The Air Race Classic (ARC) the all-women cross country airplane race, will be coming to Bryant on Tuesday, June 18th. Forty-nine airplanes will execute high-speed flybys over a timing line at the Saline County Regional Airport as teams race the clock on their way from Jackson Tennessee, to Welland, Ontario Canada.
This year’s course covers 2,538 miles. The 109 racers have four days to complete the course. After flying the timing line, racers may land to fuel up, eat, and then will fly the timing line again as they depart for the next stop. Some teams may spend the night in Bryant.
The City of Bryant, along with Mayor Allen Scott, would like to invite the community to join us in welcoming the racers on June 18th for a “Picnic at the ‘Port” free event. Partnering with Pulaski Tech, the Bryant School District and the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium from UALR and the Civil Air Patrol we have planned hands-on, aviation style activities for kids of all ages to enjoy.
Nabholz Construction Company will have the grill going for free burgers and hot dogs, First Security Bank will help keep everyone cooled off with free sno-cones and you will see other community partners such as the Bryant Chamber of Commerce there as well. Entegrity will have their solar display and Central Arkansas Flying will have a plane on display for the public to enjoy. Other aviation enthusiasts will be joining in on the fun, showing off drones and large scale RC planes and the list keeps growing.
Scattered throughout the event will be game areas for the families to enjoy such as baggo, connect 4, bowling and checkers thanks to the Saline County Library and the Bryant Chamber of Commerce. So bring your blankets or chairs and enjoy a nice evening at the airport from 5:00-8:00 p.m. on June 18th with your friends and family. We will be monitoring the racers via the ARC website and hopefully, you can see some of the flyovers or landings. If not, you are bound to have a good time and learn a bit more about The Saline County Airport while you are here.
For questions regarding the Picnic at the Airport or the Air Race Classic event please contact Dana Poindexter at 501-943-0302 or Connie Curry with Saline County at 501-303-5729. You can follow the event details on FB at https://www.facebook.com/
