Actor Jimmy Stewart was a World War II U.S. Army Air Corps pilot who flew 20 combat missions in Europe. He was also an active general aviation pilot and owned a 1961 Cessna 310F, which is now displayed at the airport bearing his name—Jimmy Stewart Airport (IDI). Stewart starred in many movies until the 1980s, but the universally loved holiday movie It’s A Wonderful Life put Stewart’s small town of Indiana, Pennsylvania, on the map. Much like the fictional town of Bedford Falls in the movie, Indiana is a quintessential all-American town.
His father owned the local hardware store and Stewart wanted to go to the U.S. Naval Academy to be a Navy pilot but attended Princeton instead. It is said he was influenced by Charles Lindbergh’s flight, and after college and in Hollywood, Stewart took flying lessons at Mines Field Airport, which later became Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). He had more than 300 hours and owned a Stinson 105 when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was the first major Hollywood star to enlist, and flew the B–24 Liberator across Europe, received the Distinguished Flying Cross, and starred in a recruitment film, Winning Your Wings, that brought many young men into flight training. He later flew as a non-duty observer in Vietnam.
The town in which he grew up celebrates the actor’s life and, during the holiday season, Philadelphia Street in downtown Indiana delights in Christmas. Decorations adorn the lamp posts and twinkling lights dot the buildings much like scenes from It’s A Wonderful Life. Vintage Christmas light displays throughout the downtown area and beautifully decorated storefronts are part of the holiday celebration, which takes place November 22 through December 20, 2025.
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