Abel Island Fly-In draws record crowd

The 10th annual Abel Island Fly In was held Saturday, Aug. 28, with a record number of participants.

"Except for the wind, we had a great day for the event," said Dr. Gary Fisher, organizer of the event. "Once again, the wind kept the float planes and some of the sport planes home but it sure didn't dampen the enthusiasm for those that made it."

The day saw a new record of 70 planes (including one helicopter) on the ground.  That passed the 2009 total of 60 by a substantial margin.

"With the addition of over a dozen special cars from old Mustangs to a modern Ferraris, we had a fantastic turnout," reports Fisher. "We had about 200 folks who actually joined the potluck."

The winner of the drawing for the one night's stay at The Landing - a River Front Inn in Guttenberg, was Kim Einck of East Dubuque, Ill. The pilot who won $50 for flying the farthest was David Gilsdorf from Pleasant Hill, Mo. The $50 for the oldest pilot to fly in went to John Banes of Fairfax.  John was born on in 1931, making him 79 years young.  The $50 for the most recent pilot certificate went to Jen Delfosse from Waukesha, Wis. Jen received her certificate on July 26, 2010. The winner for being the youngest pilot to fly in was Neil Anderson, age 22. Prize money was donated by Gary Wegmann from Wegmann Realty.

Fisher expressed appreciation to neighbors, friends and family for their help in making the day a success. 

Next year's event will be Saturday, Aug. 27. 

Michelle Lynn to perform Friday in the park

By Shelia Tomkins

The music of Michelle Lynn of Decorah will be featured at this Friday's Music in the Park series on Sept. 3, from 6:30-7:30  p.m. in Guttenberg's Ingleside Park. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets to the band shell north of the school and settle back for an evening of delightful music from a young singer-songwriter.

Her appearance is one in a series of Friday night "Music in the Park" events sponsored by Guttenberg Development & Tourism. The event is free of charge.

River is Life is Friday's movie in the park

By Shelia Tomkins

The River is Life, a real-life adventure documentary about the Mississippi River, will be shown this Friday evening, Sept. 3, starting at 8:00 p.m. in the band shell north of school, and the two filmmakers responsible for its creation will be on hand for the showing.

The event is free and families are welcome. Bring lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy the show, which will follow an appearance by singer-songwriter Michelle Lynn (see story). Refreshments will be available.

The event is being coordinated by Guttenberg Development & Tourism as part of its summer "movie in the park" presentations. "I think this will be a highly enjoyable event that Guttenberg residents will remember for years to come," said Dwight Hughes, GD&T director.