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Libertyfest and air show: 'One big celebration'

Thursday, July 3, 2008
By James Samons

(Photo)
Triston Guthrie, left, and Patrick Reeves played with a water and corn starch mixture in the Optimist Kids' Zone of Libertyfest in Cape Girardeau on Wednesday, July 4, 2007. (KIT DOYLE ~ kdoyle@semissourian.com ) [Order this photo]

Meet the air show performers

The Golden Knights: In 1959 13 men formed the Strategic Army Corps Sport Parachute Team, to compete in the then communist dominated sport of skydiving. The team performed so well that on June 1, 1961, the Army officially recognized, designated and activated the team as the U.S. Army Parachute Team. For more than 44 years the “Golden Knights” have been wowing audiences at air shows, competitions and most recently, with high profile tandems.

Mike Rinker — Sukhoi Aerobatics: The small Sukhoi plane goes spinning, falling and climbing out of heart-stopping drops with Pilot Michael Rinker always in control. Rinker graduated from Elkins High School, Elkins, Ark. in 1982. He joined the U.S. Army in 1983 and became an Airborne Ranger with the 3rd Ranger Battallion until 1986. In 1987, Michael began flying for NASCAR driver Bill Elliott, and remained there until 1992 as a pilot and pit crew member. He was a member of the NASCAR Pit Crew World Champions in 1990.

U.S. Army Chinook Helicopter Demonstration: The Chinook helicopter is a twin-engine, tandem rotor cargo helicopter. Its top speed of 170 knots translates into 196 mph, making it faster than utility and attack helicopters of the 1960s and even many of today. It was most often used in troop movement, artillery emplacement and battlefield resupply. There is a wide loading ramp at the rear and three external-cargo hooks. It is almost 100 feet long and can carry 28,000 pounds of cargo, that’s about three full-grown elephants.

The Lima Lima Flight Team: The Lima Lima Flight Team demonstration uses six airplanes to make several formation configurations, from the six ship wedge and double arrowhead, to the basic finger four and diamond formations. The team has developed a series of formation aerobatics maneuvers which demonstrate the full range of the T-34 performance envelope. The Lima Lima Flight Team stresses precision formation flying and keeps the team in front of an airshow crowd during all of it’s maneuvers, from take-off to landing.

Angel 7: Angel 7’s spectacular appearance during its “smoke-on” high-speed run, its “pull” to the near-vertical, its slow and dirty pass and its graceful rolling maneuvers have wowed crowds for decades. An Angel 7 is an L-39C, built in the Czech Republic by Aero Vodochody. The L-39 was used as a jet trainer by numerous air forces throughout Eastern Europe. Because it looks like the Douglas A-4J Skyhawk, the aircraft the Blue Angels flew in the early 1980’s, this Aero L-39 was painted in honor of the Blue Angels, thought there are no ties to the Blue Angels or the U.S. Navy. The pilot, Pete Jacobs, has been flying since 1964. He has made more than 100 air show apearances in the U.S. and abroad since he began flying air shows in 1999.

Julie Clark: Julie Clark’s air show routine takes the her restored Mentor T-34, “Free Spirit,” to the limits of its operating capability. Clark has been performing in the aircraft for 20 years. Her patriotic presentation, “Serenade in Red, White and Blue,” is choreographed to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.” For an added bonus, multi-colored wing-tip smoke trails her every maneuver. She concludes her performance with pyrotechnics and dazzling fireworks.

Get ready to celebrate your independence with music, fireworks, air shows and more as two annual events — the Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival and Libertyfest — combine for a major Fourth of July festival.

Originally planned for downtown Cape Girardeau, the recent flooding of the Mississippi River caused event organizers to relocate to the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport in a short amount of time. But Marla Mills, executive director of Old Town Cape, said the show must go on.

"The move to the airport has not changed the overall logistics of the event, just the scenery around it," Mills said. "Admittedly the downtown atmosphere is nice and the planned events would have added to Libertyfest, but we will make a different set of footprints here at the airport."

Mills said this year will bring two events the community loves together for the first time, and that's a good thing. Although the fireworks and Libertyfest are free Independence Day staples, the Cape Regional Air Festival is typically held at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport and an admission fee is charged.

"I think people will love what we've done to combine the two events," Mills said. "We still have all the best in both events — like food vendors of all kinds, music all night and even Kidzone — wrapped up in one big celebration."

The festival's entertainment schedule hasn't changed from its original plan, with music at 3:30 p.m., air show at 5:30 p.m., and fireworks at 9:15 p.m. There's something for everyone playing at Libertyfest, including the Boone Project, the Mike Renick Band and the Cape Municipal Band.

The air show, normally held the weekend after the Fourth, includes patriotic displays like the missing man formation, in which several planes fly in formation until one breaks away, representing those who have fallen or departed. The Lima Lima Flight Team will demonstrate maneuvers with day and night shows. The Golden Knights, a demonstration and competition parachute team of the U.S. Army, are scheduled for both the opening ceremony and a night show.

Although Mills said organizers are unsure if Libertyfest and the air show will be combined next year, she expects a great turnout this year.

"Despite the difficulties we've had with the flooding this year, it's still been a great planning process, and I can't wait to see it actually come together," Mills said. "And even with the venue change we should have a large crowd. Many people come from surrounding communities every year for Libertyfest and we expect that number to grow with the inclusion of the air show."

Free shuttle service to the event will start at 3 p.m. The route is Hutson's Fine Furniture downtown, Save-A-Lot on Sprigg and William streets and West Park Mall in the J.C. Penney lot near Steak-N-Shake. Two shuttles will run through the day and a third will be added at 9 p.m. to drive people back.

The festival's move has caused numerous other cancellations. First Friday was rescheduled to July 11. Ducks on the Mississippi, the cancer-research fundraiser sponsored by the Southside and Esprit Optimist clubs of Cape Girardeau, is also canceled for now.

No coolers or alcohol can be brought in to the festivities, but there will be a beer garden where alcohol will be sold. For more Libertyfest Airshow 2008 details, visit www.capeairfestival.com or www.oldtowncape.org, or call Old Town Cape at 334-8085 or the Cape Air Festival at 334-6230.

(Photo)
Spectators crowded the west bank of the Mississippi River to watch fireworks from downtown Cape Girardeau on Wednesday, July 4, 2007. (KIT DOYLE ~ kdoyle@semissourian.com) [Order this photo]

Libertyfest, air show schedule

* 3:30 p.m.: Welcome

* 3:30 p.m.: Matt & Buddy of the Boone Project

* 4:30 p.m.: Mike Renick Band

* 5:15 p.m.: Spirit of America Award presented by the Southeast Missourian

* 5:30 p.m.: Air show starts with simulcast on 1250 AM

* Opening ceremonies, remarks, posting of colors

* National anthem/Golden Knights

* Mike Rinker — Sukhoi Aerobatics

* Paul Stender's Dodge Ram Jet Truck

* Lima Lima day show

* 7 p.m.: Music by Cape Girardeau Municipal Band

* Dodge Ram Jet Truck

* Angel 7

* Julie Clark twilight show

* Lima Lima night show

* Golden Knights night show

* 9:15 p.m.: Fireworks display

(Photo)
First-year Red Baron Squadron pilot Ryan Mohr glanced toward the ground while performing acrobatics over the Mississippi River near Cape Girardeau, Mo., on Thursday, July 5, 2007. The Red Baron Squadron will show its barn storming techniques during the Heroes and Legends Air Festival on Friday and Saturday. (KIT DOYLE ~ kdoyle@semissourian.com) [Order this photo]
(Photo)
Large ear muffs helped Conner Wissinger, 2, deal with the sound of the Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival on Saturday, July 7, 2007. (KIT DOYLE ~ kdoyle@semissourian.com) [Order this photo]

(Photo)
Siblings Tanner Mitchell, 3, and Shaunna Mitchell, 6, kept track of Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival's Skip Stewart while perched atop their red Radio Flyer wagon on Saturday, July 7, 2007. (KIT DOYLE ~ kdoyle@semissourian.com) [Order this photo]

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