Yelp Cleveland Celebrates Women’s History Month

This March, Yelp Elites and their little Yelpers were given an all-access pass to the International Women’s Air & Space Museum at the Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland. This one-of-a-kind experience celebrated Women’s History Month and showcased the amazing (and often underrepresented) women of Northeast Ohio and beyond in aviation and aeronautics.

Upon arrival, Elites were treated to a delicious smorgasbord of yummy eats from our friends at ClusterTruck. ClusterTruck is a one-of-a-kind delivery restaurant that brings people restaurant-quality food wherever they are – all ordered online. ClusterTruck’s vast menu can accommodate dietary restrictions and features pizza, tacos, breakfast, dessert and more! As Michelle K. wrote, “We started the night with an amazing assortment of food provided by Clustertruck. I had the Chinese Chicken Salad which was so fresh and delicious, and my husband had the Honey Chipotle Bbq Chicken Strips and Chocolate Chip Cookies. I highly recommend ordering from ClusterTruck if you live in the downtown area!”After an outstanding dinner, Yelp Elites “blasted off” with intimate tours led by Executive Director Heather Alexander. As Evan F. explained, “Although there was too much to see in one small night, [Heather] gave us a sampling of items and filled in the blanks by telling some really interesting and entertaining stories.”

Did you know the Wright Brothers had a sister named Katharine who handled all of their marketing and public relations? Neither did we! She was one of the many “silent” women contributing to the advancement of aviation. If you know the Wright Brothers, you can thank Katharine.After the tour, Yelp Elites explored a variety of activities, including a paper airplane contest through the “ring of fire,” coloring, trivia with museum docents, and scales that determined your weight on Jupiter, Mars and the Moon! A Yelper favorite of the night was getting up close and personal with rare Amelia Earhart artifacts, exclusively brought out from their collections. Elites were able to examine her coveralls and nurse uniform from 1918 (which was sewn by her herself!).Other fascinating artifacts on display included the first beverage dispenser used in space, a flight simulator from 1967, and a Smith Miniplane that was built by Tracy Pilurs in her garage. As Yelper Susan K. wrote, “So much heritage and history. My grandmother was a member of the Women’s Air Corp during WWII and it made me proud to know she was among the ranks of these amazing women.” To wrap up the night, Yelpers tested their newfound knowledge by competing in a scavenger hunt around the museum. Three Yelpers took home the evening prize – a prize basket featuring a one year membership to the museum!The mission of the International Women’s Air & Space Museum is to collect, preserve, and showcase the history and culture of women in all areas of aviation & aerospace; educate people of the world about their contributions; and inspire future generations by bringing the history to life.  As Yelper A’Lia M. explained, “I honestly loved this event solely for that purpose [that] it educated and inspired my 13 year-old, which is awesome. I’m currently recommending to all my friends to take their kids to this Museum to see.”

To sum up the event, Raymond M. exclaimed, “What you are doing to preserve and present females in aviation and space history really makes me smile. You all were passionate, knowledgeable and just plain awesome. Thank you for showing us even more reasons to thank women for making our world an amazing place to be.” We agree, Raymond. Girls rule!Check out the outstanding photos and reviews here. For more information about the Yelp Cleveland Elite Squad, visit yelp.com/elite.

Special thanks to our sponsors:
• ClusterTruck • International Women’s Air & Space Museum • Elizabeth Sturm Photography • …and an extra special thanks to the IWASM volunteers who donated their time for this event.