Was Scheduled May In Panama City Beach, FL

An event billed as "The World's Largest Beachfront PPG Event" has been cancelled by its organizer, who said that a city council vote scheduled on an ordinance to make the event possible just days before it was to start does not leave enough time to complete preparations before it was to open May 6.

Organizer John Black wrote on the event's web page "After careful consideration and evaluation of circumstances beyond our control, I have decided that there is no reasonable way that Beach Blast can occur this year. I know many of you have already seen a draft of the proposed ordinance and three of the five city council members voted to move this forward."

Black said that Mayor, Gayle Oberst and two council members voted to move forward with this ordinance. "I had conveyed to the council many times that I could not run an event with such an ordinance. With the proposed vote being only days away from the event it cannot be complied with and puts us at risk of shutdown. I began issuing refunds several hours ago and should be finished with them in the next few days.

"I apologize to our pilots and families for not succeeding in this endeavor and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the support so many of you have given. I am truly honored that you chose to spend your vacations and time here and make Beach Blast into such a success. I encourage you to support other fly-ins as these directors spend hard hours working to provide the best environment possible. If I can ever assist any of you please let me know."

(Powered paraglider image from file)

FMI: www.beachblastppg.com