Santa Claus decided to leave the sleigh and reindeer at home Dec. 13 as he took a Cirrus Vision SF 50 jet to the Shawano Municipal Airport to visit more than 200 families eager for the jolly old elf to get their Christmas wishes solidified before the big night.
As frigid weather led officials in Wittenberg, Clintonville and other communities to cancel their Christmas parades and activities, Shawano stood strong and held its event in one of the airport hangars.
The airport partnered with the Northern Flight Alliance to hold this event, not only as an addendum to Shawano’s numerous holiday activities but also as a chance to educate locals about aviation and where the airport could be heading in the future.
“We’ve been around for a number of years,” said Paul Sheridan, alliance member. “Initially, this was set to help support the Civil Air Patrol. What we’re trying to do is put on events that help further advance the education of aviation-related activity.”
This is the first time the Santa visit has taken place at the airport, and Sheridan saw it as an opportunity to combine the whimsy of Santa Claus with a chance to check out aircraft and the various organizations that help keep them in the air.
Sheridan said the event was weather-dependent, but that the minus-20 degree wind chills were not the biggest concern for the alliance, noting that the air temperature where the jet topped out at 35,000 feet was probably around minus-60 degrees.
There was more worry about a snowstorm making it difficult for the jet to land, but there was not a flake in the sky as the snowstorm came through Shawano one day earlier, and the sunshine gave the families a clear, albeit frigid, view of Santa’s arrival.
“We figured we’ve got enough room (in the hangar), so we’ll just get them inside,” Sheridan said. “We didn’t ever think too seriously about cancelling. If we were more outside-oriented, we probably would have.”
Sheridan noted that, with this being an inaugural event, it was tough to gauge how many families would come out, but the hangar was packed with children getting in line with their parents to meet Santa.
“With the extreme cold we had, and the wind, we weren’t sure what to expect,” Sheridan said. “The nice thing about northeast Wisconsin is people are pretty resilient, and when people can get outside and have some activity for the kids, we figure they’re going to come out. It’s a great turnout.”
As the jet came to the hangar, Santa could clearly be seen in the co-pilot’s seat, causing the children to cheer.
“To see Santa there in the cockpit, it was a great experience for the kids,” Sheridan said.
Although her line wasn’t nearly as long as Santa’s, newly minted pilot Chloe Cicero showed off a Cessna 182 inside the hangar and gave the children a chance to check out the controls. Cicero started training 18 months ago and received her pilot’s license the week before the event.
“It feels good. It’s fun,” Cicero said. “I think it’s good to get the kids out here to the airport and around planes. Start them young.”
Mayor Bruce Milavitz, a pilot himself and a member of the Shawano Airport Board, believes the event is one that will be part of the community for many years to come.
“I’m just so proud to share the Christmas spirit with the community,” Milavitz said. “I was really happy to open the airport so that people can come and enjoy. Because the weather was so cold, this was a nice, warm, family-friendly event that we could do, and the community decided to put it on completely free.”
Milavitz said he was pleased that the holiday cheer could go on, despite the temperatures.
“We discussed it, and we said, ‘Do we live in Wisconsin, or do we not live in Wisconsin?’” Milavitz said. “We figured we lived in Wisconsin. (Christmas) is really for the children, and that’s what this is all about.”
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
