MINONK - The detail that goes into a Dennis Johnson model is seen in this large version of the submarine U.S. Cobia SS 245. Officers and crew can be seen at various duty stations. Johnson will be displaying several of his models at the March 8th meeting of the Woodford County Historical Society  at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Minonk. (See related story below.)

--Photo courtesy of Woodford County Historical Society.

MINONK - Dennis Johnson of Minonk will display several of his ship models at the March 8th meeting of the Woodford County Historical Society. The meeting will be held at 7 PM at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 420 E. 6th Street, Minonk. The meeting is free and open to the public. 

Dennis has been assembling models since he was 12 years old, but it wasn’t until he was in the Navy that he determined that his avocation was going to be to make detailed, scale models of ships. He has completed over 350 models, everything from a ½ inch row boat to six large models of the Titanic. The last of the Titanic models was made for his wife and lights up from the inside.
His models are treasured by collectors and several now in the National Museum of Ship Models and Sea History at Sadorus, IL which is near Champaign. A meticulous craftsman, he concentrates on getting every detail correct. On one of the models, the 1/4 inch tall Captain stands on the bridge. Dennis has painted the Captain’s hat white and added gold trim to the bill for good measure.
The goal of the Historical Society is to save the past for the future. Monthly meetings are held at various places throughout the county on the 2nd Thursday of the month from March through December. The March 2012 meeting will feature Debbie Henninger of Metamora talking about hobo symbols and the hobo quilts she has designed using those symbols.
For more information call Karen Fyke at 467-4525 or Barbara Bradle at 467-3106 or drop by the Society’s mini-museum and research room at 112 N. Main in Eureka on Wednesday or Friday afternoons from 1-4 PM.