BURLINGTON, Vt. -
The Wings Over Vermont Air Show that would draw more than 40,000 people to the Burlington waterfront is canceled.
The big show was scheduled for August; it would have been the first show in seven years.
And we can blame the federal government for this one.
Federal spending cuts are shrinking programs and canceling events all across the country. And because there's so much uncertainty with this so called, sequester... the air show isn't taking any chances.
The United States Air Force Thunderbirds and their F-16's were scheduled to do circles in the sky, use the jets engine to paint a picture in the clouds, and simply wow the audience with their fearless formations… but five months before taking flight, the Wings Over Vermont Air Show has been grounded.
"This is a loss there's no doubt about it," Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said.
"This is not a gut punch, it hurts," Tom Torti said, President of the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce.
A 47 billion dollar reduction to the Defense Department's budget means the show will not go on. The uncertainty surrounding the spending cuts forced the Vermont National Guard Charitable Foundation to make the tough decision to cancel.
"We still are discovering how deep these cuts are," Air Show Director Rick Brehm said.
"We shouldn't be lurching from one fiscal crisis to another," Mayor Weinberger added.
The Foundation cancelled now to avoid having invested more time and money. A half a million dollar show makes it too risky to move forward. Thousands have already been wasted due to planning, which has been in the works for more than a year. But the city of Burlington is at a bigger loss. The Chamber of Commerce says this cancellation is a loss of more than a million dollars for the city.
"They were selling rooms, the restaurants, the retail shops, really everybody benefited from the air show," Torti said.
Many people say this would have been the highlight of the summer season down at the waterfront because it was a grand way to honor our service men and women, their military families and say thank you to the community for its support.
"The community always comes out and rallies behind our soldiers," Brehm said.
Now because the Wings Over Vermont Air Show is canceled, it does open up a weekend down at the Burlington waterfront. Even with such short notice, the Parks and Recreation Department is looking to schedule another community event.
The Foundation is optimistic about hosting the air show in future years.
