SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 2014
International Visitors Tent guests reunite for 40th year at AirVenture
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www.hamiltonwatch.com
By Antonio Davis
PHOTO BY ANTONIO DAVIS Visitors and volunteers gather before the International Vistors Tent Parade.
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AA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014 marks the International Visitors Tent’s (IVT) 40th year at AirVenture, and both visitors and represented nation numbers have increased over 2013. As of Friday, there were 1,742 visitors from 64 different countries, compared to 1,708 and 62 in 2013. IVT is a place where interpreters help people of different tongues communicate, where message boards allow guests to leave notes for their friends who traveled separately, and where international visitors can get information about AirVenture and the city of Oshkosh. Michel Bryson, IVT chairwoman, said international guests really enjoy coming to AirVenture. “People who may not get along outside get along here…it’s all about aviation,” Bryson said. There are 40 volunteers at IVT who speak 30 different languages, and it is also headquarters for Canadian members and aviation enthusiasts from north of the border. Nine-year volunteer Ernst Derenthal of Frankfurt, Germany, said the people are why he returns each year. “You meet a lot of people coming back every year,” Derenthal said. “It’s a huge event for people who are nuts about aircraft and flying.” Cha Strong, IVT volunteer, is originally from South Korea but currently resides in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. She said Oshkosh is a beautiful place, and her family loves EAA. “It’s good to come out each year and help people from South Korea,” Strong said. “I love being here. Oshkosh is just so alive.” Friday’s International Visitors Parade at noon had people from around the world carrying the banners of their homelands.
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