Pittsburgh Airport honors Fred Rogers with red cardigans and shoelaces

Harriet Baskas | Special to USA TODAY

Travelers wearing red cardigan sweaters on Friday will fit right in at Pittsburgh International Airport, where a celebration will be underway honoring Fred Rogers, the beloved host of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, the locally produced public TV show that debuted 50 years ago and aired nationally for 33 years.

Timed to coincide with Friday’s release of a Mister Rogers Forever stamp, Pittsburgh International Airport’s tribute in the Airside Terminal Center Core will feature a large chalkboard where passengers can share memories of watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, have refreshments and pick up free buttons and red shoelaces from employees wearing red cardigans.

On Friday, the post office on Concourse D will begin selling the new Mister Rogers Forever stamp as well.

The cardigans, the shoelaces and the “You’re Special, Too!” slogan on the buttons are homages to Rogers, who always reminded his TV neighbors of how special they were and who began each program by entering his TV house, putting on a zip-up cardigan, and switching from loafers to sneakers.

“Mister Rogers occupies a special place in the hearts of Pittsburghers and people across the country,” said Pittsburgh International Airport CEO Christina Cassotis. “I, like many others, grew up watching him. We’re proud to honor him and excited to offer travelers a chance to jot down a note about him. Mister Rogers and the work he did here are certainly part of the fabric of this town.”

Fred Rogers, who died in 2003, would have turned 90 on Monday, March 20. In addition to the Mister Rogers Forever stamp, a documentary about Fred Rogers is due out on June 8, and a movie based on his life, starring Tom Hanks, is in the works.

Pittsburgh International does its part to remember Mister Rogers year-round. The airport has a recently updated permanent exhibit in Concourse C that contains a sweater, an original pair of Rogers’ shoes and other memorabilia related to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

The airport’s love for Rogers does have a limit, however.

Last year a local resident started an online petition urging that the name of Pittsburgh International Airport be changed to Fred Rogers International Airport.

“Fred Rogers, a television pioneer and children's entertainer, shared Pittsburgh's sense of community with the world through his PBS show,” the petition noted. “Pittsburgh is still an active transit hub and, for many people, our airport will be their first experience in Pittsburgh. We wish to welcome everybody to our neighborhood.”

More than 15,000 people signed the petition. The Allegheny County Airport Authority, which operates the Pittsburgh airport, noted the enthusiasm and neighborly thoughts behind the name change suggestion, but did not act on it.

Harriet Baskas is a Seattle-based airports and aviation writer and USA TODAY Travel's "At the Airport" columnist. She occasionally contributes to Ben Mutzabaugh's Today in the Sky blog. Follow her at twitter.com/hbaskas.