Poplar Grove Vintage Wings & Wheels Museum

Flag Day and Scholarship Awards
2023-06-11 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | IL

Flights & Bites With Santa
2022-12-15 | IL
Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas! Santa Claus is coming to the Vintage Wings & Wheels Museum on December 4th at 2PM. Come get into the holiday spirit with the family and enjoy this super kid friendly event!

*WEATHER PERMITING* we hear Santa will be arriving by his special North Pole Plane to give his reindeer more rest before their big haul on Christmas Eve. If weather is an issue, he’ll be using some elf magic to appear in a different way!

Once Santa has arrived, he will mingle with all of the guests while we listen to the Belvidere North High School Choraliers sing Christmas carols, eat cookies, drink from the hot cocoa bar, and participate in various activities for kids 1-18! Santa will also be available for photos.

Again, weather permitting, Santa will also be raffling off FOUR TICKETS to four lucky kiddos who would like to go up with him and his trusty pilot for an airplane ride around Poplar Grove Airport. This will all depend on weather, we cannot stress this enough! Tickets will be sold at $25 a piece.
Admission can be purchased at the door. $5 per person. 2 and under free.

Hope to see you there!

"On Cloud Wine" An Evening Wine Soiree
2022-11-19 | Poplar Grove Wings & Wheels Museum, 5151 Orth Rd, STE A1, Poplar Grove, IL, 61065, United States
Join us November 19th, 2022 from 6:00 – 9:00PM for an evening of music, food, and wine provided by Vins & Vignobles Wine Selections. This wine night will be a little different than previous “tastings” held which will feature heavier pours of all certified organic products, two liquor cocktail options and a beer option.

Member pricing:

$40 for 5 pours and food
$70 for 10 pours and food
$80 for 12 pours and food

Non-member pricing:

$45 for 5 pours and food
$75 for 10 pours and food
$85 for 12 pours and food

General Admission:

$15 for general admission and food for those wishing to attend but do not want to drink.

Please make your ticket selection on this page and click ‘Get Tickets’ to proceed to checkout and complete your payment and registration.

TICKETS CANNOT BE SHARED. EACH PERSON ATTENDING NEEDS THEIR OWN TICKET.

Pooches & Planes Photoshoot
2022-09-11 | IL
We had so much fun last year LET’S DO IT AGAIN!!
Come one, come all with your beloved canine friends to the SECOND ANNUAL POOCHES AND PLANES PHOTOSHOOT!!
Sign up for a time slot for 20 minute professional photoshoot with C77’s own Dani Slater!!
When signing up, please indicate which block time you’d like:
8:00am-10:00am (5 participants),
10:00am-12:00pm (5 participants),
12:00pm-2:00pm (5 participants), or
2:00pm-5:00pm (8 participants).
Block time will be reserved based on availability. First come, first served on arrival day of shoot.
Cost to participate is $75 per participant. Participants can use their own aircraft or choose to be photographed in front of staged airplanes. ALL DOGS MUST BE ABLE TO SIT AND STAY ON COMMAND. THIS IS A REQUIREMENT.
Each participant will receive THREE professionally edited photographs and one 8×10 print!
NEW THIS YEAR!! During registration, if desired, participants can select a date of their choosing to highlight their pooch as DOG OF THE DAY on the calendar!!! For $15, participants can select a day of the year to have a picture of their dog printed on that day in the calendar (limit 2 per dog).
Each participant will also be entered into a contest to be featured for a month in the 2023 POOCHES AND PLANES CALENDAR!!
After the photoshoot, selected stills will be voted on to be chosen for the finished 2023 POOCHES AND PLANES CALENDAR. Instructions to view and vote on the selected photos will follow at a later date. Need not be a participant to vote.
Calendars will be sold at a later date following production. Pricing will be based on cost, also TBD. (They make fantastic Christmas presents!)
All proceeds will go the Wings and Wheels Museum Scholarship Fund!! Last year, almost $9000 was raised and a fun time was had by all!! Please help donate to a good cause and get some awesome pics of your fantastic pooches and planes!! (Dogs and airplanes only, this is non-negotiable.)
Refreshments will be provided!!
If we are unable to accommodate you due to an abundance of interest, or if weather is an issue, an alternate date will set for 9/25.

Movie Night On The Lawn!
2022-09-08 | IL
Join us at 8:30PM for our 3rd Movie Night on the Lawn summer series! This month we will be featuring the movie “Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines” for the kiddos to have one last summer hooray out before really getting back into the school schedule.
We will have a vintage popcorn machine going selling popcorn for $1 a bag, sweets for $1 a piece, and soda/water for a $1.
Please bring your own lawn chairs and blankets.
Donations are not required, but greatly appreciated at $20 a couple/family coming to watch the movie.

Rock River Valley Blood Drive
2022-08-23 | IL
Join us for our 1st annual blood drive coordinated by the Rock River Valley Blood Center on August 23 from 1:00PM – 6:00PM. We are aiming for a minimum of 35 donors to make this a successful event. Call the Museum at 815-54-3115 today to book your slot!

Poplar Grove Airport 50th Anniversary Fly In!
2022-08-21 | IL
Come one, come all and join us as Poplar Grove Airport celebrates it’s 50th Anniversary Fly In! A perfect day for the family to come out and enjoy aviation and automobiles. A variety of food trucks will be spread out between the Museum campus and on the Flight School. A concert put on by Rockford’s own “Attitudes” will be playing as well as other activities will be spread out amongst the campus. Can’t wait to see you there!

Movie Night On The Lawn!
2022-08-11 | IL
Join us at 8:30PM for our second Movie Night on the Lawn summer series! This month we will be featuring the movie “Dunkirk” for the grown ups to enjoy a date night out! We will have a vintage popcorn machine going selling popcorn for $1 a bag, sweets for $1 a piece, and soda/water for a $1.
Please bring your own lawn chairs and blankets.
Donations are not required, but greatly appreciated at $20 a couple/family coming to watch the movie.

Concert In The Park
2022-07-17 | IL
Join us as we welcome “Trinadora Rocks” as they play from our beautiful Springfield hangar!
Concert begins at 6:30 and is free to the public.
Thank you to Solutions Bank for sponsoring this event!

Movie Night On The Lawn!
2022-07-07 | IL
Join us at 7:30PM for our first Movie Night on the Lawn summer series! This month we will be featuring the movie “Planes”. We will have a vintage popcorn machine going selling popcorn for $1 a bag, candy bars for a $1 a piece, and soda/water for a $1. We will have a fun activity for the kids to participate in until the movie begins at 8:00PM.
Please bring your own lawn chairs and blankets.
Donations will be requested at $20 a family coming to watch the movie.

Kids Tractor Pull Event
2022-07-03 | IL
Details TBD!

Private Independence Day Event
2022-07-02 | IL
The Museum is closed to the General Public on this day. Visitors will not be allowed on property.

American Waco Club Fly In
2022-06-18 | IL
Details TBD

Flag Day and Scholarship Awards
2022-06-12 | IL
Join us on Sunday, June 12 at 12:00PM as we hold our annual Flag Day & Scholarship Awards Ceremony outside by our flag pole. Candy Kresmary will kick off our ceremony by singing our National Anthem. Then our Master of Ceremonies (TBA) will talk about the history of our flag and what the flag means to him as a veteran. After the Flag Day presentation and raising of the flag, we will move on to presenting the awards to this year’s scholarship winners. At the completion of the entire event, cookies and lemonade will be served. We hope to see you there!

Movie Night On The Lawn
2022-06-09 | IL
*****CANCELLED!*****
Due to a few unforeseen circumstances, we unfortunately need to cancel this month’s Movie Night. But please stay tuned for next month’s!
From 4-9pm join us for a family feature film on our lawn! Popcorn, candy, and beverages will be sold, but we encourage to make this night for your family “Ravinia Style!” Bring your blankets, your picnic baskets, and cameras to enjoy a summer evening outside. An activity for the kids will also take place that is themed with the movie of choice for that month. Stay tuned for more details!
Movie will be aviation or automotive themed and movie for the month will be announced on our social media pages 2 weeks before the event.
$25 a car for entry.

Slim's Garage Vintage Family Photoshoot Day!
2022-05-29 | IL
On May 29th, 8-6pm, come alone, as a duo, or bring the whole family for vintage style photos in our 1930’s era mechanics garage. Come dressed in 1930-1940 wear whether that be as mechanics, an automobile owner, or just a family going out for a Sunday drive! Each slot will run for 30 minutes and are $250 a piece. Call the Museum to book your slot now!

The Jenny Takes Flight Day!
2022-05-22 | IL
***CHANGE OF DATE!!!***

Due to Mother Nature and her sometimes unpredictable weather patterns, the Jenny team has decided to move our open house to the rain date. So far, Sunday morning, May 22 looks good!

Please spread the word to anybody you know who is planning to come! We apologize for the change, but have to keep safety a top priority!

Join us at 9:00AM on the Museum front lawn as our 1918 Jenny takes her first flight for the general public! Donuts and coffee will be available for all to enjoy as they watch this incredible piece of aviation history take to the skies for all to see! This event is, of course, weather dependent and also free! But we are always looking for donations to maintain this beautiful vintage bird and keep her flying!

Gigi Coleman Presentation Night - Great Niece of Bessie Coleman
2022-05-12 | IL
Join us the evening of May 12th at 6:00PM for an exciting and immersive presentation done by Gigi Coleman, the great niece of Bessie Coleman!
Straight from her website, “She tours her one woman show and portrays the story of her Great-Aunt Bessie to challenge the minds of the young and old and to encourage individuals to achieve their dreams. Some of the places she has performed is the Cleveland OH Women’s Air and Space Museum, Embry Riddle University, Florida Memorial University, United Airlines, Charles H Wright Museum, the Northern IN Mayor’s Roundtable, and Oshkosh Air Show to name a few!”
This event will be $40 a person. Appetizers and beverages will be provided. Please call the Museum at 815-547-3115 or email dslater@wingsandwheelsmuseum.org to reserve your spots today!
To see more about Gigi and her great aunt, visit her website as well!
http://www.bessiecoleman.org/gigi.php

2022 Scholarship Application
2022-03-31 | IL
Each year the Poplar Grove Aviation Education Association and the Vintage Wings and Wheels Museum award a series of scholarships aimed at helping youth pursue their careers in both the aviation and automotive industries. Thanks to the generosity of the Thomas Family, donations to the Poplar Grove Vintage Wings and Wheels Museum, and EAA Chapter 1414 these scholarships are awarded each year and make a difference in our community.
Scholarship applications for 2022 are now available. Applications must be received by March 31, 2022. The Awards will be announced in April, and the award ceremony will be held Sunday June 12, 2022.
LINKS TO THE INFORMATION LETTER AND APPLICATION ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.
Below is a link to the Scholarship Donation Form – consider starting your own Memorial Scholarship today; or better yet, contribute to a fund along with friends and neighbors and establish a continuing endowment in the name of your group. Help support this worthy cause!
2021 Awards:
The Poplar Grove Aviation Education Association handed out seven scholarships during its annual Flag Day Ceremony on Sunday June 13 totaling $11,000.
We would like to thank the committee who worked together to choose the recipients. Thanks to Jeff Wallem, Cindy Starzyk, Stephanie Plourde, Tina Thomas and Mike Frederiksen.
Awards went to the following:
Spirit of Flight Scholarship: Evan Kazamias
Thomas Family Scholarship: Simon Garrett Smith
Thomas Family Scholarship: James Gordon Smith
Thomas Family Scholarship: Payton John Sanford
VWWM Scholarship: Brett Daniel Kovac
VWWM Scholarship: Aidan John Orlando
Alden Shipp Scholarship: Claire Mae Difford
Applications go online on our website in January of each year with a due date of March 31. Awards are announced in May and given out the second Sunday of June.
The Vintage Wings & Wheels Scholarship is funded through various fundraisers and cash donations. Other scholarships are paid for through private donations. We are grateful to those donors for supporting this scholarship program.
To make a donation of any amount to the general scholarship fund, please click the Paypal link below.

Scholarship Fund Donation Form
2022 Scholarship Letter
2022 Scholarship Application
