The Castle AirFest & Family Fun Day on Saturday, Oct. 19, promises to be one of the top highlights of a busy month filled with local events for all ages.
Going on from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m at Castle Airport, the AirFest will feature exciting fly-bys and ground displays of rare and vintage aircraft, classic cars, a festival atmosphere with local vendors, food trucks, live music, and lots of activities for the kids. Parking and admission are totally FREE.
It’s being held on a 20-acre site that will give today’s visitors to the commercial airport an unprecedented opportunity to walk on the actual tarmac and ramps that lead to Castle’s remarkable 11,800 foot runway.
Indeed, this first-ever AirFest offers a live aviation event on a scale that hasn’t been experienced since the former Castle Air Force Base closed in 1995.
“Everybody always has an interest in Castle and what’s going on out there,” says Daron McDaniel, the Merced County supervisor who represents the Atwater area. “This is a fantastic opportunity. It’s going to be awesome. We want everybody to come out and enjoy a fun community event that’s free.”
McDaniel points out that the Castle Commerce and Aviation Center as a whole has become an entertainment destination in recent years, anchored by the Tarmac entertainment venue and the Blaker Brewing taproom, and not to mention, the Castle Air Museum.
“We have received a lot of interest from event planners. Even during covid, we had a producer out of Los Angeles who wanted to do an in-car concert out on the airport’s tarmac. We also had interest in a Graffiti Cruise event on the road grid we have out there that would end at the football field with a drive-in movie experience. The AirFest on Saturday will be like a kick-off to larger community events at Castle. Think of all the people who will see what can be done.”
Visitors on Saturday will be able to enter Castle through the usual north and south entrances off Santa Fe Drive. Routes will be marked to several large parking areas. A shuttle service will be provided to the festival site which will include large displays from the Castle Air Museum, the Bombs Away Car Show, local public safety agencies, and more. One of the first planes visitors will see is a vintage U.S. Air Force F-84 fighter at the gate near the parking area.
The AirFest will begin at 10 a.m. with an opening ceremony, led by McDaniel, and the National Anthem performed by the local Fired Up Band.
This will be immediately followed by a U.S. Coast Guard C-27J Spartan fly-by across the AirFest. The eye-catching orange and white cargo plane will land and taxi toward the event staging area.
At 11 p.m., attention will turn to an elaborate rescue display put on by the Merced County Fire Department and CalFire.
Three classic P-51 Mustang fighter planes will approach the airport around noon and conduct a high-speed fly-by. They will also land and be on display.
In turn, the Commemorative Air Force group out of Modesto will do a fly-by with some vintage WWII reconnaissance aircraft and land.
Event organizers say other, unannounced aviation surprises await visitors as well. The Fired Up band will be playing on the main stage throughout the day.
In the “Fun Zone” area, kids will be treated to interactive aviation displays, including being able to climb into a training Cessna by the Sierra Academy of Aeronautics flight school.
“Kids will be seeing a lot of things for the very first time,” McDaniel pointed out. “When you put kids out on the tarmac to see these fly-bys and static aircraft displays, who knows how this will resonate with them, or how aeronautics will play a part in their lives.”
Castle Airport Coordinator George Clover hopes the AirFest will shed positive light among all residents about the growing commerce and employment opportunities at the former military base.
“Our airport is a huge asset, and people need to know about it, enjoy it, and feel good about it.”
Major sponsors of the event include Patriot Rail, which is investing in Castle as it transforms into a major rail and air transportation hub as part of California’s inland port system. MERCO Credit Union, the Tarmac, VIA, the El Capitan Hotel, Riggs Ambulance, and Central Valley Disposal are also major sponsors.
This weekend’s weather should be great too!
For more information, check out the website: https://www.flycastleairport.com/events