|
Things to do in Oshkosh
-
EAA Airventure Museum
The experimental aircraft
association's fly-in convention was the original name for the
museum, but now it is called EAA airventure Oshkosh, and was
started in 1953; when it was part of the gathering for the
Milwaukee Air Pageant. That first get together had just a few
planes that were either homemade or modified. Less than 150
people came to see the show, and while the air pageant no longer
is held, the airventure meeting is a world class premier
aviation happening. During the early years of the fly-in, it
grew fast, eventually becoming too large for the Milwaukee
airport and in 1959, it was moved to Rockford, Ill. municipal
airport and it was held there for the next ten years. While
there, the convention established its preeminence as a
homebuilder's event and the friendly camaraderie feeling that
still is felt today. It was in those years that the aviation
interests such as antiques, warbirds and aerobatic flyers were
integrated into the EAA gathering. In 1969, it was obvious that
the fly-in had outgrown Rockford and the event had left the home
basement operation into an office and museum outside of
Milwaukee into Franklin. The gathering itself involved hundreds
of planes and tens of thousands of visitors. Sites began to be
considered for the annual event, and aviation legend Steve
Whitman, one of the original EAA members, thought the airport at
Oshkosh would be perfect since there were so many acres of land
surrounding it. The large acreage around this airport could
support the planes, tents and vehicles that came to the event
and it had two runways that didn't intersect and would be better
for more traffic. In the latter part of 1969, the EAA board
decided it would be the best place to move to. The only problem
that arose was the lack of convention facilities or
infrastructure in Oshkosh; however, the volunteers of the EAA
came together and within 6 months, the fly-in had a new home.
Those volunteers continue to help with the EAA's needs and over
4000 people are involved now. During the 1970s and 1980s the
event erupted onto the national scene and the attendance grew
into six figures attending and it soon was one of the top shows
of sport aviation. In 1998, the name was changed to EAA
Airventure Oshkosh, and it has become one of the world's top
aviation events with top government officials, corporate heads
and hundreds of thousands of flight enthusiasts. It goes across
the entire spectrum of aviation and brings over 10,000 planes to
the gathering each year. The week long happening brings in over
half a million people that spend over $110 million. In 2008, the
airventure event began a massive 10 year upgrade that would
improve and enhance the field for all visitors, both pilots and
visitors. Presently, the gathering has become an international
affair where people can study the latest aircraft and
improvements and find new ideas and techniques from among the
1000 workshops and forums that are held.
-
The Grand Opera House
The grand opera house in
Oshkosh, Wisconsin is located in a beautiful structure that was
built in 1883 and then renovated to its past grandeur.
Originally opened as an opera house, the first production was
called the Bohemian Girl, which was a very popular opera during
that era. While in operation, the opera house was the place for
grand operas, then traveling road shows, vaudeville and finally
motion pictures; then back to off Broadway shows. The last one
was run for a total of 42 years, it was an original and the
17,162 performances made it the longest running musical in the
world. The opera house was where many great and renown
performers came; Houdini, Susan B. Anthony, Enrico Caruso,
Charlie Chapin, the Marx Brothers and Mark Twain. Unfortunately,
over the years, the grand theater fell on hard times and by the
end of the 1970s, it was showing X-rated movies. Finally in
1979, renovation efforts and fund raising renewed the old
theater and it re-opened in 1986. After the re-opening, stories
began to come to light about the apparitions and odd things that
happening during its renovation. It is no surprise then that the
stories and tales have continued even today. During the 1980s, a
local theater group, called the Drama Lab had some dramatic
events that occurred with mysterious footsteps, slamming doors
and many other oddities. There is one story about an actor that
ran into a dressing room only to face a figure dressed in old
fashioned clothes with a playbill from a show that was done in
1895. A worker was doing a job in the balcony one night when he
heard footsteps coming up the stairs and when no one came into
view, he looked around the corner and didn't see anyone. A
recent story has the ghost being the spirit of Percy Keene, the
former stage manager of the theater. A film crew was there in
1977, when they say a man standing on the balcony looking down
at them with a friendly smile and it looked like the man, Percy
Keene, with a haircut and small round glasses that were his. He
was the stage manager from 1895 until 1967 and people believe
that he is still looking out for his beloved theater. The
stories are endless and for more information, visit this
magnificent old opera house whenever you visit Oshkosh.
-
Military Veteran's Museum, Inc.
This museum dedicated to the
armed forces of the United States contains many items of
memorabilia that are of great interest to the community and
visitors alike. An original New York Herald newspaper that
announces the assassination of Abraham Lincoln is housed here,
with the original ships log of the USS California from December
7, 1941, jeeps from the second World War, Korea and Vietnam,
women's service uniforms, enemy and allied weapons and so much
more are kept in preservation at the museum. It is dedicated to
peace, national pride and patriotism; promising to educate
adults and young people alike about the role of the citizen
soldier. A great number of medals and badges are displayed, with
photographs, uniforms, exhibits and vehicles. It is the
repository for the USS Wisconsin's recommissioning plaque that
weighs over 400 pounds and made of the salvaged teak deck from
the ship during the second World War. The 32nd Red Arrow
infantry division's history has a special exhibit that is
devoted to the women and men from the state of Wisconsin that
served in this glorious unit. They earned this red arrow
nickname and crest serving under General John J. Pershing in
World War I in France so gallantly. Some of the uniforms that
are here came from the war of 1812 right up to Operation Desert
Storm, with uniforms of the German Wehrmacht, American Red Cross
and Canadian Army.
|
