Festival 'dropped the ball' by cancelling airshow, but volunteers are trying to save it

When past organizers of the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous airshowheard it wasn't on the schedule this year, they decided to take matters into their own hands.

Butthey say they didn't have enough notice about its cancellation from festival organizersto pull off a public event. They are still arranging for a small number of aircraft to come to Whitehorse, but the public won't have access to themas they havein the past.

"Someone really dropped the ball," said Jack Kingscote, who organized the airshowfor 28 of its 48-year history. He said he and other past organizers, including Rebecca Laforge, found out it was cancelled through the grapevine.

"It's really, really, really quite sad to see something like this kind of go in the toilet," she said.

Rendezvous, a winter festival celebrating Yukon's past, takes place Feb. 15-24. This is its 55th year.

Not enough lead time

Laforge and other past organizers decided put the show on themselves, but Laforge saidthey didn't have enough time to save it fully. It takesthree months to get all the necessary permissions from the Department of National Defence to open up the airport tarmacto the public.

"So it was a little upsetting," said Laforge.

During the airshow's heyday, 30 or more military aircraft came to Whitehorse from across Canada and the United States. In recent years, the show has been smaller and was comprised of a "static" display of aircraft that the public could tour at the airport.

This year, the public will not have access to the tarmac, but they can still see some aircraft from afar.

"Folks can stand at the gate ...peer through the fence and see the airplanes, but that's going to be it for this year I'm afraid," said Kingscote.

Laforge said sevenaircraft are confirmed so far, including four jets,twohelicopters and one King Air.

Airshow expenses 'next to nil'

One of the reasonsKingscote was surprised the airshow was cancelled is because he says it cost "next to nil."

He said when he ran it, it cost Rendezvous about $2,000 a year.

Costs are kept downLaforgesaid, because the federal government sends the military aircraft as part of a training exercise. All flight costs are therefore covered by the government.

She said local businesses have stepped up to support the show this year.

Festival short on cash

The CBC contacted David Blottner, the executive director of Rendezvous, but have not yet heard back from him. The CBC did speak with Blottnerin November, when the festival said it was making changes because money was tight.Several events were cut from the schedule, including the snow carving competition and the fireworks, the latter of whichweresaved by an anonymous donor.

At the time, Blottner said sponsors weren't donating as much to the festival as in previous years.According to him,itcosts about $600,000 to put the festival oneach year. The city and territorial governments chip in about one-sixth of the funding. The rest comes from corporate sponsors, local fundraising, and ticket sales.