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November 21, 2009

Forget the sleigh and reindeer — Santa arrives by helicopter

By Mike Fletcher The Kokomo Tribune Sat Nov 21, 2009, 10:40 PM EST

Santa’s sleigh must have been in the shop Saturday as he arrived at the Markland Mall via a Clarian Health Lifeline helicopter.

Even without his sleigh and reindeer, Santa didn’t disappoint the hundreds of kids that came out to greet the jolly bearded man decked out in his trademark bright red suit.

Cheers rang out from the crowd gathered around a landing zone in the parking lot between Sears and Best Buy as Santa made his arrival.

“Here comes Santa,” the kids yelled as the copter landed.

After a little stumble out of the copter, Santa waved his arms and walked around the crowd greeting kids and shaking hands.

Steve Jackson came with his two grandchildren, 5-year-old McKinna and 4-year-old Grayson, to see Santa.

“There’s Santa Claus, Grandpa,” McKinna shouted above the noise of the copter.

It was a celebrity entrance for the Jolly Old Elf, one that impressed McKinna, Grayson and the many other children on hand.

Though Christmas is still more than a month away, most of the kids came with their gift lists prepared.

“He loves Thomas the Train,” Steve said of Grayson’s Christmas wish. “It tears me up how much the kids love that train. They didn’t have stuff like that when I was a kid.”

Standing nearby, Mark Snodgrass and his 3-year-old great-grandson, Dylan, watched excitedly as Santa made his way around the crowd.

“They’re pretty excited to see Santa,” Mark said. “Plus, it’s great weather for it.”

Grayson wasn’t alone when he came to wanting the popular toy train for Christmas.

“I want Thomas the Train,” said Dylan as he held a small Thomas The Train toy in his hand.

A few feet away, Travis Hendrix and his 4-year-old son, Trenton, waited anxiously for Santa.

“I want a tank, a remote control one,” Trenton said.

“I think this a neat thing for the kids,” Travis said, who snapped photos of the arrival on his cell phone.

After Santa greeted the crowd, he jumped into the Kokomo Fire Department’s Ladder 6, which transported him with sirens blaring to the front entrance of the mall. Santa then made his way to the middle of the mall, where he gave out candy and greeted the kids.

Santa remained at the mall until 6 p.m. and will return to the mall a day after Thanksgiving to talk with kids and greet people.

“We had his departure with the help of Clarian Lifeline helicopter from the mall last year and it worked out real well so we decided to do it again,” said Mary Martin, marketing director for Simon Malls, the owner of Markland Mall.

“What a wonderful thing they’re doing,“ she said of Clarian. “... I’m so stoked. To see the smiles on their little faces is wonderful. There are people here who walked from downtown to bring their kids here for a little excitement. With things being so tight for everybody, it’s nice we can do something special for the kids. This is for them.”

• Mike Fletcher is the Kokomo Tribune crime reporter. He can be reached at 765-454-8565 or mike.fletcher@kokomotribune.com.

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