McAllister Museum of Aviation Veterans Day Open House

McAllister Museum of Aviation will host its annual Veterans Day “coffee and cookies” open house on Sunday, Nov. 11. Refreshments will be available for all visitors from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. that day. Though veterans and their families especially are invited to visit, the museum will be open to all visitors.

Although some Veterans Day events may occur on Saturday or Monday this year, veterans he has talked with prefer the MMA event on Sunday, said Chuck Naasz, open house organizer and MMA display coordinator.

The museum is at 2008 S. 16^th Ave., Yakima, at the east end of the Yakima airport. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated.

Since last year’s Veterans Day, Naasz and other volunteers have added a display honoring the Women’s Army Corps. Another new display item is a Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) uniform on a mannequin. Several items from MMA’s collection of military uniforms will be on display.

Throughout the year MMA displays one of the largest collections of World War II memorabilia in Central Washington -- photos, uniforms, medals and ribbons, historical backgrounds and some unusual items. There are several WWII nose art reproductions created by local students, teachers and professional and amateur artists.

Vern Arnold, a World War II B-17 bombardier, died last year, but he still is featured in a display that includes the Norden bombsight he donated to the museum. Richard Herriman’s WWII-era Cushman motor scooter with sidecar is back after being ridden in some parades in the Valley in the past several months.

There are also many displays related to Charlie McAllister, his gliders, and the flying service he and his brother, Alister, opened in 1926.