Great Lakes International Airshow in St. Thomas exceeds expectations
Article content
The Great Lakes International Airshow could have survived if weather conditions were poor on the weekend.
There were ground attractions, static aircraft and other things to keep patrons occupied at the show, which was held at St. Thomas Municipal Airport from Friday to Sunday.
But the weather was nearly perfect at times, allowing for lots of flight performances and a show that kept patrons dry and sun-soaked.
“I think it went very well,” said event CEO Hugh Shields in an interview on Monday.
“The greatest threat to an air show is the weather, and we were fortunate that the weather gods smiled on us.”
Attendance figures haven’t yet been compiled, but proceeds from advance tickets were twice as high as the last edition of the event in 2011, Shields said.
The show exceeded expectations according to Jim Graham, president of the event’s board of directors.
“I'm just kind of on a buzz, because the volunteers did such a great job,” Graham said.
“The performers were world-class and I think this event is going to be firmly established as one of the top air shows in Canada and North America.”
Shields attributed the show’s success to the people who made it happen, from municipal councillors and employees to rescue workers to show directors and volunteers.
“We work very hard to make this show work the way everyone would like an air show to work: Smoothly, seamlessly,” Shields said.
“And there were a number of show directors, in particular, that you just pointed them in the direction of what needed to be done and let them go and they got it done.”
Organizers won’t know until August how much was raised through the event, but they hope to improve on the $75,000 donated to various charities in 2011.
“In times like this it is difficult to meet goals, but having said that we had excellent sponsor support from the community, and a great turnout,” Shields said.
“So hopefully we'll be able to meet or exceed what we did in 2011.”
The funds will be split among St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada, Military Family Resource Centres and a cadet league, said show vice-president Dave Douglas.
Most of the aircraft that participated in the show had left by mid-morning on Monday and organizers were in the process of tearing down and cleaning up.
“The infrastructure that's set up over the course of a week is done in a day,” Shields said.
There are lots of little things Shields said he would take away from this edition of the event.
“But by and large the template is starting to fall into place, where we know what works and we know what doesn't work,” he said.
“My takeaway is from everyone that I talked to, from the bus drivers to the show patrons to the volunteers to the performers. Everybody said, 'It was a happy event.'
“Everyone was enjoying themselves.”