I was just thinking…about memories of the FLY-IN
Special to the Orator
By Wayne Miller
Hello
folks, here I am with more memories to share and a cautious eagerness that I remember everything correctly. If I flub on various
details, I trust Karen, Ruby, or community elder will correct me.
Christmas
Eve Day 1969! The annual family Christmas meal is to take place at Grandma Lanier’s house just South of Denton on NC
Hwy 109. The family is gathering when the phone rings in the hallway of the spacious 8-room house. Cousin Steve Harrison is
calling from the tiny airport just south of Asheboro. Having landed his single-engine plane, he now needs someone to give
him a ride to Denton and the gathering. Brother Jimmy and I volunteer, so off to Asheboro we go!
Arriving at the airport, we are greeted by cousin Steve, who immediately offers us a closer look at his plane. We
get inside to get a good view of the seats, instrument panel, etc. Steve asks me if I have ever flown before. “NEVER”,
I replied and before I knew it, we were AIRBORNE! (I get queasy just thinking about it!) Gaining altitude, I was somewhat
relieved when we leveled off and flew towards Denton. My relief was short-lived, however, when the first landmark I recognized
was Toms Creek Cemetery! Is this an omen?!?! The landscape changed abruptly, and we were flying treetop high over Grandma’s
house! The first pass brought the family scurrying out of the house. The second and third buzz brought us low enough to see
individual faces and hands waving excitedly! Moving on slightly southeast, we flew over the farm which was to become the sire
of the FLY-IN and later the Southeast Old Threshers Reunion!!! Not surprisingly, Brown Loflin and Ruby, his brother J.S “Jaybird”
and wife Selma, and perhaps some others…(I’m not sure) were standing in the green, grassy field. Surely wish
I had a photo of that scene, but I can still see in my mind’s eye those rolling hills from the topmost, which today
is the South Gate on Handy Road down, down, down, to Cranford Road. After two or three buzzes of this waving group, we thankfully
flew on back to Asheboro and TERRA FIRMA (sweet solid Earth)!
One year later,
1970, the FLY-IN took place. It wasn’t a fancy affair but was dedicated to raise funds for a volunteer fire department
for the Handy area. The runway was operational, and at least three planes offered rides to paying customers: Robert “Bob”
Johnson (a pilot in World War II) Lawyer Hiram Ward (also and experienced WWII pilot), and Brown and J.S. Loflin (joint owners
and sponsors of the event). The Handy community furnished great numbers of volunteers to the cause. Dawson “PeeWee”
Carrick and I served as cooks on one shift along with Ralph Carroll and others alternating. Cooking was no frills, no regulations,
no health inspectors, no fancy grills—-just the plain, old backyard variety. We charcoaled-grilled hot dogs and hamburgers
and took cooked meats to a little wooden building (today part of the Music Hall) where the lady volunteers did all the “fixin’s”
and sales.
The early FLY-Ins were successful, the volunteer fire department
was established and today is one of the county’s best, serving not only Handy but the entire county and beyond when
needed. The FLY-IN continued by supporting and funding other worthy causes. In 1971 when my two sons, Tim and Gerald, were
10 and 6, they decided they wanted to take a plane ride. By then there were additional planes available as area pilots volunteered
their services. All were polished, shine aircraft EXCEPT for one. It was a dull orangey color and looked like a Bucket OF
BOLTS on its way to the junkyard. So there we stood patiently waiting our turn, and which plane pulls up to take us? The orange
BUCKET!! With fear and thoughts of impending doom, we climbed aboard, and were shocked to find that the pilot was none
other than a former student of mine AND expert pilot! The ride went smoothly, the kids were happy, and I completed my second
and FINAL (to this day) visit into the air above the ground in a contraption known as an airplane.
But alas, the FLY-IN was forced to cease operation when one of the planes ran off the end of the runway. No one was
injured, but in the interest of public safety the FLY-IN passed ibnto oblivion. In 1975 the business became known as the Denton
FarmPArk. From that date, business has burgeoned in the whole area—no longer simple, permits required, health food inspections,
regulations, regulations, regulations, not to mention employee records, tax forms, auditors, lawyers, insurance requirements
etc., etc., etc!!
I’ll give a woefully inadequate sample of the impact
the FarmPark has had and continues to have on our community. It has pumped millions of dollars into the local economy while
supporting worthwhile causes: Tour De Kale, Bikes for Cancer, Tim Loflin’s Tractor Ride through the countryside, Threshers
Queen Pageant to aid young woman pursuing higher education, and many others. During the annual Threshers’ Reunion Denton
is alive with activity: yard sales everywhere, antique dealers in Harrison Park and other places, book sales, produce sales,
craft sales, food—you name it; it’s here! Even local merchant’s profit. Folks taking a break from the FarmPark
pour into town and patronize the locals.
Besides being a “money magnet”
for the townsfolk, the FarmPark offers the perfect venue for the local schools’ cross country events including conference
and statewide competition.
So whether it’s the Mother’s Day weekend
Bluegrass Festival, the Southeast Old Threshers’ Reunion, the corn maze, the high quality shows, or the inspiring Christmas
Train, the FarmPark is the place to be!
Take care, and we’ll see you
there!
That’s all for now, friends! God bless you all, and …I’ll
be thinking!!!