CLEVELAND — For Chris Skelley, a visit to Kirtland Park is a Labor Day weekend tradition.
While children tossed footballs and families fired up their grills behind him, Skelley stayed focused on one thing: The sky.
“You don’t appreciate it ’til you see it in person,” he said, after raising his camera to take pictures of passing planes. “When all of a sudden an F-16 or something goes shooting by, it scares you. But it’s very cool to see.”
Skelley, from Massillon, was part of a large crowd that lined South Marginal Road on Monday during the Cleveland National Air Show.
The ticketed event attracts nearly 77,000 people to Burke Lakefront Airport and generates roughly $1.4 million in local and state tax revenues over its three-day run, according to the show’s most recent economic-impact report.
But thousands of additional spectators, toting lawn chairs and coolers, line the surrounding streets for free. Others pay $25 to park in nearby lots and tailgate with friends and family.
“I don’t think this is a show you wanna lose,” Skelley said of the annual event. “And I don’t see how it can continue if the airport isn’t here.”
That’s the conclusion the nonprofit air show’s board of trustees reached earlier this year. In a 10-page document submitted to Cleveland City Council in June, the organization said the longstanding air show cannot survive, in any form, if Burke closes its doors.
Civic leaders have been pushing to close the airport, with hopes of opening up 450 acres of city-owned lakefront land for recreation, public access and regional attractions.
WATCH: Cleveland mayor, Cuyahoga County executive ask Congress for help to close Burke
But the battle over Burke is grounded, for now. Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration is in a holding pattern, waiting to see if the political winds change in Washington, D.C. after the November midterm elections.
In August, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration told News 5 the agency is opposed to a shutdown. Bryan Bedford, the FAA administrator, said getting rid of the airport would be “counterproductive” when it comes to air-traffic safety and economic growth.
WATCH: FAA administrator, Sen. Moreno say shutting Burke Lakefront Airport is a non-starter
Sen. Bernie Moreno, a Westlake Republican, told News 5 in August that “there’s no scenario in which Burke Lakefront Airport would be closed.” He and fellow Sen. Jon Husted, a central Ohio Republican, aren’t willing to go around the FAA by legislating a shutdown.
Air show supporters are part of a major advocacy push to keep the airport open.
Inside the gates Sunday morning, Matthew and Joseph Woyma sported stickers that proclaimed: “Protect the Air Show: Save Burke Lakefront.” They’re longtime fans of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, an elite flight demonstration team.
“We want Burke to stay,” Matthew Woyma said. “Burke’s an amazing place.”
Cleveland’s air show, produced by a nonprofit, is one of the oldest in the nation. The event has a $2.3 million annual operating budget and depends on ticket sales, parking fees, concessions and sponsorships to sustain itself. The nonprofit argues that there’s no way to do that — and maintain a show of the current size and quality — without taking over Burke.
Bibb administration officials assert that it’s possible, with some creative thinking, to maintain an air show without a lakefront airport. During City Council hearings this year, the administration and leaders from the nonprofit North Coast Waterfront Development Corp. showed redevelopment concepts for the Burke site — with an area that could still be roped off for ticket sales on Labor Day weekend.
“This conceptual plan, I would hope to be good news for them, because it’s not a lot of high-impact development,” Jessica Trivisonno, the city’s chief strategy officer and deputy chief of staff, told News 5 in March. “And we think that there’s some real ways to maintain the air show operations within this more low-density plan.”
WATCH: See two development concepts for the Burke site
The people behind the air show strenuously disagree. They’ve been urging the city to do more with Burke, which is a money-loser today, instead of trying to eliminate it.
“The airport is an asset,” Kim Dell, the air show’s executive director, said during an August interview. “It’s a very unique asset that Cleveland has, and they should invest in it.”
And she said the air show, in its current form, is worth fighting for.
“It definitely is one of the grand dames,” she said, noting that the show has survived for more than 60 years. “And important to still have around for Cleveland, because of our rich aviation and aerospace history here.”
The air show’s own impact report says the event spurs almost $18 million in annual economic activity — though that’s based on calculations that include indirect and induced spending, capturing purchases far beyond the confines of Burke.
On Monday, the families gathered along South Marginal to watch the show weren’t concerned about the math. They were there for the aerial acrobatics. The deafening roar of the jets. And those smoky trails in the sky.
“I think it’s one of the heartbeats of Cleveland,” Jevon Frazier said. “I think it’s one of the biggest traditions here. … Who doesn’t love the air show?”
A few steps away, Rashawn Pennyman and her daughter, Rashob Sims, stood by as family members tended two packed charcoal grills. Kirtland Park is their longtime perch on Labor Day weekend. They planned to stay long after the air show wrapped up.
“You see all these people out here? They wanna see this,” Sims said. “Like, if they take it away, then what we gonna have?”
Her mother agreed.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Pennyman said. “I love it.”
Near the road, Skelley lifted his camera to snap another photo. He said he doesn’t have strong feelings about development at or near Burke. But he’s sure about one thing.
“I would hate to see the air show be lost or go away,” he said.
Michelle Jarboe is the business growth and development reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on X @MJarboe or email her at Michelle.Jarboe@wews.com.
