We poked around on social media over the weekend to see how airports were marking Father’s Day.
We found salutes to airport dads, airports handing out free donuts for dads and some great corny dad jokes.
Holidays
Airports mark Star Wars Day – May the 4th
Star Wars fans celebrated the unofficial holiday of Star Wars Day on May 4th and airports worldwide got into the spirit with fun in-terminal events and online posts.
Here’s a round-up of some of the posts we spotted, including one from the National Air & Space Museum reminding us that one of the 400 mailboxes the US Postal Service cleverly turned into R2-D2 look-alikes back in 2007 is on view at the museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles International Airport.
Let us know if we missed your favorite post.
It’s National Lava Lamp Day
If, like us, you grew up with Lava lamps in your world, then you’ll want to put on something tie-dyed today and mark National Lava Lamp Day (April 5).
Lava lamps – as a brand – have been around since 1965, and this now cultural icon is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.
According to MIT, Edward Craven Walker got the idea for developing the classic version of the lava lamp in 1948 after he saw an egg timer in a bar in Hampshire, England, made of a glass shaker placed in a pan with a boiling egg.
“The shaker contained a ball of wax in water that, when melted, would turn into a dynamic, globular, floating substance, indicating that the egg was done. A man known only by the last name of Dunnett had patented this device, but he was deceased, leaving Walker to ponder the possibilities for a similar design.“
Walker’s idea was to use an electric lamp to melt the wax, and his design used a ‘secret’ formula of oil, wax and more than a dozen other ingredients.
His Lava lamps packed the mixture in a glass globe on a gold base with a variety of optional ‘lava’ colors, red or white, with yellow or blue liquid.
Since then, lava lamps have helped fuel the psychedelic ramblings of generations.
You can make your own lava lamp with crayons, oil, rubbing alcohol and water by following the directions in the video below.
Or you can buy a modern-day version in stores and online and from Schylling, the toy company that makes them in a wide variety of sizes in ever-so-groovy Andover, Massachusetts.
Wish there was a town that had the World’s Largest Lava Lamp?
It may happen.
The folks in Soap Lake, Washington have been working on just such a project for many years.
Collectors: get an airport trading card on National Trading Card Day
February 24 is National Trading Card Day and a good time to remind travelers that many airports (and some airlines) have trading cards.
Airports Council International-North America, a membership organization for airports and aviation-related businesses, created a trading card program for airports back in 2014.
About 100 airports now participate in the program with cards that portray an image of the airport and the airport code on one side and a series of facts about the airport on the reverse. Some airports have issued more than one version of their cards.
How do you get an airport trading card?
If they’ve got any in stock, airports will likely have the cards available, for free, at their information booths.
Passengers flying on Delta Air Lines flights and those flying on Breeze (through Tampa International Airport) report getting trading cards from pilots and flight crew members.
And in some airports, handlers for therapy dogs hand out trading cards featuring their pups.
Happy Valentine’s Day
Wishing you a happy Valentine’s Day and safe travels with your loved ones year-round.