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JARED FIELDS • PICAYUNE STAFF

BURNET — Some fundraising two-stepping can kick up the Freedom Flyers’ educational efforts for area youth during the Sky and Spurs Gala.

The Western-themed gala is Sept. 20 at the Freedom Flyers hangar, 3202 U.S. 281 South across from Seton Highland Lakes in Burnet.

“We’d like to enhance our summer programs and make them available for a lot of parents that need places to put their kids,” board member Sherie Fowler said. “The proceeds for this are going to go to the education fund.”

Fowler said Freedom Flyers works with the Boys & Girls Club of the Highland Lakes, the Burnet Explorers Post and First Baptist Church of Marble Falls.

“We see a void there that we could fill and also promote aviation,” she said. “That’s what we’re all about.”

One of Freedom Flyers’ missions is to provide aviation classes to young people that focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Students in elementary to junior high can take semester or summer-long classes that improve their skills in those areas.

Class sizes are capped because of the hands-on instruction. Freedom Flyers are somewhat limited in the number of instructors and classes they can offer.

“It’s all funded by grants,” said Freedom Flyers administrative assistant Kathy Rose. “We can’t have 100 kids because we don’t have the money.”

The Sept. 20 gala is $50 per person. Tickets are available at (512) 756-6163; the Freedom Flyers office; or freedom-flyers.org.

Austin-based band The Derailers will play from about 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Doors to the event open at 6:30 p.m.

Live and silent auctions will also take place. Some of the items featured are a fishing trip on the Texas coast and an autographed guitar by a number of country music stars such as Willie Nelson, George Straight, Tim McGraw and more.

Tickets are available for the gala until Sept. 19.

jared@thepicayune.com