Prairie Flyers: A Century of Aviation in DeWitt County

08/08/2022

A Message from the DeWitt County Musuem Association President...
"On behalf of the DeWitt County Museum, we would like to thank everyone who helped make the Prairie Flyers exhibit at the Homestead a success. We are appreciative of the many aviators (and, in some cases, their descendants) who loaned us items and shared their stories to help make this exhibit a reality. The exhibit welcomed many visitors - not only locally but nationwide as well - who came to see this world class display. The "Aviation Team," led by Edith Brady-Lunny, Denis Hambucken, Joey Long, Camille Redman, Parker Toohill, and John Warner, put in countless hours over the past year collecting artifacts and stories that will now be forever preserved and added to DeWitt County's growing history. We are also very grateful for those who volunteered their time to be docents. Finally, we would like to thank the many generous sponsors who made this exhibit possible. We are very grateful for their continued support of the DeWitt County Museum and our mission to help preserve DeWitt County's history and heritage."

Kelbey McMath, President
DeWitt County Musuem Association

07/07/2022

We made many new friends during through aviation exhibit! Among them was Jerry Czupryn, Commanding Officer - EAA Warbird Squadron 4 and Volunteer Curator at the Illinois Aviation Museum (IAM) Bolingbrook, IL. Jerry is seeking aviation artifacts people might be willing to loan or donate to the IAM. If you are interested in speaking to Jerry about your aviation items, please contact him (not the DeWitt County Museum) directly. He can be found via Facebook or you can stop by the museum and pick up one of his business cards.

07/06/2022

CONGRATULATIONS to our lucky raffle winners!!!!! John Metter will be taking home the Art Deco Prairie Flyers Globe and Kenny Heuermann will be enjoying a 30-minute plane ride over DeWitt County! 🛩

07/02/2022

Final weekend and final days! The exhibit can be seen Saturday, July 2nd now through 5pm and 1pm-5pm Sunday July 3rd will be the last day. Come and see us this weekend!

07/01/2022

Exhibit catalogs are still available at the exhibit entrance as well as the Museum Gift Shop. $10 each.

07/01/2022

There are only two days left to visit the aviation exhibit - Saturday (July 2nd, 10am-5pm) and Sunday (July 3rd, 1pm-5pm).

07/01/2022

07/01/2022

From our good friends at WHOW/WEZC Radio...

This is the final weekend for the exhibit 'Prairie Flyers: A Century of Aviation in DeWitt County' at the DeWitt County Museum.   Director of the Museum Joey Long indicates they ha...

06/29/2022

Today we welcomed the Warner Public Library staff. It has been a pleasure partnering with the library on the past projects, during the duration of the aviation exhibit, and we look forward to more partnering in the future!

06/29/2022

Our volunteer docents of the day...We thank The Vault for welcoming exhibit visitors every Wednesday!
✈️

06/29/2022

High Flight
by John Gillespie Magee, Jr. (pictured here) who was not a DeWitt County aviator, but many are familiar with his written words...

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air . . .

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

This poem is in the public domain.