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Donate a toy to marvel at an even bigger one
Every so often, we hear a low-pitched drone from outside the house and become complete idiots as we crane our necks to find its source.
Sometimes it is a small fleet of military helicopters that fly overhead, but their thud-thud-thud-thud-thud is pretty distinctive.
But the drone that most excites all of us (especially my biggest kid, my husband) belongs to the Goodyear blimp, which occasionally flies over our neighborhood on its way to or from its hangar in Suffield. We always marvel at how large the blimp appears, or how close to our home, and how something that appears to float overhead like a balloon can have such a loud engine.
This weekend, we all can have the opportunity for an even closer glimpse of the blimp. If you bring a donation for Toys for Tots, you can hand it to a Marine in dress blue uniform and drive past the blimp in its hangar, which will be decorated for Christmas. Santa will be on hand to wave to visitors, and the blimp’s ground crew will have a few small trinkets for those driving through. A donation is not required to drive past the blimp, but I doubt anyone wants to show up empty-handed.
Hours for the event are 1 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4. The hangar is located at 841 Wingfoot Lake Road, Mogadore, 44260.
The public will not be permitted to park and walk around the blimp, but it’s a great chance to get a closer look at this unique advertising vehicle for one of the world’s largest tire companies.
We have a full weekend planned already, but I think my husband will find a way to squeeze this in — not because of our kids’ overwhelming interest, but his own.
Someday, I hope my husband gets the opportunity to take a ride in a blimp. I think that would be the greatest Christmas gift he could imagine. If only we knew someone who worked there. . . in a position of authority . . . who could arrange such a thing. . . ?