Ames Today

The community is invited to a dedication ceremony hosted by Mayor John Haila and the Ames City Council for the renaming of the James Herman Banning Ames Municipal Airport. The celebration will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 17, at the front entrance of the airport, 2520 Airport Drive.

James Herman Banning, who moved to Ames in 1919 to attend Iowa State College, was the first African American to receive his pilot’s license from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Banning and mechanic Thomas C. Allen were the first African Americans to complete a transcontinental flight. Banning developed his love for flying while living in Ames and named his plane “Miss Ames” after the city. He moved to Los Angeles in 1929 and died in a plane crash in San Diego in February 1933 while flying as a passenger.

Banning’s great-nephew Christopher A. Hart will speak at the ceremony, sharing information about Banning and his legacy in aviation. The ceremony will be followed by a reception in the airport terminal with light refreshments.

Following the Banning Dedication Ceremony, participants are invited to attend the NAACP’s second annual Juneteenth Celebration from noon to 4:30 p.m. at Bandshell Park, which includes live music, food trucks, arts and crafts, games, face painting, and more. City of Ames Police, Fire, Water, and Ames Parks and Recreation departments will be participating in the event. A presentation of a play about Banning will begin at 2:30 p.m. at the Durham Bandshell stage. All events are free and open to the public.

Original source can be found here.