AF 60th anniversary ball plans are rolling, picking up speed Published Aug. 8, 2007 By Sheila Rupp Nucleus Staff KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, New Mexico -- Picture fine dining, outstanding entertainment and more than 1,000 people dressed in formal attire -- it's not the Oscars and this is not Hollywood -- it will be the Sandia Resort Sept. 14 for the "Heritage to Horizons" New Mexico Air Force Bases 60th Anniversary Celebration dinner, just one of the day's festivities. The events of Sept. 14 will bring together the three New Mexico bases to celebrate 60 years of air power. A golf tournament held at the Sandia Golf Club will kick off the festivities at 8 a.m. Indoor and outdoor exhibits open from noon-5 p.m. will showcase Air Force and contractor technologies, as well as the history of the Air Force. The hands-on exhibits are sure to be a hit for all ages. Those who love the smell of jet fuel in the morning, or those who just enjoy checking out Air Force toys in the sky, will enjoy flyovers featuring aircraft such as an F-117, an F-4, an F-16, a CV-22 and Air Force helicopters. The day's events will culminate with a by-invitation-only dinner banquet at 6 p.m. at the Sandia Resort for 1,000 members of New Mexico's military community, both servicemembers and civilians. Col. Mohsen Parhizkar, 377th Air Base Wing vice commander and 60th anniversary celebration planning committee chairman, said the committee of approximately 50 people has been working very hard over the last several months to make the day's events memorable for servicemembers and the public. Invitations to the dinner went out recently. The R.S.V.P. deadline for the event has already passed. If you did not respond for any reason, your tickets have been set aside for those on the waiting list. If you were out of town and failed to respond and still wish to attend the event, call the Protocol Office at 846-4119 to check on availability. If you received a ticket but are unable to attend, notify your commander immediately so that the ticket may be reassigned. Do not pass your ticket on to someone else, as there are already many people on the waiting list and the event is by-invitation only. Twenty percent of tickets for the ball were reserved for members of Team Kirtland E-1 to E-6. The Kirtland Chiefs' Group gave unit commanders and first sergeants unit tickets based on the proportion of E-1 to E-6 members in each unit. Unit commanders and first sergeants are responsible for distributing those tickets. Watch future issues of "The Nucleus" for more information about the New Mexico Air Force Bases 60th Anniversary Celebration, including details about exhibits and child care.