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On ‘Thunder over Michigan’ and minty "farm boy" memories A loud rumble over the blazing hot tarmac at Willow Run Airport last weekend could have been a prelude for some much-needed precipitation in a bone-dry summer – but it wasn’t.
All the noise in the hazy sky came from the assortment of planes that comprised this year’s "Thunder Over Michigan" show, dedicated for the most part to vintage World War II aircraft and coordinated by the Yankee Air Museum.
What an event. Last year was my debut introduction to the airshow, thanks to some coaxing by son, Brent Gaffney, who has developed a fascination with WWII planes and is instilling a similar love for aircraft into his children, Caleb and Gwendolyn – well, not so much granddaughter, Gwen, but her brother certainly is into planes.
It was very hot, but Caleb hung right in there, watching planes do maneuvers overhead and thoroughly enjoying a tour of the ‘Memphis Belle,’ one of the many B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft that were part of the show again this year. It was the largest gathering of flyable B-17s ever assembled in one place post World War II, setting a new world record. Row upon row of aircraft created a patchwork of color on the tarmac close by where the Yankee Air Museum hanger had once housed a permanent display of planes and other WWII items. A fire last year completely destroyed the hanger, but the huge B-52 bomber still stands near the runway – providing shade under its massive wings and fuselage for the many visitors who camp out on lawn chairs to watch the aerial displays. For someone like me, who has zero knowledge about airplanes of any kind – but loves history in all its forms – the air show is an opportunity to gain a small sense of the valor displayed by air service personnel during World War II. Seeing the planes provides a perspective of the combat aerial maneuvers that helped bring about the end of the war in both the European and the Pacific theatres of battle. It’s a day-trip that our readers may want to consider making when Thunder Over Michigan sounds again in August 2006. For information check out the web site of the Yankee Air Museum at www.yankeeairmuseum.org * * * There may or may not be thunder over St. Johns this weekend, but mint will surely be in the air. It’s Mint Festival weekend – that means lots of people having lots of fun.
We hope you enjoy our special Mint Festival features that are part of this week’s Indy – and, in particular, a story provided by a local mint "farm boy," Ed Martis. He and his wife, Suzanne, have a place of honor at this year’s Festival, serving as Mint Parade Grand Marshals along with Shirley Rasmussen Huguelet. As Ed notes in his remembrance of life on the farm, "You can take the boy out of the farm, but you cannot take the farm out of the boy." Ditto for "girls on the farm," Ed – thanks for sharing your story.
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