Poplar Grove Vintage Wings & Wheels Museum

Movie Night On The Lawn!
2022-08-11
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
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
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
Details TBD!

Private Independence Day Event
2022-07-02
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
Details TBD

Flag Day and Scholarship Awards
2022-06-12
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
*****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
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
***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
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
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
