National Cold War Center to host Gary Powers Jr. for gala event

The National Cold War Center (NCWC) will host its annual Cold War Party on Nov. 2 following a Cold War Conversation event with Gary Powers, Jr., on Nov. 1.

The Cold War Party, the NCWC’s annual fundraising gala, celebrates the NCWC’s mission and provides supporters from across the globe an opportunity to help build America’s only federally designated museum of the Cold War.

This year’s event will be held in Hanger 207 of the Arkansas Aeroplex. Party attendees can explore on-site aircraft, enter live and silent auctions, and celebrate with live music and entertainment.

The Cold War Conversation will feature an interview with Gary Powers, Jr., the son of famed U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers – the subject of Steven Spielberg’s 2015 film, “Bridge of Spies,” for which he served as a consultant. Powers is a touring author and commentator on his father’s role in the Cold War. Francis Gary Powers was shot down while flying a secret CIA mission in 1960 over the Soviet Union.

“The Cold War Party is a unique celebration of our mission at the National Cold War Center. It brings together a prestigious group of community leaders, donors, and academic scions,” said Mary Gay Shipley, Chair of the National Cold War Center Board of Directors. “Each year, the proceeds from this great event bring us closer to the grand opening of America’s official museum of the Cold War.”

The National Cold War Center is a federally designated museum that will be located on the campus of the former Blytheville Air Force Base (originally known as the Blytheville Army Airfield), which opened in 1942 as a training facility for World War II pilots.

In 1958, the base was converted to a Strategic Air Command alert mission. It remained a key U.S. military command for three decades – through events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the signing of the treaties officially ending the Cold War in the early 1990s.

The NCWC is targeting a grand opening date in the fall of 2027. Once open, the NCWC will serve as the United States’ official museum of the Cold War.