Labor Day air show a once-in-a-lifetime event | Guest column

COVID Times have been difficult for our community, state and our country. There is a myriad of perspectives of what we are now experiencing, most all with a negative undertone.

But the Tri-Cities community has resolve.

The Summer of 2020 has been a series of canceled events and drastically altered summer traditions. No one was able to celebrate Memorial Day or the Fourth of July as they have in years past.

Like many organizations, the Water Follies Board of Directors had to make the difficult decision in June to cancel the HAPO Columbia Cup and Over the River Air Show, an event which had taken place uninterrupted for over 50 straight years the last full weekend in July.

The Columbia Cup hydroplane race weekend is a defining event for the Tri-Cities, and our race site is consistently hailed by many as the best on the H-1 circuit. Columbia Cup weekend provides an economic surge for our area, but unfortunately this year, we were not able to provide that opportunity for either spectators, or for the businesses that were looking at it as a possible lifeline after a difficult spring.

Despite the desire to hold an event that may give the Tri-Cities economy the boost it desperately needed, the Water Follies Board of Directors had to consider the restrictions in place and make the difficult decision to cancel.

One common theme that arose in those meetings was “What Else?” Once the Board decided to cancel the races, no one was content with walking away and shifting to planning for 2021. What the Board pivoted to — and what many in the Tri-Cities community have done — is to decide to make the seemingly impossible possible.

This weekend, Tri-Citians will have the opportunity to witness a once-in-a-lifetime airshow over the mighty Columbia River for Labor Day Weekend.

The Water Follies Board of Directors took the opportunity to capitalize on the spate of COVID related airshow cancellations across the nation to invite them to the Tri-Cities and feature them as part of a three-day airshow.

Each day, the show will feature an A-10, F-16, and F-35 as well as additional civilian acts over the backdrop of the beautiful Columbia River. One act you don’t want to miss is the F-35 demonstration team being led by Captain Kristen ‘Beo’ Wolfe, the first woman to pilot the F-35 Demo Team.

The event wouldn’t be possible without the tenacity and dedication of several entities who came together: Water Follies event director Kathy Powell and staff, air show leadership and air bosses, Congressman Dan Newhouse’s office, military leadership, Water Follies Board of Directors, Tri-Cities Airport and Bergstrom Air, hundreds of volunteers and service clubs, local governments, and most importantly area businesses and the Tri-Cities community.

In a time when Tri-Citians and others are just looking for something to look forward to, this group came together to provide a solution.

It is a very unique time we are now living in, but our community should be prideful that we still have the ability to pull from multiple resources and work together toward common goals. This Labor Day weekend, we invite you to celebrate our nation’s holiday in a way that may never happen again in the Tri-Cities.

Tickets are available for at waterfollies.org. Be safe, enjoy the show, and remember what is possible when everyone works together. Happy Labor Day Tri-Cities!

The air show will run from Sept. 4-6. One vehicle pass for two adults is $50 per day. An add-on adult pass is $20 and add-on child pass (12 and younger) is $10. No more than 5 family members per vehicle. Gates open at 9:30 a.m., and the show begins at 11:20 a.m. To park on the Pasco side of the river, go to either Rd. 39 or Rd. 54. On the Kennewick side, parking is at the Columbia Park Trail at Edison St.

This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 5:10 AM with the headline "Labor Day air show a once-in-a-lifetime event | Guest column."