Festival performances please crowd

The Blue Angels headlined the Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival at 3 p.m. Saturday, and they didn't disappoint.

"I thought it was an excellent show. As an aviation enthusiast, I have a level of expectation, and much like today's show, the Angels have surpassed it," said Timothy Matlock, a volunteer at the air show responsible for repositioning and fueling aircraft.

Larry and Mary Warren of Bloomfield, Mo., who were both carrying Blue Angels umbrellas, said they were fascinated by the Blue Angels' show.

"It was terrific; it couldn't have been better. The Cape Girardeau airport did a super job putting this together," Larry Warren said.

"We were thrilled and honored that [the Blue Angels] were willing to come back to Cape Girardeau," said Bruce Loy, manager of the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. "The team themselves pushed really hard to be here, and because of that I am really happy."

However, the Blue Angels weren't the only ones drawing praise from the audience.

"I'm very impressed with the other shows too," said Frank Baranowski from Perryville, who was a fire control technician in the Navy from 1992 to 1996.

LeeAnn Weyand of Piedmont, Mo., brought her 2-year-old son, Russell, to the air show.

"It's been fun; he loves seeing the airplanes and wants to touch everything," she said. "He refuses to put his sunglasses on because then he can't see the planes as well."

The aircraft displays were also popular during the air festival. Air Force crew chief Percy Visor said both lines into the display of the C-130 were consistently busy all day.

"Everything's flowing good, and the staff has really taken care of us," Visor said.

"We know that a lot of work goes into the preparation of air shows like this, and we see that all the hard work here has paid off. Everything was awesome," said Blue Angel Capt. Benjamin Blanton, who flew Fat Albert, the Blue Angels' cargo plane, during the festival.

The size of the crowd was encouraging for the Blue Angels team.

"It's a lot more exciting for us to do a show when there's more people," Blanton said. "One of the most rewarding part of the job is to see the audience and having a positive impact on the youngsters and encourage them to follow their dreams."

The air show will continue from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. The Blue Angels will fly at 3 p.m.

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