SUNDRE – After making a brief post-pandemic comeback in 2022 before ending up grounded last year, the Mother’s Day Fly-in Breakfast is once again cleared for landing at the Sundre Airport.
Although organizers were faced with the difficult decision to cancel last year’s event on account of insufficient volunteer commitments amid hectic schedules, the Sundre Flying Club was this time around able to secure enough helping hands.
Anyone who is so inclined will get a chance to check out a variety of aircraft coming in to land at the Sundre Airport on Sunday, May 12 with breakfast served from 8 a.m. to noon by volunteers including 2022-23 Miss Rodeo Sundre Jamie Davies, who will be joined by Lady-in-Waiting Ashley Gillespie.
But the best time to view the planes – and quite possibly even a helicopter or two – is earlier on as many of the pilots have usually departed by lunch time.
Members of the West Country Cruisers car club will also be coming out to put on display various vehicles, and anyone who might be interested in showing off their own ride is invited to join them.
Additionally, this year will also feature some new elements that weren’t part of past fly-in breakfasts.
“This is the first time that Mountain View County has actually stepped into support this year,” said Bruno Bradley, a club director.
“They are going to be supplying bouncy castles for the kids this year, which has never been done before,” Bradley told the Albertan during a phone interview.
“And they’re also going to be supplying face painting,” he added, extending gratitude to the county’s reeve and council for pitching into make the fly-in breakfast “as family-friendly as possible.”
He also praised Bruce Goodwin and Tom Mennear, who for several decades largely laid the groundwork to put on the event.
And not one to take much credit for his involvement, Bradley said he’s primarily been doing what he can to support the club’s president and vice-president, Mike Kennedy and Sheldon Valentine.
As well, the county’s contributions have helped usher in a promising new chapter at the Sundre Airport.
“The Sundre Airport is in an evolution right now,” he said.
“Mountain View County are putting on an incredible display for our airport, and it’s just amazing to watch,” he said.
“The new taxiway has been put in and paved, there’s a new access road, there’s lots being released for development,” he said.
“More has happened here at the airport in the last year with county involvement than in many, many years … we’re very, very fortunate. We’ve really got good people leading us here,” he said.
“It’s not that sleepy little airport that it used to be. Everybody here is pretty busy.”
Asked whether the club might still be looking for volunteers to help out with the fly-in breakfast, he said, “As far as we know, everything is handled at this time. Now you know, that’s subject to change.”
So if anybody who comes out for the breakfast happens to notice any gaps, they’re more than welcome to pitch in, he added.
“(But) at this time, we have enough volunteers.”
