Lack of parking cancels air show at Carson City Airport

The Carson City Airport won't see the Norman Rockwell-like setting of parents pushing strollers and kids with chocolate mustaches in awe of the big airplanes this summer.

The popular air show that filled the first Saturday in June each of the past five years won't be back this year and airport manager Yvon Weaver isn't sure about the show's future.

The new Graves Lane extension got in the way, she said.

The sidewalks that came with the new street took away the overflow street parking that made the air show possible.

"We are not having the air show because participants have parked on Graves Lane all the way to the fire department," Weaver said. "Now there's no way you can park on Graves."

She said the airport does not have enough dedicated parking to accommodate air show participants and an airport field that could be used for extra parking is unavailable this year because of hyrdoseeding.

"We used to have a dirt area between the road and our fence where people parked," Weaver said. "Now there's a sidewalk. Next year maybe the field will be strong enough. I just have no idea. Not having the street area available to us put us in a bind."

Weaver started the air show five years ago as a way to make the airport more welcoming to the community.

"The airport is not a private sanctuary," Weaver said. "The air show was the only way I could think of for the airport be friendly. Some people don't know that they can go through the gate and look at the airplanes any time they want. It's their airport."

Carson City has quite a collection of large airplanes and old planes, including several Albatross seaplanes undergoing restoration work. These planes are there all the time.

The air shows brought in added attractions such as a World War II-era B-17 bomber and the huge C-130 cargo plane. The show last year had some 50 display planes that flew in from as far away as Los Angeles, Bishop, Ione and elsewhere.

Weaver said each year the airport supplied free hot dogs and sodas to add friendliness. Two years ago, one hangar owner handed out more than 2,000 ice cream cones.

"I saw all the families there and it was a Norman Rockwell thing to me," Weaver said.