893 PEOPLE ATTEND ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND FLY-IN BREAKFAST ON SUNDAY, MAY 24

May 27

2 min read

Photo by John Eaton- A woman is served scrambled eggs during Sunday’s Fly-In Breakfast. Eggs are cooked the way people want them.

Between 8 a.m. and noon on Sunday, May 24, a total of 893 people, including 826 adults and 67 youngsters between the ages of 4 and 8, attended the Canyon Pilots Association’s All-You-Can-Eat Memorial Day Weekend Fly-In Breakfast at the commercial corporate hangar at the Grand Canyon Regional Airport near Wellsboro.

There were no long lines. The lines were short and people were served quickly, according to Joe Burnside. The winner of the 50/50 raffle was Joe Gonmoyer of Middlebury.

“We are so grateful to the people who attended our Memorial Day said Burnside, Canyon Pilots Association treasurer. “Even though the airport was fogged in and no airplanes could fly here and we could not offer airplane rides for a fee or free helicopter rides, people came anyway. We appreciate those that ignored the weather and supported the breakfast.

"The money we raise through our Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend breakfasts is used to help support the airport through special projects and awarded as scholarships to young people who want to learn how to fly.”

Shirley Jordan of Wellsboro was the special woman who attended many of the breakfasts and donated $20 each time to be used to provide a meal for any two people who didn’t have money to pay. At the May 2025 breakfast, a couple found out that their credit card could not be used to pay for their breakfasts. They were invited to use the donated funds. After finishing their breakfasts, they left and returned with cash to cover the food they had eaten. About 15 minutes later, half of the original donated funds were used to pay for another person’s breakfast.

Shirley passed away on January 20, 2026. She never gave her name to Burnside, choosing to remain anonymous. Her friend decided to tell Burnside Shirley’s name at this past Sunday’s breakfast.

“We have always appreciated Shirley’s donations because she helped people attending and us, too,” Burnside said.