Vandalia Flight Fest is ready for take-off

The annual CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show, scheduled for the weekend of June 21 and 22, will get a pre-show boost this year. The City of Vandalia and the Chamber of Commerce have joined forces with the Air Show to hold their first-ever Flight Fest on Friday, June 20 at the Vandalia Recreation Center, 1111 Stonequarry Road.

The event will include live music, food and beverage trucks, vendors, kids’ activities, a walk-through parade, exhibits, a fly-over by one of the Air Show performers, and a meet-and-greet with the USAF Thunderbirds.  

The inaugural Friday event is a joint effort between the Dayton Air Show, Vandalia-Butler Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Vandalia. According to Chamber President and CEO Nick Kavalauskas, everyone was willing to work together to make it happen.

“We were meeting with the city about doing something at the Rec Center after the Friday night parade, and the Air Show people approached us. We were doing things separately, but they suggested there was a way to do things as a team. We looked on this as a way to bring business and community together. We have a beautiful sports complex here at Stonequarry Road. After some discussion, we realized this would be a great venue.”

Organizers want Flight Fest to get people into the spirit for the weekend action of the air show. The party won’t stop after the last plane touches down on Saturday, though. There will also be a free Saturday evening event from 6-10 p.m., featuring live music by Dayton-area band Pulse, plus food and drinks.

The Friday evening festivities will be capped off with a live concert by The Lieutenant Dan Band, which is part of the non-profit Gary Sinise Foundation that provides services to veterans and first responders. The band tours extensively and covers everything from classics by Stevie Wonder, Journey, Bruce Springsteen, and The Police to contemporary songs by Bruno Mars, Dave Matthews Band, Beyoncé, and much more. No word yet on whether Gary Sinise will be jamming with the band that night. 

“In addition to the Lieutenant Dan Band, we’ll have the Vandalia-Butler Marching Band Kick Line performing,” Kavalauskas said. “This is also a great opportunity for people to meet the Thunderbird pilots. They’re all going to be out here to intermingle with the crowd. People are usually watching on the other side of the fence, but they’ll be able to come right up and talk to them.”

Although the Flight Fest is a free event, tickets are still required and can be obtained at daytonairshow.com and EventSprout. Expectations are high for this first-time gala, and the early response indicates that it will be successful.

“We have over 50 vendors wanting to participate, and the free ticket requests are exceeding our expectations,” Kavalauskas said. “We want this to be a family event, with something for everyone. We’re very anxious and ready to get it started. We really want to get this first one under our belt.”

The Vandalia Flight Fest will be held on June 20 from 6-10 p.m. at the Vandalia Recreation Center, 1111 Stonequarry Road, Dayton. Free tickets to the event can be obtained at daytonairshow.com and EventSprout. You can also get more information from their Facebook page.