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Mid-Ohio Valley Regional ‘Scare-port’ gets into the Halloween spirit

By Amber Phipps 3 min read

PARKERSBURG - Nearly 1,200 people attended the third annual Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport's Trunk or Treat on Saturday. The event was well-attended with kids and adults of all ages wearing their spookiest costumes.

The airport's Operations Manager Sydnie Beall said they start planning the event a year ahead so the pilots can plan to attend with their planes.

"It's kind of a joint effort to see when people can get here," said Beall. "The biggest puzzle piece is getting the aircraft owners to participate and allow us to use their planes for display."

She said coordinating with everyone can be challenging but the pilots are happy to be part of the Halloween event.

Beall said they encourage the pilots to bring in their own candy to pass out but the airport purchases anywhere between 400-500 bags of candy. Sponsors like Jan Dils Attorneys At Law donated trick or treat bags for attendees.

"We usually start planning the day after the event and we look at what went well and what didn't go well from the year before," said Beall.

She said in past years they realized they didn't purchase enough candy. This year they purchased 438 bags. Beall said, "it feels like we buy out Sam's Club or Walmart every year."

She said they start advertising in January and get sponsors early in the year to be ready for the event.

"We advertised for the local planes and helicopters and then we started reaching out but with the government shutdown we had four aircraft that weren't allowed to come so that was a bummer," she said. "Having military aircraft here was a pretty critical part of this event, kids get to see a whole different side of aviation."

The airport runway was filled with planes of all sizes as well as fire trucks and police cars from Parkersburg.

Instead of going door-to-door in a neighborhood, guests at the event lined up from plane to plane to receive candy from a pilot.

Ron and Swanna Henderson brought their 1969 Cessna 182 while they passed out candy at the airport. They said this was their first year attending the event.

"All the other times they've had the event, we've been out of town," said Ron. "We decided this year we wanted to partake in the festivities."

They passed out sour candies to guests and answered any questions people had about the plane. Swanna said the aircraft fits four people or two people and some dogs.

"It's really great and the kids are cute, too," said Swanna.

The Henderson's said they're also part of an organization called Pilots N Paws. Pilots N Paws is a nonprofit that works with volunteer pilots who assist with sheltering, foster care, and rescue flights for animals.

The Henderson's were among the plethora of pilots present at the airport passing out candy and engaging the kids with a fun experience.

"We would like to thank the community for all their help and support with this event," said Beall. "As long as they keep coming, we'll keep putting on events like this."

Amber Phipps can be reached at aphipps@newsandsentinel.com

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