Spring Mill State Park is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Gemini 3 space flight, March 21-23, with educational programs.

Also, astronaut Gus Grissom's boyhood home, 715 W. Grissom Ave., in Mitchell will be open those three days for tours.

Grissom and John W. Young piloted the Gemini 3 spacecraft, aka Molly Brown, during its orbit around earth on March 23, 1965. The Molly Brown is on display at the Grissom Memorial, in Spring Mill State Park.

On March 21, Hoosier Hill Ham Club will be outside the Grissom Memorial contacting remote locations around the globe with amateur radios. On all three days, there will be guided tours of the memorial, with personal items of Grissom's on display, space food tastings and more.

At 6:30 p.m. on March 23 in the Spring Mill Inn's Lakeview Room, Ray Boomhower, author of "Gus Grissom – The Lost Astronaut" will speak and sign copies of his book.

Also on March 23, Spring Mill Inn's Millstone Dining Room will offer two specials: the Molly Brown — grilled ham and turkey topped with Swiss cheese and rolled in a tortilla, battered then deep-fried — and a grilled Reuben sandwich, in honor of the corned beef sandwich that went into space with Grissom and Young. Both specials come with a drink, chips, pickle spear and cookie and cost $6.99. The dining room will open at 5 p.m. for dinner.

For more information, email springmillstatepark@dnr.IN.gov or call (812) 849-3534

Spring Mill State Park (stateparks.IN.gov/2968.htm) is at 3333 State Road 60 East, Mitchell, 47446.

To view all DNR news releases, please see dnr.IN.gov.


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Media contact: Coletta Prewitt, Spring Mill State Park, cprewitt@dnr.IN.gov