ROANOKE RAPIDS — When more than 70 skydivers chose the Halifax County Airport for their annual “boogie” over the long Thanksgiving Day holiday, they gathered to renew old friendships, have some fun jumping out of airplanes, and they raised money for Breast Cancer Awareness.

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Local resident Pete Luter, who was instrumental in bringing the “boogie” to Roanoke Rapids, reports the group raised more than $750 with their theme of “Jump for a Cause.”

“We always try to raise money for something during these large gatherings and this one was for Breast Cancer Awareness,” Luter said, “There is usually one special dinner and we chose to have a pig pickin’ here. That dinner alone probably netted between $450 and $500.”

The same thing was happening at similar airports all across the country; all around the world, in fact. This “boogie” is just one of several gatherings they have each year to meet and mingle with fellow parachutists, and to jump out of airplanes together. Luter said he had no way of knowing how much money was raised across the country and around the world during the long weekend.

A skydiver gathering like this has not been seen around Roanoke Rapids since the early 1970s, and only by pure luck was it seen again that weekend. The loosely organized North Carolina group of parachutists that call themselves the Triangle Skydivers normally held this event in Louisburg, but the owner of the airport there sold his entire operation, which included the very rare CASA C-212 airplane the group used for their events.

Luter, who is also a pilot and sometime “airport rat” (someone who hangs out at airports) was speaking with Halifax County Airport Manager Ralph Johnson about the cancellation of one of his favorite skydiving events. Johnson suggested a perfect solution. Hold the event at the Halifax County Airport. Luter and Johnson made a few phone calls and the next thing they knew, the event was coming to Roanoke Rapids.

 

Skydivers working                         on plan to return

Luter said the group was happy with the reception they received in Roanoke Rapids and are already planning a smaller event that could happen as early as January. “This will be a much smaller gathering,” Luter said, “The annual Thanksgiving Day Boogie is a really big event, this will just be our area jumpers.”

He is also not sure whether the beautiful CASA C-212 airplane will be available, but without the very large group, that airplane might not even be necessary.

Halifax County considers the skydiver event to be a win- win situation for them, as it brings visitors to the county, keeps both the new Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport and the still open Halifax County Airport in the news, according to Halifax County Manager Tony Brown.

The new regional airport is still under construction and Brown hopes it will be open in 2009. It is an integral part of developing the new Halifax Industrial Park located next to it. The runway has been finished for some time now and construction has begun on the terminal building.

As for the old Halifax County Airport, Brown says the county has no plans to keep it open after the regional airport opens.

Part of the process of planning and financing the new airport involved buying the old airport property. Halifax County Board Chairman Gene Minton has said he wants to put that property to a much more productive use for the county.