The Vermilion River Flying Club hosted a successful Fly-in Father’s Day Breakfast at the Vermilion Municipal Airport on Sunday, June 16. Although the club had hoped to provide breakfast under a canvas tent at the airport, windy conditions led to the breakfast being relocated to St. Jerome’s School. There, the Knights of Columbus served their legendary breakfast from 9 a.m. until noon. Proceeds of the $12 per person breakfast went to Knights of Columbus charities, with children under 6 enjoying the meal for free.
More than 165 people attended the breakfast, with adventurous aviators from Villeneuve, Cooking Lake, Drayton Valley, Westlock, and elsewhere braving the wind to land at the airport, where they were transported by volunteers to the school. In total, three planes and two helicopters attended this inaugural event. Others drove from as far away as Edmonton, with locals providing a warm welcome and friendly chatter throughout the morning.
The event aimed to utilize and highlight the Vermilion airport, encouraging more people to visit and use the facility. The breakfast featured a classic menu including pancakes, scrambled eggs, ham, sausages, strawberries, blueberries, coffee, tea, and juice. Cadets stepped up to provide dishwashing services, gratefully acknowledged by the organizers.
Burnt Rock Adventure Co., the Vermilion Pottery Guild, and Heartworks Studio had tables set up, providing a taste of what Vermilion has to offer to visitors and locals alike.
The event was well-publicized on Facebook, with additional promotion through emails to other flying clubs helping to spread the word. The club, which has 19 members, previously hosted fly-ins for coffee but had to pause due to COVID-19, making this their first attempt at a fly-in breakfast.
To learn more about the Vermilion River Flying Club, visit its website at www.vrflyingclub.ca
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