After more than three months of repairs following severe weather-related damageย in April, the Evansville Wartime Museumย soon will reopen.
The museumโs three full-time employees and 130 volunteers have changed tack from regular activities like giving tours to repairing exhibits damaged by storm wind gusts of up to 90 mph April 2. The subsequent shutdown has affected the museum in many ways. In addition to funding repairs, officials say that while the museum has been closed, expenses have piled up.
โIt’s been a big drain, and it’s been a little scary,โ Events Committee Chairperson Dona Bone says. โSo that’s why we’ve decided that rather than wait for all of this to take place, we’re going to go ahead and open up.โ
Temporary repairs will allow the museum to reopen in early August, during which time Midwest Roofing-Sheet Metal will begin to reconstruct affected areas of the facilityโs roof and hangar doors. Hoosier Spirit II, the museumโs prized P-47 Thunderbolt, has had its clipped wing mended. Bone says the museumโs volunteers regularly give their time and were instrumental in cleanup efforts in the aftermath of the April storm.
โWe’re going to open up five days a week starting Aug. 3, but we may have to take another look at that,โ she says. โOnce the repairs actually do start, we may have to close weekdays so that they can get the work done, and then just open weekends.โ
The museum opens in time for a visit from a Vietnam-era UH-1 Huey helicopter. Its crew will offer tours and 20-minute flights on Aug. 10-11. Prices range from $100 for adults to $50 for children 12 and under, with free rides for World War II and Korean War veterans. The museum also is giving away two free helicopter rides through a contest July 26-Aug. 9 on its Facebook page.
Starting Aug. 3, the museum will operate under new temporary hours. Through September, visitors can stop by 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and Monday, as well as noon-4 p.m. Sunday. From October to March, the museum will be open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday-Monday.
Bone says after repairs are complete, the history museum plans to add new displays to the hall, including a Holocaust exhibit and displays focusing on more recent wars.