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.
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
Jeremy D’Entremont is the author of more than 20 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and maritime history. He is the president and historian for the American Lighthouse Foundation and founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, and he has lectured and narrated cruises throughout the Northeast and in other regions. He is also the producer and host of the U.S. Lighthouse Society podcast, “Light Hearted.” He can be emailed at Jeremy@uslhs.org
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
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!