Event

Friends of Flying Santa Third Annual Virtual Gala on Saturday, November 19, 2022, at 7 p.m. EST

Join the U.S. Lighthouse Society and Friends of Flying Santa for a celebration of a wonderful 93-year-old tradition. Back in 1929, the pioneering Maine pilot Bill Wincapaw started flying his seaplane over the lighthouses of the Maine coast in the Christmas season, dropping gifts for the keepers and their families as a show of appreciation. The popular historian Edward Rowe Snow became involved in the 1930s, and he kept the flights going through 1980.

The program continues today through the work of the nonprofit Friends of Flying Santa. Helicopters visit Coast Guard stations throughout the Northeast, with more than 1000 children of Coast Guard families receiving gifts from Santa. It’s a perfect way to express appreciation to an under-appreciated branch of our military.

The Flying Santa passes over Graves Lighthouse in Boston Harbor in 1936. Courtesy of Friends of Flying Santa.

This program will include a presentation on Flying Santa history by USLHS historian Jeremy D’Entremont and Brian Tague, president of Friends of Flying Santa, and there will be other special guests. There is no fee to participate, but you must register in advance for this Zoom event. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

When: Saturday, November 19, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance: https://bit.ly/3hAN59l

2 thoughts on “Friends of Flying Santa Third Annual Virtual Gala on Saturday, November 19, 2022, at 7 p.m. EST

  1. Will this be available on You Tube or somehow else I can later listen to it? You know how much I love the Flying Santa……..I can never get enough……….I still believe in Santa.
    Seamond

    1. Yes, it will be posted on YouTube, Seamond. It will posted within a couple of days after the event. We still believe in Santa, too!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.