| Warbird
Weekend at Grangeville
Historic aircraft exhibits and flights, aviation displays and activities are on tap for the second annual Warbird Weekend, this Saturday and Sunday, July 13-14, at the Idaho County Airport at Grangeville. Event admission is free. This year’s event features a large and iconic group of aircraft: a B-25D bomber, P-51B Mustang fighter, T-6 and AT-6D trainers, a Fairchild PT26, a Nanchang CJ6, Boeing 40 biplane, Douglas DC-3 transport, and tentatively a Hawker Sea Fury. The B-25D, and other select aircraft, will be offering participants flights for sale both Saturday and Sunday, depending on demand. Enquire at the event for available flights and costs. Participants can also preregister for B-25 flights ($495 per person or $2,500 for a group of six) by calling Historic Flight Foundation visitor services, 425-348-3200. Kids have the opportunity to fly free as part of introductory aircraft rides offered through the Experimental Aviation Association Young Eagles program. Flights are open to youth, ages 8 to 17, on a first-come, first-served basis on Saturday only. The child’s parent or guardian must be present to provide approval. Throughout Saturday, guided tours will leave the airport for nearby Anderson Aeromotive, a nationally recognized aircraft radial engine repair facility. Tours will also be guided through the USFS Grangeville Air Center smokejumper facility at the airport. Saturday’s events start at 8 a.m. with a pancake breakfast, open to the public, benefitting Quilts of Valor. The main hangar will feature aviation displays, and an Idaho County tourism/recreation expo. Other events for kids include an Idaho Army National Guard obstacle course, a pilot dress-up contest at 11:30 a.m. and a paper airplane contest at noon. Off-site, the Bicentennial Historical Museum on North College Street will be open for tours, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and will have aviation artifacts, photos and artwork on display. During the day, a beer and wine garden and lunch will be offered by The Twisted Cellar, and cold desserts by Yummyz Ice Cream. Event programs will be for sale on-site, as well as T-shirts, posters as well as signed and numbered Ward Hooper event prints. Sunday, flights will be offered in historic aircraft (pending demand) at the airport from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Meanwhile, local remote controlled aircraft hobbyists will put on a demonstration at the Grangeville High School football field from 10 a.m. to noon. This is the second annual event, largely funded by Idaho County, to highlight the Idaho County Airport as a place for both regional business development and as a gateway to North Central Idaho's back country wilderness. “We couldn’t do this without the county’s support,” said coordinator Melisa Bryant, economic development specialist with Ida-Lew Economic Development Council. |
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