KILL DEVIL HILLS, NC
October 31, 2003

One of America's outstanding young female pop music stars, Michelle Branch, will perform on the opening day of the First Flight Centennial Celebration which takes place December 12-17 at Wright Brothers National Memorial, North Carolina's First Flight Centennial Commission and the National Park Service announced today. The Grammy and MTV Viewer's Choice Award winner will headline Main Stage entertainment scheduled on Friday, December 12 at 1 p.m. as part of the opening day's theme: "Igniting the Imagination". Programming for this free, non-ticketed opening day is designed to inspire the next generation of aviators by engaging children of all ages in the power of flight. Other highlights include the Raleigh Boychoir singing the National Anthem at opening ceremonies; uplinking to International Space Station; appearances by Wright Family children; Candy Bomber demonstrations; and interactive and educational aviation exhibits.

"The First Flight Centennial Celebration is especially excited to announce Michelle Branch as part of our event," said Kim Sawyer, Program Administrator, North Carolina First Flight Centennial Commission. "She will make a great addition as we inspire our youth to follow in the footsteps of Wilbur and Orville Wright."

The 20-year-old Arizona native has enjoyed great success in her singing career, starting with her acoustic based self-released "Broken Bracelet" in 2000. Her major label debut "The Spirit Room", featuring songs written and performed solely by Branch, sold over 2.5 million records and produced four top-ten hits, and made the Billboard Top 100 list for 82 weeks. Her latest album, "Hotel Paper" was released in June. Branch has toured with Sheryl Crow, the Dixie Chicks, opened for B.B. King, Hanson and Jackson Browne and recently recorded the smash duet "The Game of Love" with Carlos Santana.

Michelle Branch joins the big-name line-up of Main Stage entertainment acts for the First Flight Centennial Celebration that includes The Beach Boys (December 13); The Temptations (December 14); Aaron Tippin (December 15); and Lee Greenwood (December 16).

The First Flight Centennial Celebration will begin on Dec. 12. The six-day event is designed to commemorate the last century of flight; celebrate the achievements of aviators throughout history; and inspire the next generation of aviators to further the Wright brothers' dream. Information about tickets for these and other December centennial events is available at http://www.firstflightcentennial.org. Tickets for December 13-16 are available for $10 per day, and December 17 is sold out. For First Flight Centennial Celebration tickets, visit http://www.wrightbrothers.reserveworld.com, or call (800) 973-7327 or (301) 722-1257 (for callers outside the United States) between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. Eastern standard time.

Contact:

Erin Porter
Centennial Planning Office
Tel: 252 441 6291, ext. 224
Cell: 252 256 1206
ErinPorterNPS@aol.com