UXBRIDGE, Mass. - There's a lot of ways to fundraise, whether it's a bake sale or a 5K. But the Uxbridge Youth Soccer League took their efforts into the sky Sunday afternoon.
The league hosted an RC air show, with remote control airplanes flying around the Sutton Street Field. Many of the planes were hand-made, and represent different time periods, including the two World Wars. The league's goal is to renovate the field into five competition-ready playing fields. They say upgrades are needed because poor conditions have forced them offsite for full seasons at a time. Organizers, parents and kids were joined by numerous RC air clubs from across New England who flew planes with wingspans as large as 14 feet.
"We're actually really lucky to have a lot of national champions that are here that are flying gas-powered, we're flying turban-powered, flying electric-powered aircraft," said Ben Casper, field director for the league. "And they're really talented guys. Everything we can do, put in irrigation, that's what this money is going towards. So the better we do with this fundraiser and fundraisers like it, the better the player experience is out on the field."
"There is a lot of work to get this field where we need it to be to play in the spring," said Morgan Belanger, the league's director of special events. "It gets really wet, and there's a ton that needs to be done. But we hope to share it with the community."
All proceeds from Sunday's air show will go towards the $160,000 goal for the first phase of the renovation project.