Cape Air Show will be high-flying fun this week

Have you made plans to attend Wednesday's Cape Girardeau Air Show? It's an event the whole family can enjoy. Furthermore, it's free -- and you can't beat that! The Cape Girardeau Regional Airport is the place to be to see the skies lit up with performances that are sure to entertain and amaze. The opening ceremonies begin at 5:30 p.m.

For those who want to forgo complimentary attendance and are interested, instead, in a particularly up-close look, VIP tickets are available for $25 in advance and $35 at the door. Purchase them if you want front-row, don't-want-to-miss-a-thing reserved seating, complete with food and drinks, as well as special parking privileges.

VIP or not, everyone present will experience the expertise of these high flyers.

The Canadian armed forces' Snowbirds jet team will kick it off at 6 p.m. after the opening, followed by performances, which will include "a Canadian F-18 jet Hornet fighter plane, the Canadian Skyhawks and the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute teams," as the Southeast Missourian recently reported. Additionally, the show will display "a heritage flight featuring a U.S. Air Force F-22 'Raptor' fighter jet flying alongside a P-51 aircraft, reflecting past fighter-plane technology" and "the 'Top Gun' jet-powered truck, with working cannon guns." Finally, the "RedLine Airshows' two-plane aerobatic team will go through its maneuvers."

Clearly, there will be plenty tomorrow to grab the crowd's attention, allowing opportunity for a plethora of ooh-and-ahh moments.

Bruce Loy, the airport manager, encourages everyone to come as early as possible. While he does suggest bringing lawn chairs or blankets to sit on, coolers and food are not allowed. Food may be purchased at concession stands. To make things easy for everyone, the event also provides shuttle rides from the nearby parking locations -- Lawless Harley-Davidson, Rhodes Truck Stop, the emergency animal hospital, GC Corp. and Agri-Trans -- to the airport grounds.

Go and enjoy the ride!