Next weekend's air show to bring $50 million to Utah

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah — The return of the Warriors Over the Wasatch Air Show at Hill Air Force Base will attract as many as 500,000 visitors next weekend.

They are expected to bring $50 million to Davis County and Utah.

It’s something that business owners like Kym Buttschardt have missed.

“We love that the air show is coming back to Hill Air Force Base,” she said.

As the owner of Rooster Brewing Company, she loves it for more than the customer dollars.

“It’s a boon to our community and it fosters so much pride in our airmen and the Air Force,” she added.

Beyond the benefits to Davis County, thousands of people will typically stay before and after to explore.

Kevin Ireland is the executive director of the Utah Air Show Foundation. She said people come from several states.

“They’ll come up and see the air show, but then they’ll go down south and hit some of the Big 5, go around and really enjoy themselves in the state for several days,” Ireland said.

“We’re extremely excited and so is the community. The response has been overwhelming this year,” she said.

Organizers believe it will be the largest show in a long time. The last time the air show took off was four years ago thanks to COVID-19.

Organizers said you can expect more displays than ever in the air and on the ground.

This year’s show will feature the Air Force Thunderbirds and Hill’s F-35 demonstration team.

Lt. Col. Joseph Michaels said, “The interest is unbelievable because we’ve been in COVID for so long.”

This is a big investment for the Air Force too. It takes millions of dollars and a couple of years of planning.

“It’s really about impressing on young girls and boys about how cool it is to be part of the Air Force,” Ireland explained. “Really it’s about the kids from two to 80 because we’re all kids when we come out to see these planes fly.”

Buttschardt said, “There’s just so much to learn and they’re coming in their red, white and blue. And they’re so excited that they’ve learned something.”

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