BANGOR, Maine (AP) _ The former Loring Air Force Base and Brunswick Naval Air Station have grabbed all of the headlines in recent years when it comes to base closings in Maine.

But long before then, the Dow Air Force Base closed and became part of the city of Bangor.

The city is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the closing on Friday.

The base started as Dow Field in 1940 and had 4,500 airmen before it closed in 1965. Historian Tom McCord tells WABI-TV that the city was worried about an economic “disaster.”

The base became what’s now the Bangor International Airport. The Maine National Guard has refueling tankers located on the property.