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BETHALTO - The 27th annual Wings-N-Wheels Fly-In Festival takes flight on Saturday, Sept. 30 and Sunday, Oct. 1, each from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the St. Louis Regional Airport in Bethalto. Featuring free flights for kids, tours of planes on the airport tarmac, a car show, food trucks, a Farmers Market, and much more, the weekend is jam-packed with family fun at no admission cost.
Danny Adams, general manager of the St. Louis Regional Airport, said on Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com that they enjoy opening to the public to showcase the airplanes and the airport itself.
“It’s a nice community event. We like showing off the airport, we love showing what we do,” Adams said. “We like showing the airplanes off and that’s our prime opportunity to do it.”
On Saturday, Sept. 30, the festival kicks off with tours on the airport tarmac of several different types of aircraft, including local pilot planes, a jet from West Star Aviation, a B-25 bomber, and two World War II era airplanes, which will all be offering rides for a fee which benefits the Commemorative Air Force. Saturday will also bring a Speed Demons Car Show with a $20 fee to register your car, as well as live music by the band Cruise Control and dessert food trucks.
Sunday, Oct. 1 will feature free flights for kids ages 8-17, more food trucks, the Bethalto Farmers Market, and other local artisans and vendors. Both days feature a Kids Zone with bounce houses and other activities sponsored by the Bethalto Chamber of Commerce. More details and a full schedule of the weekend’s festivities are available on the Bethalto Chamber of Commerce website.
“The village is really excited to be part of the airport there,” Bethalto Chamber of Commerce Board Member Jane Ahasay said. “It’s such a component of our community, and I think it’s important that everybody realize that they are so vital to our community.”
This year’s Fly-In is made possible by West Star Aviation, who Adams said has been a “huge” sponsor and supporter this year covering the Young Eagles youth flying program, as well as the local Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 864, whose volunteers and local pilots also help with the event.
The full interview with Adams and Ahasay is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
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