The annual Holly Run
Decking the halls with boughs of holly is the holiday thing to do, but what if none was available? Christmas trees, wreaths, mistletoe and boughs of holly are typically abundant during the holiday season. Obtaining the traditional holiday greens is as easy as going to the supermarket or Christmas tree lot down the street. For the 700 residents of Tangier Island, Va., though, it’s a different story.
Forty-eight years ago, rising sea levels halted growth of these traditional holiday evergreens on Tangier Island. The Holly Run, started by Eastern Shore pilot Ed Nabb Sr. in 1967, has been delivering holly and needed supplies to residents for the past 47 years. The run, which took place last weekend, has expanded to around 50 pilots, who take off from the Chesapeake Sport Pilot Flight School at the Stevensville airport; the school is the main organizer of the Holly Run for the sixth year in a row. Their planes are filled with supplies and bags of holly. The island, only accessible by boat or plane, has no chain stores or convenience stores to obtain these supplies, so the Holly Run is a welcome event.
This year, the focus was on school supplies for the Tangier school.
“Teachers on the island can’t just run out to Wal-Mart like we can,” said Chesapeake Sport Pilot chief flight instructor and Holly Run coordinator Helen Woods. “Things that every teacher needs this time of year like Kleenex and Germ-Xcan be in short supply. We’ll be loading our planes with these and other items the school needs in addition to bags of holly.”
There is one long landing strip on Tangier Island. The holly is then piled onto a four-wheeler that is delivered to the town church. After a brief service, residents take the holly home.