Final Canada Remembers Air Show organizers expect crowd to double

By Ashleigh Mattern, TheStarPhoenix.com

July 10, 2009

SASKATOON — The Snowbirds air demonstration squad will be back for Saskatoon’s last Canada Remembers Air Show.Organizer Brian Swidrovich says double the usual amount of patrons are expected as people from all over Canada come to see the last installment of one of the best air shows in the country.

Swidrovich has been with the air show since it started in 1995, and his emotions got the best of him at a press conference at the Sherbrooke Veterans Village on Friday.

“For some it might be their first visit, for others it will be their 14th, but for all it will be their last Canada Remembers air show in Saskatoon,” he said. After thanking the Saskatoon Airport Authority, the residents in the area who “put up with their noisy neighbors two days of the year,” and the sponsors, Swidrovich got choked up and asked someone to finish the paragraph for him.

“I just needed a second,” he apologized in a moment, then finished his speech.

Other performances this year include the Canadian Armed Forces SkyHawks Parachute Team, the CF-18 Hornet Demo Team, and Julie Clark’s “God Bless Canada” aerial ballet. There will be approximately 30 aircraft to check out, including a C-130 Hercules, C-17 Globemaster, and B-25 WWII Bomber.

If sitting around watching airplanes isn’t your thing, Swidrovich promises there are lots of other activities and events, including a beer garden, live music, rides for kids, and a pyrotechnics display.

The last Canada Remembers Air Show takes place Aug. 15 and 16 at the John G. Diefenbaker International Airport. One of the cheapest air shows in the country, tickets are $5 to $10 in advance until Aug. 9, and $7 to $15 thereafter and at the gate.

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