Budget restrictions for the Air Force has forced the Thunderbirds air show performers to skip the Frontier Days celebration in Cheyenne. This will be the first year that the Thunderbirds have not performed in the last 59 years.
Attendees of this summer’s Cheyenne Frontier Days may find that the celebration is short one classic activity: the Thunderbirds air show.
Cheyenne Frontier Days is a 10-day long festival that celebrates traditional Western ways of life. Yearly festivities include an air show from the United States Air Force Thunderbirds in honor of the Air Force base in Cheyenne. However, the air show will most likely not take place this year.
The Thunderbirds have performed an air show for spectators at Frontier Days for 59 consecutive years, but may have to skip this year due to budget restrictions.
“The Air Force has released a statement saying that due to sequestration, they are suspending all air shows,” Cheyenne Frontier Days CEO Dan Cheney said.
In a statement released by the Air Force in March, U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron commander Lt. Col. Greg Moseley said that even though air shows may be temporarily canceled, it will not prevent the Air Force from furthering its mission.
“Sequestration temporarily limits our ability to travel, but it doesn’t stop us from reaching out within our community to tell the Air Force story,” Moseley said. “We still have an obligation to educate people about our great Air Force and the incredible things our Airmen do.”
The statement also said that the Air Force is not sure of its air show schedule past April 1 and is unsure of when the air shows will resume.
The Thunderbirds typically entertain spectators below by flying solo and in various formations over Cheyenne, but this year attendees might have to settle for other activities including the carnival, rodeos, parades, concerts and free pancake breakfasts.
However, Cheney says he cannot say for sure whether or not the Thunderbirds will fly at Frontier Days this summer and says there is still a slot open for their air show.
“We are still planning on hosting them,” Cheney said.
As far as how this will affect the other Frontier Days activities, Cheney says he is not quite sure.
“We’ve had them for 59 years, so we’re not sure how this will affect attendance,” Cheney said.
Whether or not the Thunderbirds do perform at this summer’s Frontier Days, Cheney wants to remind attendees that there are still other forms of entertainment available.
“There are still great tickets for the concerts and the rodeo,” he said.
