Photo by Joanne Beck
Positives about last year’s Wings Over Batavia certainly outweighed any negative comments, according to Genesee County legislators, but lead organizer Pete Zeliff still addressed the couple of concerns expressed about the resurrected air show before getting a strong showing of support for this year’s event during Tuesday’s county meeting.
Legislator Gary Maha had received a message from someone who owns a hangar at the county airport, and he shared that he was unable to access his hangar for six days during the time before, during and/or after the Labor Day air show, Maha said. Zeliff countered that it was three days, and that the situation was being rectified for this year.
“It must have been a communication issue,” Maha said.
The other issue was handicapped parking, Maha said, as he and his wife Susan had attended the show and saw a woman struggling to push her husband in a wheelchair over a grassy area. Zeliff said that that, too, was being addressed for this second annual event.
Further, Zeliff said there were issues with having all of the sponsored and VIP tents on the west end of the event venue, and some of them will be moved to the east end, along with some local bands, to spread out the foot traffic and layout on the ground.
“We will split it up this time,” Zeliff said. “And we will also have a Kids Zone on the east end. As far as traffic, I don’t think it could have gone any better.”
Some gates were apparently not open, which didn’t allow for some handicapped parking that will be available this year, he said.
“Can you have a wheelchair zone, for wheelchair access?" Legislator Marianne Clattenburg said.
“Yes,” Zeliff said.
Legislators wanted to know how performers responded to the show hosted in Genesee County.
“They said it was the best show they’ve ever done in the United States,” Zeliff said.
Organizers booked 73 rooms for them at Batavia Downs, and 50 rooms elsewhere, some of them that would accommodate guests with pets, he said. They have already booked many performers for this year, including the same pyrotechnics show, and they have sold 1,200 tickets already, he said, a testimony that “the community is very much behind” the air show.
Legislator John Deleo, who works at Batavia Downs, shared some of what he heard during that weekend.
"They were really appreciative, and they were really nice people. And they said you've got some top entertainment here. And you've got some top entertainment from all over," Deleo said. "So I was very excited to hear that."
Legislators agreed that the air show committee, volunteers, and sponsors for the first-year made it “a tremendous success” and that the event brought in a lot of people from out of town, which spurred additional economic activity.
With all of that in mind, the committee members voted to push the resolution for vote by the full Legislature “to grant permission to the Wings over Batavia Foundation LLC to use the Genesee County Airport to host the Wings over Batavia Air Show from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2, 2024, in accordance with the Rules and Regulations adopted for the Genesee County Airport.” The county support costs total are estimated at $19,500, which are covered by the Air Show through Memorandum of Understanding with the Sheriff and local EMS operations.
There is no added cost for the current airport liability policy. There will be increased revenues for the airport during the event for additional fuel sales, tie downs and rentals, the resolution states. The county will also see increased sales tax because of the air show. The 2023 show generated over $6,000 in profit from fuel sales. The estimated increase in sales tax and bed tax related to the event is to be approximately $40,000.
As for Wing Ding, the downtown city street festival that many people seemed to be looking forward to for decades past, that will not be turning after all. City officials had formed a committee last year to resurrect Wing Ding along with the air show, as it once happened some 25 years ago. However, that was put on hold in lieu of needing more planning to fully prepare and gather volunteers for the effort, Assistant City Manager Erik Fix had said at the time.
The Batavian confirmed with City Manager Rachael Tabelski that Wing Ding will not be happening this year either, due to not having enough staff to organize or execute the event.
