By Serena Kamps, Chapter Field Rep I, EAA Lifetime 1011028
The creativity and spirit of our network of EAA chapters and members was on full display in the Blue Barn during a very successful EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021 in the form of chapter-made Adirondack chairs and mileage signs. In an array as diverse as our chapters, the chairs were arranged in the barn and provided a very comfortable place for our visitors to rest their feet, while the signs were mounted on posts M*A*S*H-style outside the barn. With everything from simple hand-painted lettering, to ornate cutouts and laser engraving, and even solar-powered lights on one sign, it made for a pleasingly eclectic display of chapter pride.
We first pitched the idea of chapters building Adirondack chairs to donate to the Blue Barn back in 2018 and had a handful of them for AirVenture 2019. The number of chairs we received this year showed that chapters have certainly not been idle during the break in the AirVenture excitement in 2020. Some chairs were delivered months prior to the show but many came the week of. One, carefully cushioned in bubble wrap, arrived from Florida via boat — on a trailer towed by a truck! Another chapter which had brought a set of chairs in 2019 returned this year with a table to match! An additional chapter, not satisfied with only doing one chair, donated a matching set of three!
The chapter arrow sign idea was announced only a few weeks prior to this year’s show and we were frankly blown away with the results. Monday morning arrived to find chapter members showing up with their signs faster than we could mount them! Signpost No. 1 was quickly filled, followed in short order by No. 2. Signs continued to trickle in for the rest of the week and by the end, we had almost three signposts filled!
Each chair or sign that arrived called for a minute or two of celebration as smiling chapter members watched with pride as their sign was mounted or assisted with the unpacking of their chair and posed beside them for pictures. It all added to the overall sense of excitement to be back at the World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration!
If your chapter is interested in leaving your mark at the Blue Barn with a chair and/or a sign, simply email chapters@eaa.org to request the chair plans or make your sign according to the dimensions specified in the sample sign in the picture. We welcome your imaginative ideas! I wouldn’t be surprised to see some friendly competition develop in years to come as chapters vie with each other to demonstrate their artistic prowess!
Thanks to all those who contributed to both of these projects!
