Glenda Creason frequently finds herself looking to the sky when she hears the distinctive buzz of a passing powered parachute.
That’s one of the perks of living just a stone’s throw from Allen County Airport.
Riding along was but a pipe dream, the 80-year-old Creason admitted.
“I never thought I’d get the chance,” she said.
Until Monday.
Creason was ferried around Iola late Monday afternoon by local powered parachute enthusiast Steve Strickler. The ride was purchased by Creason’s son, Jim, through a recent benefit auction for Allen County Community College Endowment Association.
“I knew how much she wanted to ride one of those things,” Jim Creason told the Register. “It didn’t matter how high the bidding was going to get. I was getting her that ride.”
Creason wound up spending $50.
Seeing the look on his mother’s face was worth every penny, he said.
“She danced a little jig when we told her,” Jim Creason said. “She’s been looking forward to this day.”
Strickler and Mother Creason traveled above Iola for the better part of 30 minutes as they circled the community, then dropped to lower elevations for closer looks at various sites. They passed by the airport once for a quick wave to family and friends before returning for a gentle landing just east of the airport’s abandoned runway.
“It was unbelievable,” she said.
Jim Creason admitted to giving little thought to riding along on a powered parachute until seeing his mother’s expressions.
“I might want to try it,” he said. “It looks fun.”
Ride of a lifetime delights Iolan
