If an M4 Sherman tank based in Evansville had a name, what would it be?
Area residents are being asked to come up with a short moniker befitting the imposing, more than 30-ton machine displayed at the Evansville Wartime Museum.
How short? It can’t be longer than two words. “Short and sweet and to the point,” says Dona Bone, chairperson of the events committee for the museum.
The name also must “have an Evansville or World War II theme,” she says.
Put on your thinking caps and fill out an entry form at evansvillewartimemuseum.org, under the “Name the Tank” prompt, or on the museum’s Facebook page. Names can be submitted on the website or dropped off at the museum, 7503 Petersburg Road, off U.S. 41 north of Evansville.
The deadline for submissions is 12:30 p.m. March 12. Museum officials will announce the winner on April 1. The winner will receive a one-year museum membership, a tank T-shirt, and, best of all, one free ride in the tank.
On that day — April 1 — the museum will start offering tank rides to the public on the first Saturday of every month, from noon to 3:30 p.m.
The cost is $100 per person, and the 30-minute slots will include a background presentation and the ride. The tank, built in 1943, can seat four passengers. Learn more about the tank in this story in the July/August 2022 issue of Evansville Living.
Festivities surrounding the tank’s naming and rides will kick off a busy year at the Evansville Wartime Museum, which honors the Tri-State region’s contributions to victory in World War II.
Here are some of the museum’s 2023 activities:
April 13-16: A 1928 Liberty Ford Tri-Motor 5-AT-B will visit the museum, and rides on the 10-seat plane will be $85 for members of the Experimental Aircraft Association and $95 for nonmembers. Rides for children 17 and younger are $65. Rides can be booked through www.FlyTheFord.org or by calling 1-877-952-5395.
May 27: The Evansville Wartime Museum Sixth Anniversary Fly-In will offer an opportunity for rides over Evansville with local pilots for a donation to the museum. More information will be available closer to the event at evansvillewartimemuseum.org
June 9-11: Details are still being finalized about the visit of a C-47 plane called “That’s All Brother” for one of two Warbird Weekends this year.
June 24: The museum’s large military vehicles will be displayed at ShrinersFest on Downtown Evansville’s riverfront.
Aug. 25-27: At Frog Follies, the annual car show at the Vanderburgh County 4-H Center put on by the E’ville Iron Street Rod Club, guests may sign up to have photos taken of their cars with Hoosier Spirit II, the P-47 Thunderbolt displayed at the museum.
Oct. 29: The museum’s annual Halloween bash from noon to 3:30 p.m. will include World War II living history displays, a skeleton scavenger hunt, and other children’s activities.
Dec. 9: A new event for 2023 is Planes, Trains and Santa Claus, where the museum’s hangar will have model train displays, children’s activities, and the arrival by plane of Santa and Mrs. Claus. It will be from noon to 3:30 p.m.
