Somerset County 4-H Fair Impacted By Trump's Summer Vacation

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — President Donald Trump's vacation plans will once again impact the Somerset County 4-H Fair.

Trump will be spending his 10-day summer vacation at his golf club in Bedminster. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) for the Bedminster and Morristown area for Aug. 8 through 18.

Trump's vacation coincides with Somerset County's annual 4-H Fair in Bridgewater that runs from Aug. 7 through Aug. 9. Normally, the model plane club and the Somerset County rocket club would be grounded. But since Trump won't be arriving until the 8th, the clubs will get one day at least to still fly.

"Well for once there is good news. The club will be able to fly on the 7th and maybe a half day on Thursday. This will make the members very happy. The club has been fortunate this flying season to be able to get some nice late afternoons during the week and weekends to fly. We have several student Radio Control pilots ready to solo," said Tony Devergillo, one of the Broken Props Model Airplane Club leaders in Somerset County.

The fair will run 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. all three days, with free shuttle buses running from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. each day of the fair from Raritan Valley Community College Rt. 28, North Branch. Daily schedules and maps can be found at the Information Booth or online at www.somersetcounty4h.org/fair.

The TFR issued creates a no-fly zone for anything, including drones, within a 10-mile radius of Trump's National Golf Course in Bedminster, including the fairgrounds in Bridgewater. Other restrictions are also in place within a 30-mile radius of the club.

The restrictions essentially shuts down local airports such as Somerset Airport and Solberg-Hunterdon Airport in Whitehouse Station. And it also prohibits all other operations such as flight training, aerobatics, hot air ballooning, helicopters, skydiving, biplane rides and even flying a model airplane.

Last year, Trump spent 11 days in Bedminster and 18 days in 2017. Trump is also planning on visiting his golf club this coming weekend as the FAA issued a VIP Movement Notification for the Bedminster and Morristown area from Friday, Aug. 2 through Sunday, Aug. 4.

Since his inauguration, Trump has spent a total of 77 days at his golf club in Bedminster, which is more than any of his properties except Mar-a-Lago where he has spent 99 days, according to nbcnews.com.

• See Related: 4-H Model Planes Grounded As Trump Returns To Bedminster
• Related: Kids Can't Fly Model Airplanes When Trump Comes to Bedminster

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