It’s A Bird! It’s A Plane! No, It’s Aviation Fun Day!
March 12, 2020
By KATHLEEN SHAW
Daily News-Record 3/12/20
WEYERS CAVE — Over 500 racers are jetting down to Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport this Sunday for Run the Runway 5K and Aviation Fun Day.
For the third year, the Weyers Cave airport and Explore More Discovery Museum in Harrisonburg have partnered to raise funds for the museum’s aviation exhibit.
Participants prepare for takeoff at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday with a 1K Fun Run for children ages 3 to 12. The later 5K invites runners of all ages to follow the colorful taxiway and runway for a chip timed race, starting at 2 p.m. Because the course is flat and paved, it is accessible to strollers and wheelchairs.
Blue Ridge Aviation, a flight school that operates out of the airport, and Explore More Discovery Museum representatives will lead various hands-on activities to discuss the science of flight, functions of aircraft components and pilot preparations. Participants who stop by every station and fill up an activity passport will be entered to win a free introductory flight from Blue Ridge Aviation.
Heather Ream, director of marketing and communications at Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport, said a Humvee from the Virginia Army National Guard and various other smaller aircraft will be on display by Dynamic Aviation.
“In addition to the educational component, we will also have a static display including several aircrafts like the DC-3, ‘Miss Virginia,’ which recently participated in the 75th anniversary of D-Day, and a T-6, a Stearman and a Beech 18. In addition, we will have a PHI AirCare 5 Medevac helicopter on display as well,” Ream said.
Team members of the AirCare 5 Medevac Shenandoah Valley will discuss their service in the community, and the Virginia Department of Aviation will have an education trailer for people to learn about statewide aviation efforts. The educational, hands-on components of Aviation Fun Day are free and open to the public from 1 to 5 p.m.
Rockingham County resident Lauren Kirby-Brunk decided to register for the 1K after encouragement from her friends. She will be racing along with her 4-year-old and said she is excited to enjoy the outdoors with her family and show her son the aircraft.
“I am looking forward to a fun day with my family and child. Looks like a lot of fun activities,” Kirby-Brunk said. “Honestly, it’s not the race itself. It’s the time spent with my family, and I do think it’s cool it’s being done on the runway. The chance for my kiddo to check out the planes will be great too.”
Medals will be awarded to the top male and female runners across eight age groups. All children in the Fun Run will receive a button for participation, and the top three finishers for the 1K will be presented medals crafted in the Explore More museum’s Maker City Makerspace using the 3D printer.
Ream has been an organizer for the race since its inception three years ago. She said the event was dreamed up as a means to connect and alert the community of the local airport.
“Initially, we created it because the Explore More Discovery Museum was putting in an aviation exhibit, so it seemed like a really good fit to invite people to come to the airport to run and raise money for the exhibition. Over the years, they’ve been able to add more parts to the exhibit,” Ream said. “The biggest change this year is the addition of the educational component and the static display.”
According to Ream, the race raised nearly $12,000 its first year and $13,000 last year. Last summer, Explore More Discovery Museum added various interactive pieces to the aviation exhibit such as runway lights repurposed into benches, monitors and equipment fitted to the air traffic control panel and wings added to the Beechcraft King Air 90S airplane installation.
Kelly Snow, development director of Explore More Discovery Museum, said the exhibit was added to showcase the local industries in Rockingham County, such as aviation, and connect the science and technology to something tangible children are familiar with.
“In the future, there’s more that we’d like to do in the way of teaching about wind and aerodynamics, so we’re looking into something called a Bernoulli blower,” Snow said. “We’re also considering adding some sort of a TSA component where kids can check their bags and go through security.”
Snow said the addition of a security gate feature would help normalize the experience in a quieter, calmer setting for children to prepare for when they are in an actual airport.
“Going through security could be scary to kids or unknown so to have a place for them to go through and interact can help make it not a big deal. Plus a lot of kids think it’s cool to go through a line and put their bags on a conveyor belt,” she said.
At the race, Broad Porch Coffee Co. will serve coffee and hot chocolate from its new trailer, and Valley Pike BBQ will have a food truck at the runway.
Packets can be picked up at the museum on Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. or from the airport’s General Aviation Terminal from 11:30 to 1 p.m. Registration for the Kids Fun Run 1K is $15 and the 5K race is $25 online. The airport is located at 77 Aviation Circle, and same day sign-up is available for an additional $5 fee starting at 11:30 a.m.
“We want to expose children to aviation as a potential career. We also love the unique experience the run provides, and it’s incited educational experience beyond the walls of the museum,” Snow said. “Anytime we can partner with people in the community to provide these unique learning experiences for children in the community, it’s a win-win all around.”
Daily News-Record 3/12/20
WEYERS CAVE — Over 500 racers are jetting down to Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport this Sunday for Run the Runway 5K and Aviation Fun Day.
For the third year, the Weyers Cave airport and Explore More Discovery Museum in Harrisonburg have partnered to raise funds for the museum’s aviation exhibit.
Participants prepare for takeoff at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday with a 1K Fun Run for children ages 3 to 12. The later 5K invites runners of all ages to follow the colorful taxiway and runway for a chip timed race, starting at 2 p.m. Because the course is flat and paved, it is accessible to strollers and wheelchairs.
Blue Ridge Aviation, a flight school that operates out of the airport, and Explore More Discovery Museum representatives will lead various hands-on activities to discuss the science of flight, functions of aircraft components and pilot preparations. Participants who stop by every station and fill up an activity passport will be entered to win a free introductory flight from Blue Ridge Aviation.
Heather Ream, director of marketing and communications at Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport, said a Humvee from the Virginia Army National Guard and various other smaller aircraft will be on display by Dynamic Aviation.
“In addition to the educational component, we will also have a static display including several aircrafts like the DC-3, ‘Miss Virginia,’ which recently participated in the 75th anniversary of D-Day, and a T-6, a Stearman and a Beech 18. In addition, we will have a PHI AirCare 5 Medevac helicopter on display as well,” Ream said.
Team members of the AirCare 5 Medevac Shenandoah Valley will discuss their service in the community, and the Virginia Department of Aviation will have an education trailer for people to learn about statewide aviation efforts. The educational, hands-on components of Aviation Fun Day are free and open to the public from 1 to 5 p.m.
Rockingham County resident Lauren Kirby-Brunk decided to register for the 1K after encouragement from her friends. She will be racing along with her 4-year-old and said she is excited to enjoy the outdoors with her family and show her son the aircraft.
“I am looking forward to a fun day with my family and child. Looks like a lot of fun activities,” Kirby-Brunk said. “Honestly, it’s not the race itself. It’s the time spent with my family, and I do think it’s cool it’s being done on the runway. The chance for my kiddo to check out the planes will be great too.”
Medals will be awarded to the top male and female runners across eight age groups. All children in the Fun Run will receive a button for participation, and the top three finishers for the 1K will be presented medals crafted in the Explore More museum’s Maker City Makerspace using the 3D printer.
Ream has been an organizer for the race since its inception three years ago. She said the event was dreamed up as a means to connect and alert the community of the local airport.
“Initially, we created it because the Explore More Discovery Museum was putting in an aviation exhibit, so it seemed like a really good fit to invite people to come to the airport to run and raise money for the exhibition. Over the years, they’ve been able to add more parts to the exhibit,” Ream said. “The biggest change this year is the addition of the educational component and the static display.”
According to Ream, the race raised nearly $12,000 its first year and $13,000 last year. Last summer, Explore More Discovery Museum added various interactive pieces to the aviation exhibit such as runway lights repurposed into benches, monitors and equipment fitted to the air traffic control panel and wings added to the Beechcraft King Air 90S airplane installation.
Kelly Snow, development director of Explore More Discovery Museum, said the exhibit was added to showcase the local industries in Rockingham County, such as aviation, and connect the science and technology to something tangible children are familiar with.
“In the future, there’s more that we’d like to do in the way of teaching about wind and aerodynamics, so we’re looking into something called a Bernoulli blower,” Snow said. “We’re also considering adding some sort of a TSA component where kids can check their bags and go through security.”
Snow said the addition of a security gate feature would help normalize the experience in a quieter, calmer setting for children to prepare for when they are in an actual airport.
“Going through security could be scary to kids or unknown so to have a place for them to go through and interact can help make it not a big deal. Plus a lot of kids think it’s cool to go through a line and put their bags on a conveyor belt,” she said.
At the race, Broad Porch Coffee Co. will serve coffee and hot chocolate from its new trailer, and Valley Pike BBQ will have a food truck at the runway.
Packets can be picked up at the museum on Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. or from the airport’s General Aviation Terminal from 11:30 to 1 p.m. Registration for the Kids Fun Run 1K is $15 and the 5K race is $25 online. The airport is located at 77 Aviation Circle, and same day sign-up is available for an additional $5 fee starting at 11:30 a.m.
“We want to expose children to aviation as a potential career. We also love the unique experience the run provides, and it’s incited educational experience beyond the walls of the museum,” Snow said. “Anytime we can partner with people in the community to provide these unique learning experiences for children in the community, it’s a win-win all around.”
