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Posted on: November 19, 2018

Santa Flies into Historic Airport and Greets Public at College Park Aviation Museum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 11/19/18 

Chelsea Dorman/Andrea Cochrane Tracey               

College Park Aviation Museum

(301) 864-6029

Chelsea.Dorman@pgparks.com/Andrea.Tracey@pgparks.com


Santa Flies into Historic Airport and Greets Public at College Park Aviation Museum

USPS Joins in to Help Visitors Get Letters to Santa

 College Park, MD - Santa will be arriving at the historic College Park Airport on Saturday, December 1 at approximately 12:30 pm in his special “sleigh!”  The Santa Fly-In program runs from 12 Noon – 4 pm at the College Park Aviation Museum located at 1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive in College Park, MD.  This year the U.S. Postal Service is joining the fun to help celebrate the season and the 100th Anniversary of airmail!  


Date: Saturday, December 1, 2018

Time: 12 Noon – 4 p.m.

Location: College Park Aviation Museum

Address:1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive College Park, MD 20740

Contact: 301-864-6029

Cost: Flat rate of $5/person, including children


After arriving, Santa will stroll into the museum’s Main Gallery where visitors may have their picture taken with him.  Holiday arts and crafts will be available for adults and children throughout the museum, including a card making station. 

Children of all ages can add a festive seasonal flair to their holiday cards or letters with a special postmark to commemorate the Santa Fly-In event and the 100th anniversary of airmail. USPS will offer an assortment of holiday and Air Mail stamps.  Any letters postmarked during Santa Fly-In must be received by the USPS at the museum. 

  1. For any parent looking for a reply from Santa to their child’s letter — complete with a North Pole postmark — our postal elves have got you covered. Just follow these steps:
  2. Have your child write a letter to Santa and place it in an envelope addressed to: Santa Claus, North Pole.
  3. Later, when alone, open the envelope and write a personalized response.
  4. Insert the response letter into an envelope and address it to the child.
  5. Add the return address: SANTA, NORTH POLE, to the envelope.
  6. Affix a First-Class Mail stamp to the envelope.
  7. Place the complete envelope into a larger envelope — preferably a Priority Mail Flat Rate envelope — with appropriate postage and address it to:

North Pole Postmark
Postmaster
4141 Postmark Drive
Anchorage, AK 99530-9998

“Letters from Santa” must be received by the Anchorage, AK, postmaster no later than Dec. 16. Santa’s helpers at the Postal Service will take care of the rest. Postal personnel at the Santa Fly-In event will be available to help complete and mail Letters from Santa.

The special postmark celebrates the communication milestone of mail traveling in an airplane, which led to the birth of America’s commercial airlines. The Post Office Department initiated regular U.S. Air Mail Service from College Park Airfield in Maryland to New York City on Aug. 12, 1918. This 218-mile route was the first step in establishing a transcontinental route by air.

Visitors who want to get a good viewing location inside the museum to see Santa fly in are encouraged to arrive well before the anticipated arrival time. Online ticket purchase is available via the Calendar of Events on the College Park Aviation Museum’s website: www.CollegeParkAviationMuseum.com

Parking is free at the nearby airport lots and the museum/airport is walkable from the College Park – UMD Metro station.    Admission is a flat rate of $5/person, including children.  The Museum Shop is open for holiday shopping from 10 am – 5 pm.  Questions? Please call the museum at 301-864-6029 or email:AviationMuseum@pgparks.com

The College Park Aviation Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliations member, is owned and operated by The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) which also owns the College Park Airport, the oldest continuously operating airport in the world.  The museum is open daily from 10 am – 5 pm; admission is $5/adults;$4/seniors (60 or better); $2/children (2 – 18) and under 2 are free. To learn more about the museum, upcoming programs and activities, visit www.CollegeParkAviationMuseum.com.

The museum is one of numerous historic sites and museums operated by the M-NCPPC, Prince George’s County Department of Parks & Recreation, Natural and Historical Resources Division. To learn more, visit http://history.pgparks.com

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