Did you think that Summerfest is in a class of its own, as one of
Milwaukee's largest annual summer festivals? Think again. The Milwaukee Air andWater Show returns to the downtown lakefront this year, attracting nearly
1,000,000 people to the just two-day event in recent years. The 2014
performance, which will be held on the weekend of June 21, is already
predicting the largest attendance in the show's ten year history. Free to the
public, the best views can be had along Lincoln Memorial Drive on the city's
east side as the planes circle Lake Michigan.
This year's Milwaukee Air and Water Show marks a reunion
with the famous Blue Angels. The Navy-based stunt team was the show's
headlining attraction in 2010, and was scheduled to perform in 2013, though was
absent due to budget limits. President of the event, Paul Rogers, told
reporters that his group was very excited to welcome back the Blue Angels,
further placing the event as one of the best in the country.
Army branch counterparts, the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team will join the Blue Angels as the top-billing in the 2014 show. Stunt
pilot's Sean Tucker and Mike Goulian will also be there, along with Team Oracle
and a number of other impressive acts and aircraft. Tucker is one of the
world's most renowned performance pilots, earning hundreds of honors and awards
since introducing his act in the 1970s. He has been named to the National
Aviation Hall of Fame, and is recognized as a Living Legend in Aviation.
Not often thought of as a hotbed of flight, Milwaukee's
flying past dates back over 40 years. Rudy Malnati, now director of the Air and
Water Show, helped to organize the city's first aviation festival in the 1970s.
Regular events began in 2002, when Italian Fest hosted an air show. Major
sponsor funding began in 2004, the first year the event was dubbed the
Milwaukee Air and Water Show. This
year's show will take place from 10AM to 4PM on both Saturday, June 21 and
Sunday, June 22. Times are dependent on weather.
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