Props and Hops ready to soar again

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This article was published 10/08/2023 (1127 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A social event that pairs props of vintage airplanes and hops from local breweries is planned for the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum later this month.

For the second year in a row, the museum will host Props and Hops Beer Tasting in its historic Hangar No. 1, which is unique, said Art Brown, the museum board’s vice-president.

“Hangar No. 1 is a National Historic Site and is our main building,” Brown said. “So you will be among our flying aircraft, our static aircraft, all our vehicles and other artifacts, and you can literally wander around the museum, looking at all these things while you sip beer.”

The museum reopened at the end of May after being closed for eight months, while emergency structural repairs were completed on the hangar.

The hangar represents one of the few remaining examples of the flying schools built across Canada to train Commonwealth pilots who served during the Second World War.

In the early 1980s, the museum was founded to preserve the memory of the training plan and to honour the men and women who gave to the Second World War effort, including Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) training staff, RCAF airmen and airwomen, personnel from other Commonwealth Air Forces and civilians who contributed to the war effort on the front lines.

For Brown, preserving and promoting the museum is personal. He served with the Canadian Air Force for 39 years and was stationed in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia, with several deployments including twice to Afghanistan, and the Congo in Africa.

But he’s still surprised — and sometimes disappointed, he said — that he still runs into “Brandonites every day who have no idea there’s a museum up at the airport.”

That’s why, he added, they decided to bring in a “fabulous, family-oriented place in the museum for families and kids.”

“We have the nose of an Expediter aircraft with the original dash seats and people can sit inside, and be the pilot. Kids can pedal around the airport in our pedal airplanes, there’s uniforms they can put on, and a little flight simulator aircraft to operate. So, that’s brand new this year,” said Brown.

And for the first time, the museum brought in an exhibition from Ottawa called the Ace Flight Academy, that lets the visitor experience being a First World War pilot. The simulator is available at the museum until September.

So, all these new attractions, and the beer-tasting event are a great way for newcomers to see the museum, Brown said.

“You’re coming into an 80-plus-year-old hangar with these incredible artifacts. You can’t beat the venue,” Brown said.

Providing the hops part of the event for Aug. 19 are five Manitoba craft breweries: Barn Hammer and Trans Canada from Winnipeg, Black Wheat and Section 6 from Brandon, and Farmery from Neepawa.

Each brewery will offer those in attendance a three or four-ounce sample of different beer varieties, either a new product, or a brew master’s favourite, said Chris Warwaruk, co-founder of Farmery Estate Brewery in Neepawa.

“People are going to be visiting the different tables and booths,” Warwaruk said. “There will be time for conversation and for questions, and for explaining about how it should taste or what they should experience. There’s nothing too serious about it, it’s very easygoing, which is just perfect.”

Warwaruk said his booth will have an example of hops, so that people can see the humble beer beginnings. The Farmery will also be showcasing its Ginger Beer, Canadian Pale Ale, and a beer Caesar — with and without alcohol.

“Each brewery will have a lot of great selections. So, I think it will be a really great opportunity for consumers to find a new favourite. They may not like every beer they taste, but they’re bound to find a new favourite,” Warwaruk said.

The second annual Props and Hops Beer Tasting will be held Aug. 19 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., inside the hangar at 300 Commonwealth Way (Brandon Municipal Airport). Tickets are $28 plus GST. To purchase, visit http://bitly.ws/Ruge

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