Green County 2021 Guide

FLYING BACK IN TIME: World-Class Aviation Museum Opening in Brodhead The Midwest in summer: Rolling green hills, clear blue skies, and a gleaming red biplane soaring through the scene. It’s been decades since airplanes had open cockpits and pilots wore goggles and scarves, but this isn’t a scene from a movie - it’s very much real, very much today, and just waiting for you to explore. aviation progressed in leaps and bounds, and the country was starry-eyed for all things aviation. Looking at the vibrant museum collection, it’s hard to believe this innovation and beauty came out of the Great Depression - but the Golden Age of Aviation couldn’t have happened without the urgency and inventiveness of an era even more uncertain than today.

collection’s planes is an original airmail biplane, tying the large story of airmail to a very real local one. And the Pietenpol, a “build-it-yourself” small airplane that has busied DIY folks since its invention in 1929, is nearly as native to Brodhead as a dairy cow! Several models, including one in the final stages of being built and one that flies, are featured in the museum’s hands-on exhibition.

Homemade Pies Breads & Sweet Rolls Pickles & Preserves Cakes & Cookies Special Orders Welcome! Brodhead Harnesses (new, used, & repair) Mon-Sat: 8 AM -6 PM

Bakery Open Friday &Saturday 8 AM - 6 PM

This is the Kelch Aviation Museum, an international destination for lovers of old airplanes, wooden propellers, and the smell of engine oil. Though Brodhead seems like a tiny dot of a town surrounded by corn fields and cow farms, the Brodhead Airport attracts aviation-minded visitors from around the world - and the Kelch Aviation Museum showcases the reason why. Entering the brand-new museum hangar - imagine the biggest garage you’ve ever seen, but it’s been furnished by F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Smithsonian Institute - is like stepping back in time. A flock of vintage airplanes stand in stunningly fly-able condition, sleek and ready to soar. A car that Al Capone would be right at home in is parked beside a workbench, where the tools are labeled for visitors but still clearly in regular use. When the enormous hangar door is open, planes are pushed out into the sunshine, and pilots and civilians alike ooh and aah over the colorful machines as they taxi and then take off on the grass runway. History can feel dusty and dead - but not here. The original aircraft collection, assembled and placed into a trust by the museum’s namesake Al Kelch, has grown to include rare engines, propellers, an extensive research library and archive, and a cheerful crew of staff and volunteers who make the place come alive. The museum focuses on “The Golden Age of Aviation” - the time in between the world wars when civil

Founded in 2012, the Kelch Aviation Museum began construction of its state-of-the-art buildings in 2019. The project was supported entirely through fundraising, making this a true community endeavor, and the museum makes you feel like one of that community no matter where you are from. “History isn’t a thing of the past - it’s influencing us every day, whether we know it or not,” says Ami Eckard-Lee, the museum’s collections manager. “Eighty, ninety years ago, there was this worldwide rush to refine and fly these seemingly rudimentary planes to new heights - literally! And without that, we wouldn’t have air mail or rockets or weather forecasting today.” It’s not just big names and legendary stories, either; there’s a lot of local history to be explored, and Kelch gives Wisconsin center stage. Brodhead was on an early air-mail route, and one of the

If you find yourself in need of a little old- fashioned adventure and a little modern optimism, take a trip to Kelch Aviation Museum! The sky’s the limit, in tough times as well as smooth ones - and don’t we all dream of flying, sometimes? By Ami Eckard-Lee Collections Manager and Archivist

Home cooked Amish dinners for larger groups, by reservation. 1602 ScotchHill Rd., Brodhead 608.897.3820

Exceptional Apples

Our Family Farm Since 1839 Ten Eyck Orchard 2 miles west of Brodhead 10 miles east of Monroe Hwy. 11 & 81, Brodhead Open end of August through mid-November 608.897.4014 teneyckorchard.com

Bip a e Rides & Sce icTours

BRODHEAD AIRPORT & AROUND THE MIDWEST

After years in the making, the Kelch Aviation Museum at Brodhead Airport opens to the public with a grand opening this summer! Explore a unique collection of restored aircraft from the Golden Age of Aviation, the period between the world wars when advancements in aeronautical engineering

MAY — OCTOBER Weather Permitting ✦ Gift Certificates Available ✦ The biplane seats two passengers. Flights start at $60 per person with two passengers.

and scientific methods shaped much of the world we live in today. Through educational programming, lively exhibits, and an extensive research library, the museum celebrates and shares this exciting period in our history! Whether it’s an outing with the kids, an afternoon looking back in time with grandpa, or an aviation-nerd pilgrimage, Kelch Aviation is an ideal destination. Visit kelchmuseum.org for hours and events, and follow on Facebook & Instagram for educational videos and updates.

GYPSY AIR TOURS | 608-215-7896 www.gypsyairtours.com Experience the majestic beauty of the skies from the open cockpit of a vintage 1930 WACO Taperwing.

Looking for the ride of a lifetime? Kelch Aviation Museum recommends Gypsy Air Tours for an incredible biplane ride departing from Brodhead Airport. Soar into the clouds and back in time! Book with gypsyairtours.com.

26

27