Later this month, visitors to the Dowagiac Elks Lodge will have the chance to discover more about the history of one of America’s greatest aircrafts — as well as the inner workings of the Dowagiac Rotary Club.

The local service organization will host its annual Family and Friends of Rotary Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27, at the Elks, located at 300 Riverside Drive. Speaking during the dinner will be Cass County pilot Frank Ross, who will share stories as his time flying refueling jets for the famous SR-71 “Blackbird,” a spy plane that was capable of flying at 2,200 mph  — more than three times the speed of sound.

Tickets to the event cost $20, and can be purchased from any member of the Dowagiac Rotary Club or from
organizer Matt Cripe at (269) 782-0099. Dinner choices for the evening include a choice of shrimp, chicken or vegetable tortellini.

The local Rotary club has hosted the annual dinner for nearly a decade, as a way to introduce the functions and members of service organizations to the rest of the community.

“A lot of people just don’t know what we do,” Cripe said. “The dinner is like a special meeting of the club, so that family and friends of Rotarians can see what the club is all about.”

The club usually hosts its meetings during the daytime, so moving it to the evening should allow more people than usual to attend, Cripe said. In spite of the event’s name, people who do not have any connections to the club are welcome to purchase a ticket and attend, he added.

As the former president of the organization, it fell on Cripe’s shoulders to organize the program for the dinner.

The Dowagiac dentist has a longstanding interest with the SR-71, after watching a documentary about the reconnaissance jet several years ago, he said.

The Lockheed-produced jet remains the fastest manned air breathing aircraft in existence. With only 93 people ever known to have piloted the machine before its retirement in 1999, its history is still largely unknown to the public, Cripe said.

“It is a wonder in American engineering,” he said. “Once you hear about this plane, it is hard to not feel pride as an American.”

To open the program, Cripe will show a portion of a documentary about the SR-71, featuring retired Air Force pilot Brian Shul, one of the few men to helm one of the supersonic spy planes.

Following the video, Ross will share stories of his time sharing the skies with the Blackbird, as a pilot of aircraft designed to refuel the gasoline-guzzling machines mid-flight. Cripe, who is Ross’ longtime dentist, said the pilot’s stories will make a perfect match for the information in the video.

In addition to the program, the club will host its annual 50/50 raffle, with proceeds going toward the organization’s annual scholarship. Tickets for the raffle also cost $20, and may be purchased from any Rotary Club member.