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With the help of many hard working volunteers, a helicopter, and a few elves, Santa Claus completed another holiday season’s visits to lighthouses from Maine to New York. Waiting for Santa at each stop were Coast Guard children and their parents, and in some cases the families of volunteers who help maintain the lighthouses.
The tradition of the Flying Santa goes back to 1929 when a Maine pilot, Bill Wincapaw, started it as a way to show appreciation for the hard and often thankless work done by lighthouse keepers and their families. Historian Edward Rowe Snow became involved in the flights in the mid-1930s, and he continued them until 1981 when the Hull Lifesaving Museum took over.
Today the nonprofit group Friends of Flying Santa continues the trips. George Morgan is chairman of the group and is Santa on many of the flights.
Following are some of the highlights of this year’s flights as reported by Brian Tague, Friends of Flying Santa board member and photographer.
- On December 16 at Burnt Island Light in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, we were greeted by a large crowd that had been brought out by boat for the Santa visit. George Morgan took part in the three-year-old tradition of Santa hoisting the wreath up the lighthouse tower.
- On December 18 at Maine’s Rockland Airport, we were thrilled to be greeted by some of the relatives of Captain William Wincapaw who still live in the Rockland area. Santa handed out toys to five-year-old twins Abbie and Drew and nine-year old Lottie. The kids had their pictures taken with Santa in and around the helicopter. We presented the Wincapaw family members with copies of the Friends of Flying Santa’s recently printed “History and Origins of the Flying Santa.” The family enjoyed being part of the holiday tradition started by Captain Wincapaw so many years before.
- Also on December 18, at Bass Harbor Light we met an older couple, Dolly and Harold Cummings of Bass Harbor, that just happened to be driving by the field we landed in. They had been keepers at Great Duck Island Light in the 1950’s. They were very excited to see the latest Flying Santa and to know that the tradition was still being carried on. They had their picture taken with Santa in front of the helicopter. The encounter made their holiday!
- On December 18 we made a stop at USCG Station Jonesport; this was a new stop for the Flying Santa this year. The crew and families of this fairly remote station had especially looked forward to Santa’s visit. The station was well decorated for the festivities. We were given an extremely enthusiastic reception from everyone present. It had been a tough week for the station, as they were involved in the search and recovery of three local fishermen who had drowned just a few days earlier. A severe windstorm the day before had done considerable damage to the station’s dock and had also left many of the crew’s nearby homes without power and heat. The visit of the Flying Santa was a welcome distraction.
Following is an account by CWO Dave Waldrip, who in addition to being a part-time Flying Santa is stationed at the First Coast Guard District Office in the Aids to Navigation and Waterways Management Branch. He currently serves as the District Lighthouse Manager.
We were nearing the dates of the three 2000 Flying Santa trips. This year Santa would be stopping at over 30 lighthouses and Coast Guard stations from Jonesport, Maine to Eaton’s Neck, New York. During the past six months George Morgan, chairman of the Friends of Flying Santa, had held two lighthouse cruises, one in Massachusetts Bay and the other in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. He also conducted a bus tour visiting lighthouses on Cape Cod. These trips, along with individual donations received, would help pay for the helicopter for the Mass Bay trip and the Cape and Islands trip. At every stop, each child who was signed up by their parents ahead of time would receive a gift from Santa. Meetings were held monthly and Santa’s board and elves scrambled from January right up to the day of the flights to make sure that every detail was covered.
Once again my big day arrived on December 9th and the weather was perfect. The sky was clear and the winds were light to moderate. As I arrived at Norwood Airport and met Dale Hardy, our pilot for the day, I was very excited to fill the role of Santa and carry on this great tradition that Captain Bill Wincapaw started in 1929. Just a few days earlier I spoke to a wonderful woman who has had much more experience then myself with these trips. It was Dolly Snow Bicknell, whose father — the legendary Edward Rowe Snow — was the Flying Santa for many years. Dolly went along on most of the flights, and in my opinion I’m a real amateur compared to her when it comes to this mission.
As we took off and headed to Plum Island Light in Newburyport, Massachusetts, flying over Boston with our videographer from Boston’s Channel 7, I started double checking my suit to make sure that the beard, wig and glasses were all still together. As the lighthouse came into view you could see the children and adults waiting in anticipation of Santa’s arrival.
After two quick circles waving to the children, Dale landed the helicopter gently between the fence and the lighthouse. As Santa stepped from the helicopter, he handed a box to Jim Frye, the President of Friends of Plum Island Light, the organization that has had a license for the lighthouse since 1996. Also in the crowd was Janet Kennedy, the new manager of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. Their headquarters is the old lighthouse keeper’s house.
The children were in awe when Santa knew them and called out their names, saying hello to Alex, Sadie, Jacob, Colin, Brielle and many of the parents by first name. Santa took a seat and handed out gifts to all the children. He made sure every child went home happy and even walked over to a car to hand a gift to pretty Abigail when he found out she was afraid of the man with the white beard and the bright red suit.
After taking off and waving good-bye, Santa continued his visits to Annisquam Light, Eastern Point Light and Boston Light. At Boston Light he handed the keepers of the only light still manned by Coast Guardsman a one hundred dollar certificate to a local supermarket. This would enable the crew to have a holiday feast like their shipmates located on ships and stations throughout the Coast Guard.
After Boston Light, Santa visited Station Point Allerton. The crew at Point Allerton had been extremely helpful earlier in the month assisting with the wrapping of hundreds of toys for the Santa flights. This has become a tradition at Point Allerton over the past number of years and is much appreciated by the Friends of Flying Santa.
We then proceeded down to Scituate. At Scituate Light, Santa was asked to pose with a new bride and groom. After kissing the bride and telling the groom to behave tonight — Santa would be watching — he proceeded back to the helicopter where Mrs. Claus said she saw Santa kiss the bride. We flew to Cape Cod Canal Station and finally to Plymouth (Gurnet Point) Light where there were many children waiting and a big “Merry Christmas Santa” sign waiting. Upon departing Gurnet Point we headed back to Norwood airport where the helicopter was tucked away for the following day’s trip to the Cape and Islands.
After the day ended, I once again felt proud to be part of this history and tradition, especially helping make the children happy. There are many volunteers behind the scenes who donate countless hours. These folks never get noticed and ask for nothing in return. Without their dedication and the generous donations of lovers of lighthouses and history, the program would not be able to continue.
To learn more about the history of the Friends of Flying Santa or to make a donation:
Website: www.flyingsanta.com
Email: flyingsanta@mediaone.net
Friends of Flying Santa
PO Box 791
Hull MA 02045-0791
This story appeared in the
February 2001 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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