It's been pretty fun to follow the progress of a Facebook group that's been dedicated to bringing back a Missoula tradition for the holidays. We shared the story of the Bring Back Santa Fly-Over page about a month ago. At that time it was more of a hope than a movement - and 300 people were fans of the page compared to over 1,600 that follow it now. It hasn't taken very long, but the goal of the group is close to becoming a reality - getting the Santa Fly-Over back above the skies of Missoula.

A quick recap of the story goes something like this........a Facebook page was created with the hopes of once again having a lit up Santa, sleigh, and reindeer return to the sky for the holidays. It was a yearly tradition that went away about 15 years ago. We chatted on the phone with Lynn Lease about her decision to start the page and what inspired her to do so. Then we followed along as the story started to take shape. The group was the subject of tv news stories, membership increased on the Facebook page, details emerged that the old Santa sleigh was still on the rooftop of a local business, they removed Santa from the roof and had it inspected or safety, repairs were made to get the sleigh safe to fly, and a company was found to perform the fly-over with Santa being pulled behind a helicopter.

The final step in getting Santa back up in the sky is to come up with the funds to make it happen. A post on the Facebook page states that the cost per hour to have a company fly the sleigh around is $1,900 - and it'll be a two-hour session. So the race is on to come up with $3,800! And there's a hard deadline to hit. Funds need to be raised by 12/15 in order for the flight to take place on 12/19.

It's been a rough year for a lot of people and it would great to see all the smiles that having Santa flying around would bring. You can follow the links below to donate to the cause and help spread a little Christmas cheer.

To Donate Online:

*Don't forget to select Santa Fly-Over in the project section!

To Donate By Mail:
Checks made payable to "MDF" with Santa Fly Over in the notes.
218 E. Main Street, Suite C
Missoula, MT 59802

LOOK: See what Christmas was like the year you were born

More From Alt 95.7