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?
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?
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.
Last edited by Hal Bryan; 07-05-2013 at 10:31 AM. Reason: Typo.
Hal Bryan
EAA Lifetime 638979
Vintage 714005 | Warbirds 553527
Managing Editor
EAA—The Spirit of Aviation
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.
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.
Hal Bryan
EAA Lifetime 638979
Vintage 714005 | Warbirds 553527
Managing Editor
EAA—The Spirit of Aviation
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.
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.
Last edited by Bill Greenwood; 07-05-2013 at 01:55 PM.
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!
Hal Bryan
EAA Lifetime 638979
Vintage 714005 | Warbirds 553527
Managing Editor
EAA—The Spirit of Aviation
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.Originally Posted by Hal Bryan
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.
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