Sonic, Weinberger's Deli, and the city of Grapevine are honoring pilot and astronaut Wally Funk this week.
Funk, a Grapevine woman who became the oldest person to travel to outer space on July 20 when she hopped aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket with four other people and blasted into space, will be honored with a parade in downtown Grapevine on Saturday.
Those in attendance can toast the astronaut with her own signature drink being offered at the nearby Sonic -- at Northwest Highway and Main Street -- the Wally Funk Blast.
Our partners at The Dallas Morning News say the drink comes with all of Funk's favorite ingredients including vanilla ice cream, bananas, chocolate syrup, nuts, whipped cream, and a cherry on top.
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The drink is being offered at half-price on Saturday.
DallasNews also mentioned that Weinberger's Deli has named a sandwich in Funk's honor -- Wally Funk’s Ham Sandwich made with hot Virginia ham, Swiss cheese, tomato, and “rocket sauce.”
The city said the parade would be held along Grapevine's Historic Main Street on Aug. 7 at noon. The parade will end at the Peace Plaza at Grapevine Main Station located at 815 South Main Street, where Funk will speak at an event, along with others.
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Funk was personally selected by Amazon and Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos to join him on the flight, alongside Bezos’ brother.
Funk has been flying planes for 60 years. Her journey to space on the rocket is truly a full-circle moment in her life.
She was one of 13 women trained to be an astronaut for Project Mercury in the 1960s. The program was privately funded but the women all underwent the same amount and of intense training that NASA astronauts endured preparing for space.
But it was a different time period. Despite her training, NASA never accepted her or the other Project Mercury members because of their gender.
Now, she's the only member of the Mercury 13 to finally go to space.
Funk hass also been an active member of a female aviation group called the Ninety-Nines for over 60 years.
Many local students learned how to fly because of Funk. In her lifetime, she’s instructed more than 3,000 students.
