In the days when there were three operational hangers on the property and one the other side of Town, the Prior Sports Bar and Grill was fondly dubbed “Hanger Five” by the workforce at Arnprior Aerospace, according to plant patriarch Joe Nitch.
It was at a packed Prior the remaining 71 unionized workers came to gather after leaving their time cards behind in their slots, one final time.
The closure of the Arnprior Aerospace flagship operation was announced in December- and March 6th was the operation’s final shift.
Those earlier retirees who could make it did so, packing Hanger Five with farewell hugs- punctuated with chicken wings and draught to reminiscence on the good times.
The firm’s operations in Oregon and Mexico will continue on, and the local facility, first established in 1954 may- or may not resume operations under future ownership; but on March 6th of 2024, a piece of working-class history left plenty of memories behind on the runway.
By Rick Stow
