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Wings Over Westerly- CANCELLED
Date and Time
Saturday Sep 10, 2011
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM EDTSeptember 10, 2011
10:00 AM - 4:00 PMLocation
Westerly Airport
Fees/Admission
Free
Wings Over Westerly- CANCELLEDDescription
EVENT CANCELLED
Westerly Airport Association
PRESS RELEASE
30th August 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sandy Niles 401-862-2955 (cell) sandy@snilesdesigns.com
At a special meeting of the Westerly Airport Association on Monday, it was reluctantly voted to postpone Wings Over Westerly 2011 indefinitely. The annual event had been scheduled this year for Saturday, September 10th.
An unfortunate combination of the poor economic climate for fund raising and exponentially increasing rates and requirements for liability insurance has made hosting the aviation festival impractical. The WAA is a relatively small, not-for-profit organization which has previously teamed with the also small Groton, CT Chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in presenting WOW, as the event is known, with free admission to the public. The highlight of WOW has been the offering of EAA “Young Eagles” flights free of charge to students aged 8-17 years. Other attractions have included aircraft and auto displays, crafts, flight simulators, karate and police dog demonstrations, and various other amusements and activities. Attendance is estimated at over 2000 patrons annually, with 100 to 150 children receiving free airplane rides from volunteer pilots.
Funds to support WOW are raised through corporate sponsorships, raffles, private donations, food sales at the event, and the annual Pancake Breakfast held in July. Excess funds that remain, if any after expenses, are placed in the WAA Scholarship Fund. Over $17,000 in academic scholarships to local students have been awarded by WAA in the past seven years.
WAA leaders are working aggressively to resolve the insurance issues, including considering alternatives to the full-scale WOW open house. A smaller event might cost less to host and insure, but still accomplish the purpose of celebrating aviation and encouraging interest in the airport.
WINGS OVER WESTERLYFamily event celebrating aviation at Westerly AirportKids fly free
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