WWII Weekend 2012!

It's here! My favorite event ever, combining two of my most favorite things (aviation and vintage living, that is):

World War Two Weekend in Reading PA

We are going tomorrow (Saturday), since the weather looks exceptional. I'm hoping to see other vintage friends and bloggers there- please do leave a comment if any of you want to meet up somewhere. 

I'll probably be wearing the same outfit as above- my Rosie the Riveter getup, with gray Freddies overalls and blue chambray shirt with saddle shoes. Or I might wear a yellow dress- haven't decided yet!

The star of this year's show (like last year's as well) is the world's only flying B-29 Superfortress. There will also be a bunch of B-17s (my personal favorite) B-25s, P-51s, Spitfires, P-40s, and many others.

This is such a great event- really like stepping back into 1944. You get to see all these things up close and personal too- it is so worth the price of admission. I have been to every show for the last 15+ years and it gets better every year!

Two years ago I was a vendor and had to be there all 3 days- for me that was like Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one. I'm actually kind of bummed not to have anything to do but enjoy myself this year, LOL. 

I'll post a wrap up next week- would love to see everyone there!

WWII Weekend 2011 Wrap up

Wow, what a great weekend this was! Every year is a blast, but this year we actually had great weather! Usually it's either wet and muddy or hot and humid. But for a change it was sunny and in the 70s- perfect!

I dressed like a defense worker/ female aircraft mechanic (I hate calling it a "Rosie the Riveter" look, because it's just a stereotype, but that's essentially what it was.) I wore my Freddie's of Pinewood gray overalls, a blue chambray shirt, saddle shoes and my hair in a bandana. It was a good look, and very comfortable! Sure beats my usual stockings, girdle, heels etc! It was also a bit serendipitous- I picked up the shirt for 75 cents (brand new Eddie Bauer!) at a thrift shop the night before. It was perfect- a darker blue chambray fabric that matched the period fabrics I was emulating. And my pocketbook was a metal lunchbox.

I have to say that I was asked to have my picture taken as "Rosie" more than I ever had been before when I just wore a 1940s dress. I'm sure it helped that I always had at least one child in tow, and they were dressed in vintage as well- people took their picture a lot. My daughter wore a blue feedsack dress with buckle shoes and my son wore overalls and Converse sneaks.

Some reenactors and vehicles. If you have never been to this event, imagine this scene x100 and you will begin to get an idea of the scope of it.

Me at the controls of a Curtis C-46 Commando transport. This is one of the most unheralded aircraft of the Second  World War- a workhorse of the China-Burma-India Theater, flying "the Hump" over the Himalayas. A good friend of mine spent the war as a crew chief for one of these based out of India, and I have done several speaking engagements with him and a program based on this aircraft. So needless to say this was a thrill for me to finally get to see one up close. Like their counterparts, the C-47s (Douglas DC-3) some of these are still flying everyday in Haiti and Alaska.

The stars of the show- the only flying B-29 in the world and a B-17.

B-17 taxiing. Unlike a lot of other air shows, you can really get up close to everything here.

If you've never been to Reading Pa.'s WWII weekend, make your plans now for next year- June 1,2,3 2012!