The Weekender: Santa’s Helpers On The Way

The Weekender will fly coast to coast on toy-delivery missions while enjoying plenty of Christmas celebrations found on SocialFlight.Casa Grande Municipal in Arizona welcomes all to its first holiday party on Saturday afternoon. Along with food and live music, there will be a toy and food donation drive for the local community.In Lompoc, California, Barnstormers Aero Services and the local Marine Corps Reserve will host a Toys for Tots event Saturday along with a Santa Maria-style barbecue. Attendees are asked to bring one new unwrapped toy for a donation. A California Highway Patrol helicopter will be on display.

There are plenty of holiday fly-ins on the East coast, including a donation drive in Richmond, Virginia, on Saturday. Pilots from around the state will fly in toys collected for children of military families in need. Gifts for hospitalized veterans at McQuire Veteran's hospital also are welcome. Santa will join those flying into the airport. Also Saturday, the Sugarloaf 99s in Maryland invites families for a fun holiday-themed Paws & Planes Day at Frederick Municipal. See Santa fly in on a red airplane, meet the stars of the Turbo the Flying Dog book series, and learn about animal rescues from Frederick County Animal Control. For more on this weekend's events, visit SocialFlight.