Day in the Sky draws hundreds to Watsonville airport

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May 01--WATSONVILLE -- Wiggling in the pilot's seat, a wide smile spread across Lily Adelmann's green-tinged face as she pushed the buttons on the dashboard of the Cessna 172.

Her blue eyes danced as she imagined piloting the aircraft, maybe even doing an aerobatic dance with the other small aircraft and helicopters already buzzing through the skies over Watsonville.

Several minutes later, her mother, Karen Adelmann, lifted the giggling 6-year-old out of the grounded aircraft and sat her down in a black, wheelchair-like device.

"She can walk on her own," explained Adelmann, whose daughter suffers from a chromosomal disorder. But the heat and exertion from the day's activities would likely leave her feeling weak, so she brought the device along just in case.

"The community in Santa Cruz is so strong and warming," Adelmann added. "It's great to have our kids just be treated as kids."

Adelmann and Lily were among the estimated 1,000 people who came to the Watsonville Municipal Airport on Saturday for the seventh annual Day in the Sky event. It's been hosted each year since 2004 by Shared Adventures, a nonprofit organization that enables people with disabilities to participate in outdoor and recreational activities.

But unlike previous years, there were no flights for children. For the past two years, no air tours have been given due to insurance issues between event organizers and the Aircraft Association.

Still, most didn't seem

to mind.

"Shared Adventures does great stuff for the community," said Bonny Getz, a Capitola resident who was there with her husband, two young sons and their friend.

This was the second year 10-year-old Galen Getz, who has cerebral palsy, has attended the event, said his father, Skip Getz. Through the organization, Galen also has been able to go sailing, bowling, surfing and other activities.

During last year's Day at the Beach event, Skip Getz added, "he went on a surfboard and caught two great waves, and rode straight down the face of it with another guy."

While some children and their parents explored the airplanes, others climbed inside the basket of a hot air balloon -- sans the balloon -- and reached up to twist a nozzle. A small fireball immediately shot into the air, the heat so intense it could be felt 10 feet away.

"It was really cool and I just made a cool high shot," David Tunnell, a 20-year-old Antioch resident, said excitedly while holding tightly to his girlfriend's hand. "It gets really loud with that fire and my girlfriend got really scared, but I enjoy it."

Meanwhile, in the grassy area adjacent to the tarmac, hundreds of children and adults -- some with their faces painted -- browsed various vending and assistive-technology booths carrying plates filled with hamburgers, hot dogs, fruit and potato chips.

Around noon, the activity paused as a Comerica representative gave a short presentation and handed a $1,000 check to Foster Anderson.

Anderson, who became a quadriplegic after a 1978 motorcycle accident, founded Shared Adventures in 1994.

"The purpose of the event is to educate people with special needs about aviation, one, but also science, math, education and technology," he said.