Kill Devil Hills, NC

August 25, 2003

Lawrence A. Belli, Superintendent, Outer Banks Group, National Park Service has announced ticket sales numbers to date for the First Flight Centennial Celebration, taking place December 12-17, 2003 at Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, NC. During the first eighteen weeks of ticket sales, Thursday, April 24 – Monday, August 24, 2003, there were 90,208 tickets sold.

Ticket breakout per day is:

Friday, December 12	non-ticketed day
Saturday, December 13	16,684 tickets
Sunday, December 14	16,612 tickets
Monday, December 15	16,667 tickets
Tuesday, December 16	17,742 tickets
Wednesday, December 17	22,503 tickets

Ticket buyers have the option to purchase tickets for each individual day or as a five-day package (December 13-17).

The majority of tickets sold to date have been in five-day package increments, accounting for 13,906 tickets each day. Fewer buyers purchased individual day tickets. December 17 had the highest number of individual day sales with 5,308 tickets.

“Reporting of ticket sales will give us a much better understanding of the scope of the upcoming Centennial Celebration and how to best prepare for it,” Belli added.

Individual one-day tickets are $10 per day. As an incentive, if an individual adult purchases entrance tickets for all five days at the time of original purchase, the package price is a one-time fee of $25.

Although children age 12 and under are free, they will still need a ticket to enter the park.

Senior citizens, age 62 and over, and disabled individuals may purchase a daily ticket for $5 each. Incentive package price for all five days is $20.

All of the most recent information on the First Flight Centennial Celebration can be accessed at the Centennial website on www.firstflightcentennial.org.

First Flight Centennial Celebration
Wright Brothers National Memorial
December 13-17, 2003
Presented by:
United States National Park Service
State of North Carolina First Flight Centennial Commission
Dare County North Carolina
First Flight Centennial Foundation

DAILY THEMES:
Saturday, December 13 and Sunday, December 14 2003
REMEMBER THE PAST, IMAGINE THE FUTURE
Monday, December 15, 2003
PROTECTING THE HOME OF THE BRAVE
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
IN HISTORY’S FOOTSTEPS, CELEBRATING 100 AVIATION PIONEERS
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
12 SECONDS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

Ticket Availability
Tickets can be ordered by calling 1-800-973-7327 or through the internet address
www.wrightbrothers.reserveworld.com

A separate ticket for each day of the event is required. Ticket purchases are limited to 6 per individual and 60 per tour group.

Ticket Prices

Individual Tickets	$10.00 per day
*Senior Citizens (62 or older)	$5.00 per day
*Disabled Individuals	$5.00 per day
Children 12 and under(must have ticket)	Free

*Discounted prices apply only to the individual ticket holder.

Packaged Prices
If tickets are purchased for all five days of the Celebration at one time then the discounted prices for these packages are:

All Sales are Final
The ticket may not be resold or refunded
The event will be held rain or shine

The ticket allows entrance onto the park grounds, buildings and tents that are open to the public.

Parking and Transportation
There will be no parking on site at Wright Brothers National Memorial from December 13th through December 17th, 2003. Access to the park must be gained on foot or by taking one of the off-site shuttle busses, which will be available for visitors. Parking and transportation information will be available in the fall at www.firstflightcentennial.org

Security
During the five days of the First Flight Centennial Celebration access to Wright Brothers National Memorial will be limited to ticket holders. Alcohol and coolers are prohibited. All persons and containers will be subject to search for entry to the site. For updated information about the event please see www.firstflightcentennial.org

Visitors are encouraged not to leave the site once they have entered through security. Please check for any additional security restrictions prior to your arrival. These can be found at www.firstflightcentennial.org

Services
Food and drink vendors will be available onsite for individual purchase.

Updated Information
Information on the First Flight Centennial Celebration, including the events calendar, safety requirements, security restrictions, available vendors and transportation can be obtained by going to www.firstflightcentennial.org

Additional First Flight Centennial Celebration Ticket Information:

1. All advance tickets must be purchased online at www.wrightbrothers.reserveworld.com or by calling 1-800-973-7327.
2. There will be a separate ticket for each of the five days of the event.
3. Tickets are $10 a day for adults or $25 if the entire five days are purchased at the same time.
4. Senior Citizens (aged 62 or over) and disabled are $5 per day for a ticket or $20 if the entire 5 days of tickets are purchased at the same time.
• Qualification for Senior Citizens : 62 years old or older; a National Park Service Golden Age Passport or driver’s license will be required.
• Qualification for Disabled – must be a citizen of the United States or permanent resident who has been medically determined to have a permanent physical, mental or sensory impairment that substantially limits one or more life activities, including the caring for one’s self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking breathing, learning or working. The qualifications are usually obvious but if the visitor does not hold a National Park Service Golden Access card, some type of state or federal benefits card could be used.
5. This discount applies only to the individual ticket holder and would not include anyone else in the group or family.
6. Children age 12 and under are free, and they will still need a ticket to enter the park.
7. The only free entrance (non-ticketed) day will be Friday, December 12th.
8. The ticket only includes entrance into the park grounds, buildings and tents that are open to the general public.
9. The ticket does NOT include any parking or transportation costs from satellite parking lots to the Wright Brothers Nat
10. The physical site can handle approximately 30,000 people.
11. The limit on tickets has been set at 6 per individual and 60 per tour group.
12. There is CURRENTLY no limit on the number of tickets sold per day. However, ticket sales will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and if ticket sales are brisk, then a limit may be imposed on the number of tickets sold for each day. If sales per day have to be limited, then there will be a press release to indicate that to the public.
13. Cutoff for purchase of tickets online or by phone will be approximately a week to ten days prior to the event.
14. Tickets will cost the same whether purchased in advance or on site.
15. All sales are final – no refunds.
16. Commercial bus groups should identify themselves when purchasing tickets.
17. Tickets are being sold to help the National Park Service and the State of North Carolina estimate the attendance at the First Flight Centennial Celebration. The park will not make a profit selling tickets.
18. Where will the money go? The proceeds from ticket sales are being collected under the authority of the National Park Service fee demonstration program. First a percentage of each ticket will go to the reservations contractor. Of the remaining amount, 80% of the fees will be retained for Wright Brothers National Memorial to pay administrative costs involved in setting up the ticketing system, including design and printing. Any remaining proceeds will go toward the cost of the celebration. The other 20% of the fees collected go to parks that do not have a fee program.

Contact:

Erin Porter
Centennial Planning Office
Tel: 252 441 6291, ext. 224
ErinPorterNPS@aol.com