EVANSTON — Approximately 500 people attended the return of Evanston Airport Day, held Saturday, Aug. 26, at the Evanston-Uinta County Airport. The event was the first since 2019, after which the COVID-19 pandemic interfered with many events both locally and across the globe.

Airport manager Mike LaSalle said he was happy with the turnout and the aerobatics show.

“We’ve always done it on the same weekend, the weekend before Labor Day,” LaSalle said. “It works out pretty good. We’re hoping to get back into a yearly thing. We try to get people out to the airport and see what we’ve got out here and involve the community.”

LaSalle said the Evanston-Uinta County Airport Management Board is the sole sponsor of the event.

The air show dazzled the crowd as pilots performed all kinds of aerobatics during the three-hour air show.

“Diamond” Dick Fennell was the first pilot to take flight, warming up the crowd for several pilots. Fennell’s wife, Gail Fennell, served as master of ceremonies, while local DJ A.J. Lamb of Bearded Boombox Productions provided music for the event.

Another pilot, Danny Sorenson, flew a plane he built in 2008 and once crash-landed on Interstate 80 in Wyoming after running out of fuel. The crash took place in 2018, when Sorenson was flying from Longmont, Colorado, to Evanston. The plane’s wings were damaged, but Sorenson walked away unscathed.

His plane, “Unfinished Business,” sped through the Evanston sky during Airport Day, doing barrel rolls, flips, stalls and other tricks.

“What goes up, must come down,” Gail Fennell said to the large crowd as Sorenson climbed straight up in his red bi-wing.

Sure enough, Sorenson’s plane stalled, flattened out, then headed directly downward toward the earth before pulling out of the dive.

Scout Troop 911 and Cub Pack 911 were on hand, selling concessions for both breakfast and lunch. Scoutmaster Jeff Breininger said sales weren’t quite what they wanted but, for the first year back, they were just happy to be there.

“We probably should have raised the prices,” he told the Herald, “but we wanted to see how this year turned out.” Funds are used for activities that the troops hold, usually on a monthly basis.