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   Sunday, July 19, was the annual Backus Lions Fly-in Pancake Breakfast. The day was beautiful, even with the warm weather, and the turnout by local community and surrounding area friends was exceptional.

   Along with the pancakes and sausages, three prizes were raffled off. We want to thank Godfrey’s, Backus Lumber and Hardware and Country Garden Center for their donations. The drawing was held at noon and the chaise lounge was won by Backus Lions Club president Mel Taylor, the BBQ grill and supplies were won by Crystal Ammerman, and the large outside plant arrangement was won by Nan Miller. A big thank you to everyone who purchased raffle tickets.  

   Also, a big thank you to everyone who showed up to enjoy the breakfast, watch the jaws of life demonstration and enjoy talking to the fire department and first responder members. One big hit of the morning was the arrival of the Republic RC-3 Seabee plane. It was quite a sight to say the least.

   The money raised will be split between the Backus Fire Department and the Backus First Responders. All dollars from the breakfast and raffle go back into the community. Again living up to the Lions motto of “WE SERVE!”

   The Backus Lions have many more weekends of working the polish stand on Saturdays and will finish their year’s activities with their annual Craft and Bake sale in November. We hope to see many of our supporters at these activities.

   Here is a little history of the Seabee plane for all the dreamers out there who wouldn’t mind flying or riding in this plane.

    The owner of the plane did indicate the Navy contracted Republic to build the Patrol Plane for military use, but then killed the contract. Republic went on to build the plane as indicated below...

   The Republic RC-3 Seabee is a post-WWII, all-metal amphibious sports aircraft designed by Percival Spencer and manufactured by the Republic Aviation Corporation. Built between 1946 and 1947, the 4-seat plane was designed to let returning veterans and outdoorsmen land on both grass strips and remote lakes.

   The Seabee is known for its highly recognizable, tadpole-like bulbous fuselage, pusher-engine configuration (propeller behind the cabin), and expansive wrap-around canopy. While Republic originally hoped to flood the post-war civilian market with thousands of units—initially pricing them as low as $3,995 to $6,000—production halted in 1947 after about 1,060 were built. Today, several hundred are still registered and flown by aviation enthusiasts.

   Publisher’s note: Just days after the Seabee’s appearance in Backus, a mechanical failure caused the aircraft to flip upon landing on Pelican Lake. No injuries were reported, and the plane’s condition is unknown.

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