Spirit of Moxie Lands at Little Round House Gift Shop

The Spirit of Moxie will fly into Goffstown for Pumpkin Regatta on Saturday, October 16 and land at the Little Round House Gift Shop behind Town Hall.  The extraordinary full-size model is a faithful replica of Charles Lindberg’s 1927 Spirit of St. Louis, except for the Moxie bottles enhancing the propeller.  Originally crafted from plywood by Maine resident Ron Huston in 2005, the plane was entrusted to Russ Bilodeau in 2009 and towed home to Weare in pieces. 

Bilodeau and his father, Bert, along with “transportation engineers” Merrill Lewis and Bob Ashburn, worked to rebuild the rotting plane.  Each section of the plane was rebuilt, sanded, covered in Tyvek, and painted.  The award-winning features like cowling on the sheet aluminum were carefully restored.  Staying faithful to the original design of the Spirit of St. Louis, the plane does not have a windshield, as the 25-year old Lindberg used the nose to store additional fuel and found his way to Paris by leaning out the side windows.  Visiting the Moxie plane is a history lesson with a twist.

Moxie soft drink is a uniquely New England beverage that started out as a medicine in 1876, and today enjoys it’s place as the glue that holds together the New England Moxie Congress.  An agreeable band of “Moxie zealots”, the members seem as interested in enjoying life as they are in the “distinctly different taste” of their favorite soda.  “The NE Moxie Congress has nothing to do with selling Moxie,” Bilodeau says.  “Our non-profit is all about having fun.”  The club and it’s Spirit will be at the Little Round House Gift Shop on Saturday, October 16.  Stop by for a free Moxie taste-test and maybe a bit of Moxie fudge!  Have your picture taken with this incredible bit of history.