March 31st, 2022
No: 2206
April Monthly Dinner
Featuring
Leia Larson
Marine Corps Veteran,
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Wednesday, April 6th, 2022
No Host Bar: 5:30 p.m., Dinner starts at 6:30 p.m.

Local veteran, Leia Larson, was born in 1978, raised in Santa Margarita, and graduated from Atascadero High School in 1997.

In March, 2001, she joined the Marine Corps, departed to the scenic destination of Parris Island, (located barely off the eastern coast of South Carolina), where she attended the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. 

Following her graduation from MCRD, she headed off to Naval Air Station, Pensacola Florida for further training. During her flight school at NAS Pensacola, 9/11 happened and she knew it was only a matter of time as to when and where she would be deployed.

Mobilized in December, 2003, she was then deployed to Iraq in March, 2004 for Operation Iraqi Freedom II, and then again in March, 2005 for Operation Iraqi Freedom III, based at Al Taqaddum Air Base, located between Fallujah and Ramadi.

We've only included some of the basic details of this exceptional Marine, but enough to let you know this month's special guest dinner speaker will be one you don't want to miss! Be sure to make your reservations early, space will be limited.

Please Note: The gift shop (in the Hind Pavilion). will be open prior to the dinner!

Just a reminder for attendees: there will be a great assortment of raffle items available. Dinner is catered and open to the public ($25/person), reservations are required prior to 6 p.m., Monday prior to dinner, either On-line HERE or call 805 296-1935.
Gift Shop Specials

For every $50 spent on merchandise, receive a free WWW12 T-Shirt! We have a great new collection of logo hats for adults and a great selection of kids jackets sizes 24 months to size 14.
We Found It!!! A - P-38 Tor The Museum
Joel Chesler, EWM member and Local Merchant Liaison (you can thank him for the raffle prizes at the dinners), has been on a mission to find the museum a P-38 Lightning. After all, our museum is named after the former Estrella Army Air Forces field here in Paso Robles, where pilots were trained for night flying and the most commonly used aircraft at the time was the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. There are only 6 flying P-38's left in the world and the last one sold for over $6 million dollars! However, during this past year of searching, he found the next best thing, a full size heavy duty fiberglass replica P-38 Lightning which is up for sale in Miami where it was the main attraction of an aviation themed restaurant. After seeing a video of the aircraft, the condition appears exceptional and we know you would agree that this would make a terrific cornerstone display at Estrella Warbirds Museum.
Take a look at the walk around video of this P-38 and help us raise the funds to acquire, dismantle, and transport this exceptional replica across country. We are negotiating sales price and costs for retrieval. Total costs is unknown at this time.
Home to the world class Woodland Auto Display:
Come Grow With Us!
The Estrella Warbirds Museum has always been "the place to go" for local meeting, group dinners and even company events. We greet visitors from around the world!

If you enjoy new people and groups, love history and want to be involved in a community project, we'd love to hear from you! We always need volunteers in our gift-shop, or docents in the museum or Auto Display. Maybe you want to get involved in restoration?

Contact us today! We'd love to hear from you.
Best Links
805 674-3939
805 674-3939

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Stuck on what to buy for a special person?

There is always the perfect gift of a flight on a real WWII veteran, our C-47B, Betsy's Biscuit Bomber.
Click on the above emblem and check out what's in the works for our 30th Anniversary celebrations!
One of the painstaking jobs of preserving history is what you would call a passion for the all volunteer restoration crew.
Here we see EWM member, John Everette taking care of a whole lot of "little things" that go into a frame up restoration of this Ford Burma Jeep GTBC, Bomb Service with crane utilized by the US Navy in the Pacific Theater during World War II. This one will pair up nicely with our 1943 Ford GTBA cargo truck/troop carrier.

Warbirds Wings and Wheels 13 & Swap Meet 
One month from now is our the next Warbirds Wings & Wheels event coming up the first weekend in May! And guess what? Our special guest, Dennis Gage is returning to Paso Robles and will be filming for another episode of My Classic Car! It's never too early to enter. This year, we've added a new class of vehicles, aa - Exotic Sports/SuperCar! Now is your chance for some national exposure!

There are plenty of opportunities for involvement this year. Act Now! Get Registered!

Reservations are open for:
Friday night Barn Dance & Dinner Mixer with Monte Mills and the Lucky Horseshoe Band
Volunteer Workers (including non-biased Vehicle Judges) for the event, and
our beloved Sponsors.

We are only one month away, and we are working hard on ways to make this years event the best ever. Stay tuned for developing information. Click on the image above for more information or on the individual registration links posted above.
Aviation Youth Group 2022 Scholarship Winner 
The Estrella Warbirds Museum Youth Scholarship ($1200) was presented to Erich Harding on Career Day, March 19th, by Bill Siegel. Congratulations, Erich!

Erich, a Templeton High School junior, was chosen among a number of other candidates from high schools throughout the central coast and has been a EWM Aviation Club member for over 4 years. Last year Erich won the annual "EWM Aviation Club most community service hours" He is about to start training for his Private Pilot License and has previously soloed a glider. 
New at Display Woodland Auto Display
The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum is making its' presence known in a big way on the west coast by loaning the Woodland Auto DIsplay four unique and prestigious race cars which will be available through the end of 2022. These arrived earlier this month when the delivery truck took several vehicles in exchange from the Woodland Auto Display back to Iowa to receive some national attention!
The NSCHofF&M vehicles all have west coast (and even local) connections. These include:

  1. World's Fastest Sprint Car ran at 211.59 mph driven by Damion Gardner, a 9 time California Sprint Car Champion.
  2. No. 16 Winged Sprint Car that Erin Crocker (now Mrs. Ray Everham) drove to victory in the 2004 World of Outlaws Sprint Car race in Tulare, CA.
  3. USAC Championship Dirt Division Car, (now known as Silver Crown Championship Series driven by former Woodland Auto Display docent, Rick Goudy.
  4. Cheryl Glass's Sprint Car. Cheryl started out racing Half and Quarter Midget and had over 250 trophies plus another 600+ribbons and awards before graduating high school! Cheryl was the first woman to race a Silver Crown car.

Read more about these cars and their drivers via the link at their name or Click here.
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum cars on display at the Woodland Auto Display
Damion Gardner's World's Fastest Sprint Car
Erin Crocker's World of Outlaw Sprint Car.
Rick Goudy's King O' Lawn USAC Championship Dirt Division Car.
Cheryl Glass's Sprint Car. Cheryl was the first female driver of African decent.
Are
You
a
Member?
Membership has its benefits! Why become a member? The museum is supported solely from private sources. Minimal membership dues go a long way in helping to preserve history for tomorrows generation. Membership gives you free access to the museum and our wonderful research library. Individual memberships are pro-rated at $75/year or $125/year for families. We have six different categories. You can find more information on membership and how to sign up the the link listed below.