Spring Mill State Park will celebrate Gus Grissom Weekend on Saturday, July 17 and Sunday, July 18 with a host of memorial events honoring the astronaut, who was the second American to fly in space and was born and raised in Mitchell.
Space-related activities for children, a Gus artifacts table, guided tours of the Gus Grissom Memorial, and the following activities will provide a weekend of discovery:
- On Saturday, the Hoosier Hills Ham Club will operate a special-event amateur radio station, W9GUS, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Gus Grissom Memorial.
- Ray E. Boomhower, author of Gus Grissom: The Lost Astronaut, will speak at the Grissom Memorial at 1 p.m. and be available for book signing and conversation afterward.
- The National Association of Rocketry group, Count Down Cardinals, will launch model rockets at the Sycamore Shelter at different times throughout the weekend.
- The Grissom Boyhood Home in the town of Mitchell, located six minutes west of Spring Mill, will offer tours of the home where Gus grew up. Open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
For more information on this and other upcoming events, call Spring Mill State Park at (812) 849-3534 or email sbelt@dnr.IN.gov.
Spring Mill State Park is at 3333 E. State Road 60, Mitchell.