Bob Hope Airport launches social media contest to celebrate anniversary

With Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority officials and Burbank’s elected officials set to meet publicly later this summer to outline their proposals for a replacement terminal at Bob Hope Airport, the existing terminal turned 85 years old this past Saturday.

The United States was in the midst of the Great Depression when United Airport, as it was known then, held its grand opening with air races and stunt flying on Memorial Day weekend.

With 11,700 followers on Facebook and 3,000 on Twitter, airport officials hope to involve them in celebrating the airfield’s anniversary, or #BURthday as it’s being promoted on social media in a nod to its three-letter airport code.

Each day at 5 p.m. through Friday, a post on the airport’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/bobhopeairport) will invite comments. Prize winners will be selected from among those who commented on each post by 5 p.m. the business day after it went up.

Rewards will include a round of golf at DeBell Golf Course for Wednesday’s contest or tickets to the Warner Bros. VIP studio tour for Friday’s contest, among other donated items.

The goal is to keep followers “informed, engaged and rewarded,” said Rachael Warecki, an airport spokeswoman. Followers who interact with the airport on Facebook — including many who live outside the tri-cities of Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena — will be more likely to see important posts in the future, she said.