Two F-15 Eagle fighter jets from the Oregon Air National Guard's 142nd Wing conduct a flyover during the 2024 Oregon Remembers Memorial Day Tribute at the Oregon World War II Memorial in Salem on Monday, May 27, 2024. The flyover was part of the annual ceremony paying tribute to fallen U.S. service members. (Submitted by Maj. W. Chris Clyne, Oregon National Guard Public Affairs)

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It really is a plane!

Pilots with the 142nd Wing of the Portland Air National Guard Base will fly over Clatskanie during the Heritage Days celebration on the Fourth of July.

Flying in F-15 Eagle fighter jets, the pilots will be flying at about 400 mph approximately 1,000 feet above the ground. They plan to pass over Clatskanie at 11:06 a.m., shortly after the Fourth of July parade begins.

“It’s really a unique honor to represent the Oregon Air National Guard and U.S. Air Force by flying over our local communities on our nation’s Independence Day,” Col. Daniel McAllister, one of the pilots flying this weekend, said in a press release. “If nothing else, I hope we remind people at those parades and celebrations that it takes tremendous sacrifice and dedication by our military service members to ensure the freedom we all enjoy every day.”

Heritage Days events

Besides the flyover, Clatskanie has plenty of activities in store for the annual Heritage Days celebration on the Fourth of July.

The parade kicks off at 11 a.m. and will travel on Nehalem and Northeast Fifth streets. After that, Clatskanie City Park is the place to be. There will be onstage musical performances from noon to 4 p.m., a rubber ducky race, basketball tournament, logging exhibition and more.

Once dusk falls, the city will wrap up the festivities with a firework show.