Dune Bird launches Woolsey Red to support airport restoration
From staff reports
On Thursday June 4, from 4-8 pm Dune Bird Winery, set along Michigan’s scenic M-22 in the heart of Leelanau County, celebrates the launch of a new varietal red wine, Woolsey Red, a partnership with the Save Woolsey Airport Terminal project, a group of dedicated community volunteers and partners working with Leelanau Township to Save Woolsey Airport Terminal, an 1870s-era, hand-laid stone building that once served as a farm creamery.
Dubbed SWAT! (Save Woolsey Airport Terminal) the project’s goal is to safeguard and restore the historic Woolsey Airport Terminal building at Woolsey Airfield Park in Leelanau Township, just outside of Northport. The intention is to keep this rare stone building—and its popular rooftop stargazing site, open, safe, and meaningful for this and future generations of residents, tourists, pilots, cyclists, and travelers. The project will also highlight the unique story of Clinton F. Woolsey, a local aviation pioneer and war hero.
Originally a creamery on the farm of Byron Woolsey, whose Jersey cows provided milk and cream for summer residents for more than two decades, the Terminal is one of the few surviving examples of 19th century rural craftsmanship and agricultural life in Leelanau County. In 1933, farmer Woolsey donated 80 acres of his dairy farm—including the stone masonry barn structure that he had constructed after the death of his father in the Civil War—in memory of his son, Captain Clinton F. Woolsey, a U.S. Army engineer and pilot, who served in World War I and died in a crash while flying in the U.S. Pan-American Goodwill Expedition in 1927. The Township added another 120 acres, which comprised an area sufficient to construct two perpendicular grass strip runways.
Today, the airport, Terminal and the surrounding park area are welcoming beacons for visitors and is home to several community events. The Terminal’s rooftop is a favorite Dark Sky viewing area and the grass airstrip offers a rare chance to see planes come and go.
Dune Bird Winery, founded in honor of the love for both land and sky, is itself named after an aviator, the original owner who had a passion for flying small planes and the fascinating connection to this region’s aviation history. The idea to re-launch Woolsey Red, to support the restoration and preservation of the Woolsey Airport Terminal building, was directed by winery owners John and Lynn Heekin.
“Our family and Dune Bird team are so proud to be part of the preservation effort surrounding the iconic Woolsey Airport. We are so excited to partner in this piece of history thru a commemorative red wine grown right here in Leelanau County,” said John Heekin.
Dune Bird and the SWAT team are co-piloting a celebratory launch of Woolsey Red on Thursday, June 4, at Dune Bird Winery. In addition to local music, delicious bites, refreshing spritzes, craft espresso, non-alcoholic options, and plentiful samples of the new wine, the Save Woolsey Airport Team will be on hand to share the stories and histories of pilot Captain Woolsey, the Woolsey family, and the latest on this preservation project. Woolsey Red is a Leelanau Peninsula appellation, dry and medium bodied that pairs well with chicken, duck, barbeque sausage, and charcuterie. It is comprised of merlot, cab frank, petite pearl, and Marquette grapes.
Supporting the preservation of the Woolsey Airport Terminal Building is easy: Two dollars from every bottle of Woolsey Red sold will go toward the SWAT project. Bottles can be purchased at Dune Bird Winery anytime or online. And, to donate to SWAT, visit this website, Leelanaufoundation.org/save-woolsey-airport-terminal?rq=Woolsey) or checks can be mailed to SWAT Leelanau Township, P.O Box 338, Northport, MI 49670.
