Fleming Field was once again in full swing this weekend.
The Commemorative Air Force's Minnesota Wing was able to host its spring hangar dance as planned, though not in the group's own hangar in South St. Paul. Instead, the dance was moved to a hangar on the Inver Grove Heights side of Fleming Field.
Annual swing dances have been a large source of revenue for the Minnesota Wing, which has leased a hangar to showcase its WWII-era airplanes and memorabilia for the past 40 years.
Since the discovery that the hangar needed to meet fire safety and accessibility standards to host events such as weddings and dances, the city of South St. Paul has banned events at the Minnesota Wing's home base until improvements are made. The major challenge for the group has been finding the funds to finance a sprinkler system, estimated to cost up to $80,000.
But last Monday, the City Council approved a request for the group to use another hangar on the Inver Grove Heights side of Fleming to hold its first hangar dance of the season, which took place Saturday.
"It's really to honor the veterans," said wing leader Amy Lauria about the dance. "That's our whole purpose of the dance, and it's kind of a staple of our history as a wing as well. We've been doing it since 1975."
The dance was held at a hangar leased by Spectrum Air and Building Services. It has a sprinkler system and proper exits.
Last month, the Inver Grove Heights City Council gave the Minnesota Wing a temporary liquor license for the event. But the Wing was informed that it would need written permission from South St. Paul for the dance, since South St. Paul owns the entire airport, including the Spectrum hangar, and a dance was not a permitted use under Spectrum's lease agreement with the city.
