Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 7, 2021)
8 Wednesday, July 7, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon ‘Planes, pancakes, flying chickens’ — event celebrates America By Ceili Cornelius Correspondent Sisters Eagle Airport treated Sisters residents to a full show of airplanes and vintage and hot-rod cars at the annual Sisters Eagle Airport Fly-In event on the Fourth of July. A typical dry, hot summer day on the tar- mac at Sisters Eagle Airport had several hundred patrons out and about to see the air show and drag racing to cele- brate America9s birthday. The familiar sound of helicopters and other aircraft echoed down the runway all morning in Sisters Country. The event began with a community pancake break- fast and the arrival of aircraft, then the 5K run/walk featur- ing a hot rod and a plane signal to send off the run- ners (see related story, page 4). Throughout the day, cars were on display across the tarmac, mostly old-school cars, with some modern sports cars and other rigs in the mix. The Sisters Camp- Sherman Fire Department was also there with an EMS station, handing out fire hats and stickers to kids, staffed by the Sisters Fire Corps and EMS personnel. Later in the morning, pilots began the famous <chicken drop,= in which patrons bet on where the rubber chicken will land on the runway when it9s dropped from a plane. The day at the airport traditionally ends with drag races down the runway. Brittany Meudt, sales ana- lyst at Laird Superfood, was there with her family show- ing off one of her grandpa9s signature old-fashioned cars. Her grandpa, Mick Hunter, was an avid car collector and his red 1955 Chevrolet 210 Del Ray, that he called <Ralph,= was present at this year9s event. <We wanted to come out and honor Grandpa with this car, and we hadn9t shown it off since the [2019] Glory Family-Friendly Outdoor Courtyard Distinctive Fresh Menu, Weekly Specials, Specializing In Gluten-Free Live Music & Events at sistersdepot.com Order takeout online. Reservations recommended. Hours for June: Thurs.-Sat. 12-9 & Mon. Locals Night; Sun., 11-3 541-904-4660 250 W. Cascade Daze Car Show and we thought it would be a good idea to come out with it for a local event,= said Meudt. Meudt9s 16-month-old son, Beau, was also in atten- dance 4 his first car show honoring his great-grandpa. Hunter bought the car in 1965 when he was 19 years old, and moved to Sisters with the Chevy in 2005. Hunter passed away in 2019. Meudt and <Grandpa Mike= were very close through her youth. <It means a lot to come out and honor him at this local event,= she said. Leading Edge Aviation Inc, based in Bend, was also a lead in the event, putting on what they call <hop rides= in tour helicopters throughout the day. Leading Edge is a flight academy that trains recreational and commercial pilots. Their representative at the event, Kate Ayres, said <We are out here doing tours in the Robison R-44 helicopters touring over the mountains. That is primarily the training Cool off indoors with fresh f lowers! 243 N. Elm St. 541-549-8198 W E DEL I V ER! aircraft for pilots, and we get these pilots trained and a lot of them end up becoming EMS helicopter and plane pilots,= she said. Executive Vice President of Leading Edge Jack Walker is the lead instructor for over 200 students. <We work with COCC (Central Oregon Community College) and veterans for flight training, and it is really good practice in the field rather than just working with professional training agen- cies,= he said. As the day continued, there were drag races, flights landing and taking off, and people out mingling and catching up with old friends as the state of Oregon begins to open up again. <It is so nice to see every- one9s smiling faces,= said Sisters resident Heather Johnson. Owner and Founder of Fika Sisters Coffeehouse Reneé Reitmeier said, <It was so fun to enjoy a com- munity festival! And this is one of Sisters9 classics PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK Leading Edge Aviation offered “hop rides” throughout the day on July 4 at Sisters Eagle Airport. 4 planes, pancakes, and fly- ing chickens.= Cathy Stadeli, owner of C&C Nursery, said, <We loved seeing everyone out enjoying themselves, and seeing their smiling faces again. Nothing like fast cars and the smell of burning rubber to let you know sum- mer is here! It9s a wonderful way to celebrate America9s birthday.= The Sisters Eagle Airport9s Fly-In event is an annual Sisters tradition that will carry on throughout the years, but this year was spe- cial because it is one of the first events of the summer for citizens to gather together with a sense of normalcy. Join us for... IN-STORE AUTHOR SIGNING & READINGS AUTHOR SIGNING: SAT., JULY 10 10AM-2PM MARIE BOSTWICK, The Restoration of Celia Fairchild IN PERSON READING & SIGNING: THURS., JULY 15, 6:30 PM, PHILLIP MARGOLIN presents A Matter of Life and Death VIRTUAL BOOKS IN COMMON EVENTS THURS., JULY 8, 6:30 PM JONATHAN EVISON presents Legends of the North Cascades THURS., JULY 15, 12 PM DOIREANN NÍ GHRÍOFA AND ÉIREANN LORSUNG present Ghost in the Throat THURS., JULY 22, 6:30 PM ELIZABETH GONZALEZ JAMES AND CARRIE LA SEUR present Mona at Sea THURS., JULY 29, 6:30 PM Local Bend author TRACEY LANGE presents We Are the Brennans Go to paulinaspringsbooks.com to view details and to register. ” s t s a o R & s d “Rea nd coffee book a box subscription urself o y r o f r e d r O t o r a friend a oks.com gsbo paulinasprin 541-549-0866 • 252 W. Hood Ave., Sisters