Editing Shawnee, Oklahoma (section)

===Airport===
The [[Shawnee Regional Airport]] has a {{convert|6000|ft|adj=on}} asphalt lighted runway with self-services available seven days a week.
Shawnee has had an airport, private pilot training and air service since the 1920s. May 7, 1919, the city commission discussed constructing an air field, with several locations offered but settled on the old city farm where the fire horses were kept. Business and civic leaders cooperated with aviation companies in the construction of a modern airport. Graham Flying service operated the facility in the beginning then sold it to Curtiss Flying Service. An Aviation Committee of the Chamber of Commerce brought in several air shows including parachute jumps. In 1930 L.E. Regan purchased the Shawnee Municipal Airport and provided flying lessons, passenger trips and an aviation club. Shawnee was one of the hot spots in the state for aviation and was host to a visit from Amelia Earhart in 1931. The city was part of the  Oklahoma Short Line Airways Company with air passenger service in and out daily. With the coming of [[World War II]], civilian fliers were automatically grounded in December 1941 until they took an oath of allegiance, were fingerprinted and presented a birth certificate. City officials went to Washington to offer Shawnee as a site for one of the many military training bases which would be needed as the country headed into the war. Meanwhile, the citizens of Shawnee overwhelmingly passed a bond issue for $200,000 to match the $285,000 allocated by the federal government to build a local base. The Shawnee Municipal Airport was moved to a site north of town. April 1943 the erection of the Shawnee Navy base was begun and by August the first sailors began arriving. First plans for the base was to be an auxiliary extension for the base at Norman but later was named as Shawnee Naval Air Station, a school for navigators. Then abruptly in March 1945 all Navy personnel and equipment were moved to the Clinton OK base because of the limited land available to expand. Shawnee's NAS was put in caretaker status and the equipment was sold off as surplus, much of it going to the City of Shawnee and its citizens. The Shawnee Municipal Airport was returned to its original site in 1946 where it remains today.<ref>U.S. Department of the Navy, Shawnee News-Star</ref>

'''Terminal'''
[[File:Airport Terminal for Shawnee Municipal Airport in Shawnee, Oklahoma.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Shawnee Regional Airport]] Main Terminal]]

On August 29, 2011, the City of Shawnee opened a new terminal building replacing the terminal built in the 1950s. The modern, two-story design, is approximately 4,000 square feet. [[Governor of Oklahoma]] [[Mary Fallin]] was the featured speaker during the official opening praising Shawnee officials for their determination in getting the project started, funded and completed led by former Shawnee Mayor Chuck Mills. [[Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission]] Director Victor Bird also addressed the crowd saying "It's a far cry from what was here just one year ago."

The new terminal includes offices, lounges, a large conference room space upstairs that doubles as an observation deck. A $325,000 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Authority paid for a large sum of the more than $965,000 it took to build the new terminal building.
The Aeronautics Commission also provided a $275,000 state grant to help in the construction costs, while the City of Shawnee paid for the remaining amount. From 2008 to 2011, the Shawnee Regional Airport received nearly $8 million in state and federal grants for various [[runway]] and [[taxiway]] improvements.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ok.gov/OAC/Shawnee_New_Airport_Terminal.html |title=Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission - Shawnee New Airport Terminal |access-date=2012-05-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724205745/http://www.ok.gov/OAC/Shawnee_New_Airport_Terminal.html |archive-date=2012-07-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

'''Sister City – Nikaho, Japan'''
[[File:Japanese Peace Garden in Shawnee, Oklahoma.JPG|thumb|upright|Bridge of Understanding at the Japanese Peace Garden]]

At the southeastern edge of the airport is a commemorative [[Japanese garden|Japanese International Peace Garden]]
A "Bridge of Understanding" and a gravel area with several Oriental-style stone ornamentation. A plaque at the bridge states: "Shawnee  Nikaho/Bridge of Understanding/is dedicated to the memory of Mayor Pierre Taron/a strong proponent of Sister Cities. "There is a [[gazebo]] approximately 15&nbsp;ft. by 18&nbsp;ft. with a gravel and stone floor. In the center is a wood picnic table with benches for seating on each side. The roof is wood shingled and colorful flowers are planted around the outside of the gazebo which is dedicated to the [[Sister Cities International]] program between Shawnee and Nikaho, Japan. In 1987, a Japanese manufacturing company, [[TDK]], opened a factory in Shawnee which locally manufactures [[ferrite (magnet)|ferrite magnets]] for electronic motors. The mayor of Shawnee at that time, Pierre F. Taron, Jr., sought to establish a [[Sister City]] relationship between Shawnee, Oklahoma, U.S.A. and [[Nikaho, Akita|Nikaho, Japan]]. Each year, citizens of each town visit the other town, to renew ties, exchange gifts, and spend time learning about the other's culture. The delegations stay with local host families.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMA3WJ_Bridge_of_Understanding_Shawnee_OK|title=Bridge of Understanding - Shawnee, OK - Sister City Monuments on Waymarking.com|website=www.waymarking.com|access-date=April 7, 2018}}</ref>