“They only do 34 shows (a year),” Kerfoot said Sunday, as the 2011 air show was ending at Dayton International Airport. “There are probably 400 shows that want them.”
Military flight demonstration teams typically are big draws at air shows, including Dayton. This month, the National Aviation Hall of Fame gave the Blue Angels an award in recognition of the team’s 65 years as role models representing the Navy and Marine Corps.
The air show is an advertising forum for businesses, annually attracting aerospace companies including General Electric Co.’s aviation unit and Goodrich Corp., and local companies in other fields including Vectren Corp., Kroger Co., Steve R. Rauch Inc. and the Dayton Daily News.
Hot, humid weather and Sunday’s storms are believed to have played a role in the 15 percent drop in attendance at this weekend’s air show, organizers said.
This year’s attendance was estimated to be 65,000 people, according to Michael Emoff, chairman of United States Air & Trade Show board of trustees, and Brenda Kerfoot, general manager of the show.
Temperatures that climbed into the 90s each day combined with high humidity levels to create sweltering conditions. On Sunday, medical personnel at the air show treated 65 people on site for heat-related distress and transported eight to hospitals, said Dr. Mark Gebhart, a Good Samaritan Hospital emergency room physician who volunteers as the air show’s chief medical officer. That total was down sharply from Saturday, a hotter day when 140 were treated on site and 21 were taken to hospitals.
“First, I want to thank the spectators, sponsors and volunteers for making the 2011 show a success,” said Emoff via a press statement issued Monday. “In addition, I want to stay how delighted we are to announce the Blue Angels for 2012. We’re looking forward to another great air show next year.”
The weather also affected attendance at the Cruise the Burg event in Miamisburg on Saturday, according to Dale Qualls, chairperson for the event.
“Unfortunately, we weren’t too good,” Qualls said of Saturday’s event. “This is a very fickle weather-related event.”
Cruise the Burg cruise-ins are held four times a summer and allow for cars to be shown off on Main Street between West Ferry Street and East Linden Avenue. The event is sponsored by the Miamisburg Merchants Association.
Qualls did not have a specific number for attendance, but estimated that there were approximately 300 cars and approximately 2,500 people in attendance on Saturday’s cruise-in. A normal cruise-in would draw between 450 to 500 cars, Qualls said.
Prior to Saturday’s cruise-in, there was one held in June where attendance was the best that Qualls had seen in a very long time. Approximately 550 cars were featured in the June event and there were between 5,000 to 6,000 people who showed up.
For more information on the air show, visit www.daytonairshow.com.
Staff Writer Kelli Wynn contributed to this report. Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2242 or jnolan@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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