Sawyer Museum Open Through Winter

A local museum honoring the region’s history during the Cold War is once again open during the winter months.

However, that may not last.

The K.I. Sawyer Heritage Air Museum was closed for each of the last two winters, but it’s been open all winter this year.

The closures last October of the Red Fox Inn and Tailwinds Restaurant pushed people to come to the museum for meetings and functions.

Museum president Bob Vick says he and other museum staff are very close with the people who ran those former businesses — one of them is an Air Force veteran and offered referrals to the museum.

But heating costs for the museum are upwards of $700 a month.

With that, as well as rent and other expenses, the museum may have a hard time staying open through the winter again.

Vick says they’re fundraising both through the museum’s own website and its Facebook page to help it through next winter.

Museum volunteers will continue improving the former base’s Silver Wings Recreation Center, in which the museum is located.

The space has a very large concert stage and meeting room that can be rented.

Posted by: Mike Hoey