The history of the Oswego Drag Raceway will be the focus of a Little White School Museum program at Oswego Brewing Company in Oswego on Aug. 11.
The museum’s “History Happy Hour” program will run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the brewery at 61 Main St.
Dan and Wally Smith, two young Oswego area farmers, opened the facility for its first season in 1955 on their family farm on Route 34 a couple miles west of the Oswego bridge, museum officials said in a press release about the event.
Starting its first year as a dirt strip, the Smiths blacktopped it in time for the opening of the 1956 racing season. Within weeks, the raceway was drawing thousands of drag racing enthusiasts from all over the Midwest every Sunday from spring to fall, museum officials said.
The facility closed in 1979.
Early registration is required for the program, at a cost of $15 for Oswegoland Park District residents and $20 for non-residents. Admission for those 21 years old and older comes with a ticket for one beer to enjoy during the lecture.
The Oswego Brewing Company is located in the lower level of the old Oswego Fire Barn in the middle of Oswego’s downtown business district.
Space is limited for the event. To register, call the Oswegoland Park District at 630-554-1010 or go to the district’s website at https://www.oswegolandparkdistrict.org/.
