TriState Aviation, Central Jersey Regional Airport’s flight school has received confirmation that Santa Claus will be stopping at the airport for his annual visit on Sunday, Dec. 15th.
His arrival is scheduled for 11 a.m. and he will depart for his next stop at 2 p.m. Santa has been choosing TriState Aviation as one of his stops for the past 14 years and is always excited to visit the airport.
He is inspired by the charitable work the flight school offers as they partner with The Rotary Club of Somerville and Bridgewater.
Registration for this event is mandatory and can be processed by going to Santa’s website, www.santaflyin.com Ticket purchases and donations are processed online. The cost is $10 per child and $15 for adults. The admission covers an array of activities and lunch as well as a personal letter written by Santa for your child.
Once registered, parents will be contacted by Santa’s elves to obtain information that Santa will include in their child’s letter. Age, grade, activities, good and bad behavior and any information parents wish to include will be addressed specifically to their son or daughter.
“These letters have become a treasure for so many families throughout the years. Moms and dads say they look forward to receiving them and the kids are so excited to learn what Santa has to say,” explained Rotarian Jodi Saleem. “What makes it so special is our Santa is so authentic and the children are amazed Santa actually knows their name. It’s a lot of work putting those letters together, but when you see those faces light up, it’s worth it.”
How is Santa able to pull this off? Parents are asked to bring two gifts to the event, one wrapped that is meant for their child and one unwrapped as a donation. The process is down to a science as parents tell their children that the gifts they are bringing are for poor children and they should feel good about giving something to them when they are struggling with so many problems because of their situation.
As parents sign-in, they give their gifts, (which are usually contained in bags), to Santa’s elves. The letter from Santa is taped on to their present and given to them when they’re called to meet Santa. There might be a parent that can’t handle bringing in the gifts and their children simultaneously, but Santa’s elves are available to help get everyone and everything through the door.
While waiting for Santa to call them up to receive their present, the Rotary Club has a number of activities to keep everyone in the family occupied. First, the club offers a lunch of hot dogs, hot chocolate, chips and cookies. Kids will be provided with plenty of holiday crafts to decorate their tree. There will be face painting, holiday tattoos and a Christmas bulb decorating station.
There will also be a professional photo booth this year for families that want to take a holiday picture, with a print and a digital file of the photos provided if parents want to make additional copies.
There will also be a magician on hand to entertain children as they wait. Rotarians will also be available to speak to anyone wishing to join their organization.
Rotary is an international charitable organization with over 1.5 million members. Clubs created throughout the world serve the needs of their local community. The Somerville/Bridgewater club provides charitable contributions to food banks, veterans, the homeless, non-profit agencies asking for assistance and scholarships to several schools in our area. One hundred percent of proceeds for this event will be dedicated to indigent families living in Central New Jersey.
Agape House, located in Somerville, will be one of the organizations that will benefit from the donations received. Agape is a 60-bed facility that provides food and shelter to homeless people. The Rotary Club will collect toys for the children and issue gift cards for adults so they can make their own holiday purchase. The Rotary Club will also work with other shelters and churches that have expressed a need for donations of people in their congregation struggling to provide gifts for their children this holiday season.
Registration will close once all seats have been filled, so register early on the website www.santaflyin.com or call Santa’s hotline and leave a message at 908-526-3456. Someone will return your call as soon as possible. Walk-ins cannot be accommodated due to seating capacity.