Updated: It seems we have an answer. The day after our original post (below), Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson announced that the airshow will be returning to Marquette Park on the shores of Lake Michigan this July 10-11. The press conference this morning outlined numerous partnerships between local agencies and businesses that are working to support the show. Everything seems lined up for a normal event this summer – a sudden but pleasing turnaround from the news earlier this week.
Original Post: Will Gary have an airshow in 2015? The Chicago Tribune reports that plans for the South Shore Airshow to return in 2015 are currently headed nowhere, according to the CEO of the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority (SSCVA), Speros Batistatos. “This time last year we were securing acts,” said Batistatos, “We are not securing acts. I’ve not discussed this with the board, but we are still evaluating what, if any, future the air show will have.”
Hammond, Indiana Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. says that he would be very supportive of moving the show back to Gary, even if it would cost extra money, stating that hosting it at Fair Oaks Farms would pose the annual risk of being rained out. “I think it’s great for the region,” said McDermott Jr., “I think that’s the kind of thing the SSCVA should be doing.”
In 2014, the show was to be held in Fair Oaks Farms in Fair Oaks, Indiana after a controversial move from the usual lakefront venue in Gary, but organizers cancelled the event shortly before it was to start due to heavy rainfall in the area. This came two weeks after the sudden and unannounced cancellation of Art Nalls’ Sea Harrier from the event and months of debate over the wisdom of the move. Although it remains to be seen if, when, and where the next Gary Airshow will take place, we hope they can right the ship and make it happen!
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