A Rookie's Guide to Twain Country: July 2011

Thursday, July 28, 2011

The Wind Beneath Our "Wings"

I heard tell the other day that there was going to be some robot buildin' going on over at the Wings of Eagles Discovery Center. And since a sci-fi geek is never one to pass up robots:

In tribute to Eileen Collins

I had never been to Wings of Eagles before, and found it to be an interesting mix of classroom and museum. On the classroom end, I found the Science Academy in full swing, which is a fun and educational program for children from local schools that runs for a few weeks each summer.

When I visited, the kiddos were finishing up with a robotics lesson. They had not only built these little cars, but were also programming them via computer to take on various obstacles and complete mapped-out courses:

After the robots, they were moving on to building rockets, so it was a pretty busy morning. I'm not sure I could sit down at a table and successfully assemble a rocket, so more power to them.

I did, however, learn some new vocabulary from the rocket lesson that could easily make one of those "Word a Day" calendars. Like, for example, "apogee." Or the highest point something can reach.

As in, the apogee of a rocket I built probably would have been about 3.5 feet, but I'm sure that the apogees (apogi?) of the kids' rockets were much higher.

On the museum side of things, Wings of Eagles is home to some cool aircraft and engine specimens:

M*A*S*H*?

I was pretty floored by the variety of items packed into the encased displays. I took some time to read about them, and came away with an enhanced appreciation of the accomplishments and sacrifices of airmen and women. And for what life was like during wartime, both in combat and back home.

I mean, check out some of this stuff. Here's a display honoring the first female pilots:

We've all heard about Amelia Earhart, as well we should, but she also had company.

Like Blanche Stuart Scott, the first American woman to pilot a plane by herself, and also famous for completing a "Death Dive" from 4,000 to 200 feet. She retired at 27 because she felt that people were paying money "to see me risk my neck, more as a freak - a woman freak pilot - than as a skilled flier."

Or Bessie Coleman. Did you know that the first African-American pilot in the world was a woman? Because I didn't. AND she had to learn French and then travel to France to earn her license, because no American flight instructor would teach her.

You can also see some huge old aerial cameras:

A pamphlet that the Germans used in the 1940's to identify U.S. and British armored vehicles:

A piece of fabric commonly sewn into U.S. Air Force jackets in case an airman went down in Korea. The message states that rewards would be offered for delivering him to the U.N.

Special currency that was used after Pearl Harbor. The U.S. was worried that the Japanese might overrun Hawaii, and in doing so, capture large amounts of money to fund their war effort, so the bills were stamped in brown so that they'd only be accepted in Hawaii.

The jacket worn by members of the 1941 Hickham Field baseball team. Hickham Field was the airfield right next to Pearl Harbor, and any memento from the base at the time of the attack is extremely rare.

A telegram addressed to a mother stating that her son was a prisoner of war of the German government:

Information about what to do in the case of an atomic bombing:

Scary.

There's also shuttle memorabilia, like this 205 lb. space shuttle tire.

Shuttle window glass, made through a process developed by Corning Inc.:

Space rations. That yummy-looking stuff at the bottom? Rice Krispies.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say there's not a whole lotta "Snap, Crackle, Pop!" going on there.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg as far as historical offerings that are well-worth stopping by to explore; it's a great collection in tribute to airmen and women.

Wings of Eagles also has a new facility currently under construction and is expanding its educational role, reconditioning exhibits and looking to run a soaring school on a 1940's-style airfield, so there are lots of exciting things to keep an eye out for in the future.

Wings of Eagles Discovery Center, 343 Daniel Zenker Drive

Horseheads, NY 14845, (607) 358-4247

info@wingsofeagles.com, www.wingsofeagles.com,

http://www.facebook.com/WingsOfEagles

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Elmira in Bloom

In the midst of all that street painting fun recently, there was another unique event taking place called the "'Elmira Blooms' Garden Tour."

Presented by the Near Westside Neighborhood Association, this was the sixth year of the self-guided tour, which features local gardens selected for being "lovingly created, distinct and original."

Garden at 955 West Church St.

So I picked up a ticket ($12, which goes to benefit the Near Westside) and was given a list of addresses that could be visited in any order throughout Sunday afternoon.

Then I hit the road with "Daniel," my trusty GPS. Daniel is the lovely British fella who helps me not get lost. (Except for this one time, in the middle of the New Mexico desert, when he decided that I should drive through some hills on a dastardly looking dirt road with a name like "Rattlesnake Pass." No, thank you.)

Outside every participating location was a sign, table and some kind folks to greet you.

There were also the opportunities to enjoy refreshments and purchase raffle tickets.

A pamphlet was provided, listing the garden owners and the stories behind their creations. The owners were all present during the tour and I listened to many of them chat about their work with and identify different types of flowers for visitors.

I'm not a gardener in any sense of the word (I'm trying not to kill a spider plant in my living room at present), but I definitely appreciated the talent and labors of love displayed in the participating gardens.