The Carson City Airport Open House is back this Saturday, and they're bringing more than one kind of wing

The Carson City Airport will once again be hosting its Open House and Fly-In this Saturday, June 29 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., with all proceeds going to benefit the Eagle Valley Children’s Home.

This year, the annual festivity is adding a new kind of wing to the mix: chicken wings, with a Chicken Wing Cook-Off Challenge.

Wings will be available for purchase, and winners of the Cook-Off could find themselves going home with trophies for overall best wings, hottest wings, most original wings, and people’s choice.

To enter the Cook-Off Challenge, or sign up for a vendor booth, visit FlyCarsonCity.com to fill out a form.

The day begins at 8 a.m. sharp with a pancake breakfast hosted by the Young Eagles Program, which engages children with aviation by providing their first free airplane ride.

At 10:30 a.m., judging for the Wing Cook-Off begins, and wings will be served to the public beginning at 11 a.m.

The 2019 theme is “Until you spread your wings, you have no idea how far you can fly.” This is a call to visitors of all ages, to experience the thrills of the aviation world.

“This has been an annual event for decades, the real purpose is to bring the community out to the airport,” said Carson City Airport Manager Ken Moen. “A lot of times, the community can feel separate from the airport because they don’t have a plane, and they may not feel they have a reason to be there. Frankly, aviation is something a segment of the population doesn’t get to experience, and I think it’s critical to capture the interest of the younger generations starting when they’re kids.”

At the airport, visitors can explore a static display of aircrafts and vehicles — both historic and modern — as well as hot air balloons which will be offering tethered rides, several local food trucks, vendors, as well as a hands-on Kids Zone for little aviators to learn and have fun.

For kids and kids-at-heart, there will be several organizations offering interactive activities. The Carson High School Robotics Club, Build-A-Rocket, Children’s Museum, Home Depot, the Carson City Library STEM Program and more will all be on site offering unique activities to engage growing minds.

Moen is excited about the Airport’s partnership with the Eagle Valley Children’s Home, and hopes the event can help bring community awareness to the local nonprofit.

“The Eagle Valley Children’s Home has been a part of Carson City since 1946,” said Moen. “I think a lot of people in the community may have heard of it, but they don’t really understand what they do and how important it is.”

The home, said Moen, provides care for disabled youth and adults, either by providing full time residential care, or by offering respite care to the client’s caretakers.

In addition, they also offer a vocational training program to adult clients over the age of 22, after they age out of public school programs.

The purpose of the children’s home, according to their website, is to “provide a home-like residential option for Nevada children who needed specialized care and treatment.”

Moen took a tour of the facility recently, and knew he needed to do his part in bringing awareness to everything they do.

“I was very impressed with how clean it was, how much focus each of the clients received from the staff, the staff-to-client ratio, everything,” said Moen. “It blew me away. I feel very proud we can grow this relationship through public outreach with the airport, and bring some community awareness to the Children’s Home.”

To learn more about the Open House, click here.