Cancellation Confirmed In Waterloo, Ontario Canada, Threatened In Paulding County, GA

Air show organizers in Waterloo in the Canadian province of Ontario have pulled the plug on the annual event "indefinitely," and the same fate is possible in Paulding County, GA, where the county commission may withdraw its support.

The announcement about the Waterloo show was posted on the event's website. "It is with great sadness that we have made the decision to cancel the Waterloo Air Show," the notice said. "We would like to thank all of our Sponsors, Partners and most importantly our Volunteers for their continued support over the years. Event organizers Richard Cooper and David White said in a statement posted on the event's Facebook page that there simply was not enough support to make the event self-sustaining, "and after investing heavily in it for 4 years we could not justify continuing accepting the losses. Just not enough people paying to see the show, not enough sponsors."

The Waterloo Daily Record reports that the show has been in financial trouble since 2012, when it was nearly cancelled. It received a grant from Celebrate Ontario in 2013 of $74,300, and was again supported by provincial funding in 2014 in the amount of $65,450.

Comments left on the CTV website associated with a story on the cancellation noted that there was a $20 admission price for the show, which was called "beyond most ordinary families in the region."

Meanwhile, in Paulding County, GA, the county commission will consider a measure to withdraw its support for the "Salute to America" air show planned for Paulding Northwest Atlanta Airport in May.

In a Facebook post, the event's organizers say that three of the five commissioners have told them that they intend to vote to prevent the county's public safety entities ... police, fire and marshals ... from providing support for the show. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday.

Show organizers say that the county provides support for other public events, and that the air show should be treated no differently. "This is a non-profit event and 100% of the proceeds will go to local Paulding County Charities," the group said on Facebook. "Local businesses directly and indirectly associated with the air show will be impacted on the cancellation [by] the cancellation of the event."

The NeighborhoodNewspapers.com website reported last year that the Paulding Air Show had been cancelled for 2014 due to military budget cuts, according to show director Brent Sparks. 

FMI: www.waterlooairshow.com, http://saluteamericaairshow.com, www.paulding.gov