Will Rogers Ranch Foundation Announces Tributes Marking the 75th Anniversary of Will Rogers' Passing

Simultaneous Commemorative Moment with Fly Overs in Alaska, California and Oklahoma at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Sunday, August 15, 2010;

Dog Iron Polo Cup & Champagne Brunch with Honorary Co-Chairs Dennis Quaid and Diane Keaton;

Will Rogers State Historic Park Hosts New Visitor's Center and Sales Area Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sunday, August 15, 2010 marks the 75^th Anniversary of Will Rogers’ Passing. As one of the nation’s most beloved Americans in the 1920s and 1930s, Rogers was an actor, cowboy, humorist, writer, entertainer and unofficial diplomat for the United States of America. Also an early supporter of aviation, he tragically died in a 1935 plane crash in Barrow, Alaska at the age of 55. That day, his loss was honored with one hour of all U.S. media going dark (radio and movie theaters). In 1944, his wife Betty Rogers donated their ranch home to the state—now known as the Will Rogers State Historic Park, located at 1501 Will Rogers State Park Road, Pacific Palisades, California.

The Will Rogers Ranch Foundation is commemorating the anniversary of Rogers’ passing with a series of tributes at the State Park, including:

FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 2010
6:30 p.m.	Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the new Will Rogers State Historic Park Visitors Center and Sales Area.
7:30 p.m.	Free Outdoor Screening of the Will Rogers rollicking road trip classic feature film, "Mr. Skitch" (20^th Century Fox). Free popcorn and drinks. Reduced $6.00 parking rate after 6 p.m.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010
11 a.m. – 3 p.m.	“Dog Iron” Polo Cup & Champagne Brunch with honorary co-chairs Dennis Quaid and Diane Keaton, which benefits the Will Rogers Ranch Foundation. Highlights include two polo matches, a Veuve Clicquot Champagne Divot Stomp, the “Dog Iron” Polo Cup Awards Presentation, and guided tours of the Ranch House.
2:00 p.m.	Simultaneous Commemorative Moment with Fly Overs in Three States:
	Pacific Palisades, California -- Will Rogers’ Ranch Home (Fly Over by the Condor Squadron)
	Claremore, Oklahoma -- Will Rogers Birthplace & Home of Will Rogers Memorial Museum
	Barrow, Alaska -- The territory where Rogers and aviator Wiley Post crashed a small plane on August 15, 1935.

For more information on event sponsorship or ticket sales, please visit willrogersranchfoundation.org or call [phone].