Female pilots from all over the area will gather Aug. 17 at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

The Ninety-Nines, an aviation group for women, and the city of Cape Girardeau will hold a luncheon that Saturday to commemorate an event in 1966 that helped keep the airport open.

It was that year a coast-to-coast airplane race for women called the Powder Puff Derby made a stop in Cape Girardeau. The stop brought much-needed attention to the airport, which was lacking important navigational equipment.

Shortly after the Powder Puff Derby stop, hosted by the Cape Girardeau Area Chapter of the Ninety-Nines, an airport bond issue was passed by voters in the city.

The original seven Ninety-Nines involved in the project were Mary Elders, Easy Elrod, Alice Godwin, Nadine Heuer, Millie Limbaugh, Marge Loiseau and Edna Ransome. Some will be attending the luncheon.

The 30th anniversary luncheon is open to the public and will feature guest speaker Margaret Ringenberg of Ft. Wayne, Ind. Ringenberg has flown for 50 years, including 40 years of racing. She was a Women Airforce Service pilot in Woarld War II and had logged 40,000 hours and flew around the world in 1995.

Various Powder Puff Derby and Ninety-Nines memorabilia will be on display, including a blue dress originally worn by Cape Girardeau chapter member Sally Wehmeyer of Chaffee.

Registrations for the luncheon must be received by Monday.