HAMMOND | Gary's South Shore Air Show has been moved up a week, to July 12 and 13, to accommodate the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds jet team.
The announcements were made Tuesday morning by Speros Batistatos, Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau CEO, during a press conference at the Indiana Welcome Center.
Batistatos and Gary Jet Center owner Wil Davis said booking the Thunderbirds is a major score for the show.
"To get a jet team is very difficult. To get the Thunderbirds is very difficult. To get the Blue Angles is very difficult," Davis said.
According to Davis and Batistatos, the Air Force does not allow jet teams to perform at two air shows within 75 miles of each other. That meant Gary would not be able to book a jet team, since The Blue Angles are flying in this summer's Chicago Air and Water Show.
The Thunderbirds originally were booked to fly in a Milwaukee air show July 12 and 13, but the arrangements changed and the team agreed to fly in Gary to fill in the schedule gap.
The booking of the Thunderbirds has meant increased expense for the show. While the team itself is not paid, because it is a military unit, there are associated ancillary costs, among them hotel rooms and the rental, for $10,000 of a boat that will be utilized by the Thunderbirds as a target during maneuvers.
The rising costs has prompted the self-sustained event to change sponsorship rates and seek other ways to increase revenue, among them a private VIP party July 11 at the Jet Center hangar.
The VIP party will feature front-row seats for that night's show, a catered dinner and a chance to meet members of the Thunderbirds. Ticket cost is $50 per person.
People who wish to watch the Friday night show but do not wish to attend the VIP event can view it from the Gary Chicago International Airport parking lot.
It also was announced that an Air Force B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber will fly in the show on the 12th.
Another new element for the show will be a free shuttle bus service along Oak Avenue in the Miller Beach neighborhood.
