After almost a year of renovations, the Pendleton Airport will celebrate its reopening with a ribbon cutting and open house in July.
The event takes place July 6, beginning with the ribbon cutting at 12 p.m. Attendees can experience new renovations as well as enjoy drinks and food during the event.
The airport now has a new paint job inside and outside, a new HVAC system, carpeting, windows, restroom improvements, Elvis’ kitchen improvement, and more additional upgrades. These improvements, however, are not the only changes that have taken place in the airport. Pendleton Airport’s renovations pay tribute to the legendary Pendleton Round-Up, the brave Triple Nickels, and the heroic Doolittle’s Raiders.
“The Doolittle’s Raiders and the Triple Nickel Smokejumpers were two remarkable groups of soldiers who had a historical connection to Pendleton,” said Dan Bandel, airport manager. “The Doolittle’s Raiders were a team of 80 airmen who carried out the first bombing raid on Japan in 1942, after training at the Pendleton Army Airfield. The Triple Nickel Smokejumpers were the nation’s first black paratroopers, who were assigned to Pendleton in 1945 to combat Japanese balloon bombs and forest fires. Both groups demonstrated courage, skill and patriotism in their wartime missions, and left a lasting legacy in Oregon and beyond.”
