CLEVELAND – The barricades, stands and temporary fencing are going up in and around Burke Lakefront Airport for the return this weekend of the Cleveland Air Show.
The show was canceled last year after budget cuts through sequestration forced the Department of Defense to cancel all aerial demonstrations in civilian air shows, which meant no U.S. Navy Blue Angels or U.S. Army Golden Knights, to name a few of the big draws.
As a result, for the first time in the roughly four decades the show has been staged, the airport was quiet. “I came and hung out, walked around and weeped,” joked Cleveland Air Show Executive Director Chuck Newcomb.
In January the Blue Angels flew into Cleveland to announce they’d be back for the this year but even that Newcomb said was a commitment more in pencil than pen.
“It really wasn’t until April of this year that it was really confirmed that we were going to see even though we were on the schedule that we were going to see them.”
Once that commitment was made the excitement has only continued to build Newcomb said. “There really is a momentum and people are glad to see the air show come back.”
“Our box office sales are up 40 to 60 percent over, say, looking back to 2012,” he said.
The show runs Saturday, Sunday and Monday beginning each day at 9 a.m. at Burke Lakefront Airport. General admission tickets start at $21 for adults and $14 for kids 6 to 11.
