Veterans from the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base are taking a trip down memory lane as they kick-start the holiday festivities by restoring the beloved Santa statue displayed atop a B-47 aircraft.
A unique piece of military and holiday history is getting a new lease on life thanks to the Aircraft Restoration Group’s dedication and hard work. The members have teamed up with the Clinton County Historical Society to restore this cherished piece of the past.
Their mission is to repair and restore the 25-foot Santa statue, which once served as an iconic holiday landmark in Plattsburgh for both military families and residents.
According to NBC5, the team is using an old aircraft hangar provided by Aviation Technical Support as its restoration station, where members are refurbishing various parts of the statue, including Santa’s glove.
Close up of a Santa statueGerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The holiday project has been a collaborative effort, with financial support from the city and the restoration group, while the Plattsburgh Paint Company has generously donated the materials needed for the work.
Bob Taillin, project coordinator and Plattsburgh Air Force veteran, highlighted the significance of their initiative, the collaboration and the support they have received from local residents.
“People that just lived in the community would come by and see him, and it’s just history, and it brings a smile to people’s faces at Christmas time,” he said, per the publication.
View this post on InstagramThe Santa statue, originally built in 1966, was constructed using a wooden frame wrapped in chicken wire to create its shape and covered in fiberglass for added durability and a finished appearance.
The official Plattsburgh Aircraft Restoration Team Facebook page regularly updates followers on the progress of the Santa statue restoration project.
On the eighth day of the restoration project, the team continued working on the statue’s damaged fiberglass exterior, ensuring that each repaired section was properly prepared and hardened before moving on to the next.
“More fiberglass repairs today. We moved the mitten into a warmer room to help the resin cure faster. We had to crank up a heater to try warming the area near the pompom as we add more layers of repairs. Some other holes were also patched on Santa’s body and sleeve. Other holes were cleaned up for later repairs,” the post reads.
With their continued restoration efforts and dedication, the veterans hope to complete the project and return the statue to its original place by early December.
Through their hard work, they are helping preserve an important part of Plattsburgh’s military heritage while ensuring that this unique piece of local history continues to be remembered and appreciated by future generations.
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