

The official opening is from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9.

The museum is located at 112 N. Main in Broken Arrow.