Vintage Grill

[rdt7]

Several years ago, my group gathered at the Vintage Grill one afternoon. It was the only place on the field you could get a cold beer.

Does anyone know if the Vintage Grill, or something like it, will be open this year?

[Hal Bryan]

Yes - there will be a restaurant in that location again this year. I don't have the name in front of me - there are more than 20 new restaurants / food vendors this year, and a number of them will be serving beer, as we started in, I believe, 2010.

[Bill Greenwood]

Hal, is serving beer on the field at EAA a new idea? Is it really the best thing to do? I always thought that not having alcohol inside the grounds was one reason the crowds behave well.

Profit may be a sirens call, but we don't want the mob mentality and behavior that one finds at NFL games etc.

[Hal Bryan]

Hi Bill - not precisely new, no. As mentioned, it began with a single venue in 2010, then expanded to, I believe, 3 venues in 2011. Definitely not new if you count the campground... ;) Yes, you specified "on the field" and "inside the grounds".

Anyway, alcohol is only served in specific, closed venues during limited hours, and is not permitted outside those fenced-in areas. I chatted with Dick Knapinski about this over lunch a little while ago, and he confirmed what I believed and that was that it's been a total non-event in terms of problems with behavior or any other unpleasantness. There just haven't been any issues.

[Jefflcarr]

I think the AirVenture crowd is simply by nature more reserved and respectful. I've been coming for over 20 years now and the people on the flight line and in the campground are always very well behaved. I'd be interested to see some sort of psycho-social analysis of the AirVenture crowd as it compares to the crowd at an NFL game or music festival.

[Bill Greenwood]

Jeff, I know the EAA crowd is better behaved than most, but I also think the lack of alcohol is one reason for that. Just a for instance, they had to totally ban and quit serving beer at C U stadium for football games due to all the problems they had with drunks and near drunks.

There may be a middle ground. I know at Sun N Fun the last time I was there they had a Jimmy Buffet tent "Margariteville" and it was popular. The ladies who got bored listening to old white men talk about old airplanes had a good time there.

But, for many people, their personality is not improved by much alcohol, and with all the people driving after the event there is a risk there. Of course, flying with any alcohol is not smart, even if the Germans and maybe French fighter pilots used to imbibe.

By the way, just today I saw on the news that Wisconsin only ranks #5 in states in per capita consumption of beer, with North Dakota at #1. The Wisconsin folks probably spend a lot of their time eating cheese, watching Packers or building airplanes.

[Jefflcarr]

I agree with you Bill that alcohol generally does not make anyone's behavior better, but I really don't think that it poses a risk at AirVenture. As Hal said, alcohol has been served in areas on the flight line since 2010 and it's been available and allowed in Camp Scholler for as long as I remember. In my 20-some years of attendance I can't think of a single instance of there being a person or group drunk and unruly.

In any case, we can always rest assured that the fine folks who run EAA and AirVenture will keep a watchful eye on the sale of alcohol and it's effects on the ground.

[Kevin O'Halloran]

I think Patty had a little too much and drove ( down the runway)

that said -- I have been going to several parties a year for the last 20 years where alcohol was served at Oshkosh.

No problems ( except the very rare "barff in tent")

Pilots tend to take care of their friends
Kevin

[spongebobiwan]

Inadvertently, or perhaps just wishful thinking on my part, I at first misread the above post that begins with ...."Hal, is serving beer on the field at EAA a new idea?", as ...."Hal is serving beer on the field at EAA....", and I wondered where exactly he would be doing that, and how long the line might be, and perhaps most important, was he buying?. Perhaps we could begin a rumor to that effect that might guilt him into actually doing that this year?

So, Hal? Where and when will this event be taking place? :)

[Hal Bryan]

I'll have a tent setup just off the approach end of runway 47 - starting at 5:00pm in the morning on July 33rd, the beer is on me!

[Floatsflyer]

I'll have a tent setup just off the approach end of runway 47 - starting at 5:00pm in the morning on July 33rd, the beer is on me!

I'm imagining just how many people are scratching their heads right now, as I write this, trying to find runway 47. Ahhhhh.....god bless them, eh? Never mind the other details of your event.:D

[Kyle Boatright]

I'll have a tent setup just off the approach end of runway 47 - starting at 5:00pm in the morning on July 33rd, the beer is on me!

That's right by where the line starts for the Moeller Skycar rides, right?

[Floatsflyer]

That's right by where the line starts for the Moeller Skycar rides, right?

No, that's dated information. If you look on the exhibitors map, you'll notice an asterick next to Moeller.

If you scroll down, there's a note stating that Moeller has cancelled his exhibit space and that it has now been replaced by the twin exhibit space of Icon and the FAA. The note further states that Icon and the FAA will present a MMA styled exibition complete with cage and no-holds barred rules. If Icon wins they automatically receive their exemption with no conditions. If the FAA wins, they get to study the matter for another year.

That's where you'll now find Hal's beer tent, directly across from here.

[Skyguy]

Aces Bistro (Sodexo)
Arch Concessions (Kelly Country Creamery)
Camper Café (Jets Grocery)
Celebration Way (Thunder Bay)
Classic Concessions (A&W and Freedom Foods)
EAA Aviation Center Concession (Sodaxo)
Hanger A (Papa Johns)
Hanger B (A&W)
Fightertown (Buca di Beppo)
Fly_In Theater (Papa Johns)
Fly Market (A&W)
Forums (Subway)
Hanger Café (The Machine Shed)
Homebuilt Café (Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse)
Homebuilt Concession (Cedar Creek Marketpace)
Internatonal Marketplace North (Sodexo)
Internatonal Marketplace South(Manila Resto)
Internatonal Marketplace South 2)(Lew’s Brew Café)
Internatonal Marketplace South 3(Saza’s)
KidVenture(A&W)
North 40(Haase’s Super Club)
Red Barn(Jets Grocery)
Tall Pines(Vintage Aircraft Association)
Outer Marker(Red’s Pizza)
Tower Concessions(A&W)
Ultralight(The Machine Shed)
Vintage Café(Major Goolsby’s)
Vinage Concession(Subway)
Waypoint Café(Goolsby’s)
West Camp Store(Jets Grocery)

[FlyingRon]

Alcohol has always been available in the campsites (North 40, Scholler, Vintage, presumably Custom as well though I've never had a homebuilder invite me over for drinks yet). I generally show up with a case of wine and my battery powered frozen drink machine.