GREYBULL (WNE) — The Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting reopened on Aug. 19 thanks in large part to the collaborative efforts of the Town of Greybull, Big Horn County and the Wyoming Department of Transportation.

The three governmental entities came together to find a work-around for the museum, which was forced to close in June when its primary access was lost due to WYDOT’s closure of the Greybull Rest Area and its parking lot.

Bob Hawkins was manning the visitor center Tuesday morning.

“It’s good to be open again,” said Hawkins, who along with his wife Becky has been the driving force behind the museum. It features several firefighting aircraft and a visitor center bursting with memorabilia celebrating the glory days of Hawkins and Powers Aviation.

In order to reopen, the museum needed to identify and develop a new parking lot and to create fencing and a walking path to guide visitors to the museum entrance. The county and the town developed and graveled the parking lot, the state provided the ground-up asphalt for the walk path and installed the fencing, and the town spread the asphalt and installed the gate.

People are finding the museum again. While the end of August and the first part of September represent the tail end of the tourist season, Hawkins said he’s been encouraged by visitor counts, which have averaged around 25 per day. The museum’s best day since reopening came on Saturday, Aug. 22 when 28 people passed through the gate.