Another air show is soaring into Cold Lake for 2020.
After successful events in 2016 and 2018, 4 Wing Cold Lake is hoping to build off of their momentum with next year’s Cold Lake Air Show.
“We had a great lineup in 2018. We know we will be able to use the energy and reputation we built in 2018 to say that the 2020 show will be on-par with what we had,” Wing Commander of 4 Wing Cold Lake Col. Paul Doyle told the MD of Bonnyville council during their meeting on Wednesday, June 5.
“We already have people, performers, and aircraft calling us up and telling us they want to participate in the 2020 air show,” he added. “That’s a great situation to be in, is having people ask to be in your air show.”
He credits the biennial nature of the event to part of their success.
“The fact that we’re doing it on a two-year cycle is really great from a managing and planning out programmatic perspective,” explained Doyle. “It doesn’t overwhelm everyone and it allows us to ensure we have the emphasis, energy, and dedication to put in the line of effort required for what we think is one of the larger tourism events in northeastern Alberta.”
The show, which is scheduled for July 18-19 in 2020, includes a Friday night kick-off event, followed by a day of plane demonstrations, a Canadian Armed Forces army static display, a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) display, and car show.
One of the “signature acts” for the upcoming event is the United States Navy Blue Angels.
The RCAF Snowbirds will also make an appearance for their 50th anniversary.
“For air show aficionados, that’s going to be a big draw,” Doyle said. “I would argue that the reason we were able to sign the Blue Angels, is because of what we did in 2018 and 2016. They saw that we were a world class act and that we have our stuff together and are able to host them.”
He added, “They normally don’t go to smaller shows or venues, but they said ‘we can’t not go to Cold Lake...’ It really speaks to the reputation we have within the organization.”
Even though most of the event is hosted on the air force base and puts a strong emphasis on the RCAF, Doyle stressed it’s about more than just fast planes and 4 Wing.
“I don’t really look at the Cold Lake Air Show as being something for the base. We really work on the relationships and the partnerships that we have both with the City of Cold Lake, with the Lakeland, the MD, and the corporate sponsors that we have.”
He continued, “We don’t only want to show off what the base has to offer, we also want to include the opportunities out there for the Lakeland as a whole, to show what the Lakeland is for people, and to make sure that when people are thinking of places to go and see and the different activities in Alberta, they can use this as a bit of a cornerstone and use it as a springboard for opportunity to go through and see the Lakeland as a whole.”
Doyle outlined the economic spin-off the area has seen in the past thanks to the air show.
According to Doyle, the 2018 show had a rough direct impact of over $861,000, with about 21,000 tickets sold.
“The majority of the people who attend the air show, last year in particular, come from over an hour away. That’s really a draw in the tourism side and an economic driver,” noted Doyle.
He added, they can never expect 40,000 or more people to attend their event, but “that being said, I think that the fact that the air show we had in 2018 and the show that we’re proposing for 2020, it’s still going to be one that draws equal numbers (to 2018), if not more.”
The revenues generated from the show go into the base fund, which pays for 4 Wings’ clubs, trips, and activities.
”It’s a pay back into the members of the base,” exclaimed Doyle.
For Doyle, it’s not just about the money coming into the community, but also the people getting a taste of what the area has to offer.
Describing the Lakeland as a “hidden gem,” he noted the air show draws families from across the province, giving them an idea of future places to visit, such as Cold Lake.
“That’s one of the things I’m very keen on, is to show not just Cold Lake, not just the base, but to show the region as a whole, because I think the base has really ingrained itself into the fabric of the Lakeland and it’s very intertwined. I think we can be very proud of the relationship we have between the base and the Lakeland as a whole.”
Diana Warbeck, senior manager of personnel support programs with 4 Wing, explained how they plan on improving the event by adding transportation.
This was one of the areas identified in a survey conducted following the 2018 air show as lacking.
“A large number of survey respondents commented on the area and that it’s tiring for elderly and young families. They were asking for transportation, and that’s one area that we’re looking to improve upon,” she said.
The event costs roughly $700,000 to host, which is one of the reasons why the base was seeking sponsorship from the municipality.
Council agreed to discuss the opportunity at their next meeting.
