More than 200 moms, dads, grandpas and grandmas and their little ones braved the chilly winds Saturday afternoon to greet the “Flying Santa” at the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse.
This time, Old Santa left his reindeer at home.
After all, Dancer, Prancer, Rudolph and the rest of the gang have to rest up, for their big night is just 20 days away.
The magical sleigh is being readied too, as the elves repair runners that were damaged last Christmas when Mr. Claus banged into the Carlton Bridge in Bath, or was it the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Cal.? It is hard to remember details when you are as old as Santa.
At Pemaquid Point, ‘Ol Santa was met by a group of volunteer fighters who helped keep the tradition alive by restocking his bag of goodies. He also stopped at Boothbay Harbor’s Burnt Island Light.
It was a tough slog for the 2009 Flying Santa who took two days to make 30 stops at lighthouses and Coast Guard stations from Jonesport, Maine, to Jones Beach, N.Y., delivering presents to kids and Coast Guard members.
It is a tradition 80 years old going back to the days when early pilots loaded up their planes and dropped off presents, sometimes literally dropped, goodies to the Coast Guard’s men and women, and lighthouse keepers and their children.
The tradition was started by Capt William H. Wincapaw of Friendship, a barnstorming pilot who made a special holiday effort to honor the real heroes of the sea were those who rescued others, and tended the lights to warn sailors of danger.
After he retired, Edward Row Snow took up his cause. Like Wincapaw, he frequently dropped presents from his plane. Sometimes these dropped presents contained surprises.
The usual presents were toys, coffee, razors, dog treats, and other goodies. Sometimes these packages contained special treats for the service members including hard-to-get copies of favorite magazines.
This year, retired Coast Guard Warrant Officer David Waldrip did the honors, donning the familiar red getup for the journey in a donated helicopter.
Santa was joined by Brian Tague, the president of the “Friends of Flying Santas.” It is a fundraising and support group dedicated to continuing the tradition.
