First Campers Pull In A Month Before The Event

The first campers have arrived at Camp Scholler in Oshkosh, WI in order to stake out their "perfect spot" at the campground in advance of the show.

Television station WLUK reports that, as the opening date for AirVenture draws nearer, people begin to make the pilgrimage to the campgrounds early so that they can set up near friends they have made over the years, often in the same spot. EAA spokesman Dick Knapinski said that some arrive and set up camp, others stake their claims with credentials and then return shortly before things get going in late July.

Knapinski said the grounds are "a little mushy" due to recent heavy rains, but not nearly like the now-legendary "sloshkosh" of a couple of years ago. After that event, EAA invested considerable money in improving the drainage around the campgrounds and the airport, and Knapinski said the drainage system is working as advertised.

The campers are making things very homey as well. Knapinski said that they're building picnic tables, planting flowers, and just sprucing things up for their Oshkosh homes ... even if they're only temporary.

(Camp Scholler image provided by EAA)

FMI: www.airventure.org