City of Biloxi honoring Fred Haise with statue dedication on Sunday

The countdown is on for the statue dedication of Biloxi native Fred Haise.

This Sunday, the City of Biloxi will unveil a statue they’ve erected in the astronaut’s honor south of the lighthouse.

Final touches to the monument are underway and soon the six-foot-tall Fred Haise statue will be placed on top of a Saturn 5 Rocket Base and a local artist will finish painting the ‘moon walk,’ which leads up to the statue.

The dedication will take place at 1:13 with Fred Haise himself coming home to see the unveiling.

The event is free. There will be a parade, guest speakers, and even tang to try, a beverage NASA astronauts used to drink in space.

Locals can also learn more about the famous Apollo 13 astronaut at the Biloxi Visitors Center’s new exhibit. City of Biloxi Historical Administrator Bill Raymond said, “Everything in the exhibit was donated by Fred and really does speak to his career with NASA as a test pilot and astronaut and being one of only 24 people that have flown to the moon. It’s just unbelievable.”

For parking, use the Biloxi Visitors Center parking lot but once that fills, they are asking people to park at the Lopez Quave Public Safety Center and Food Giant. There will be transportation provided.