Airport Veterans Day Event Planned Saturday in Jurupa Valley

JURUPA VALLEY (CNS) – Flabob Airport’s "Veterans Day Parade & Festival" will be held Saturday, featuring skydivers, airplane rides, military equipment displays, historic reenactments and other fare.

The daylong event, which will begin at 9 a.m., is expected to draw 2,000 to 3,000 spectators.

The celebration returned last November following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID public health lockdowns and other concerns.

This year’s event will feature a slate of activities oriented to honoring military vets who served in wartime, as well as showcasing aviation, according to organizers.

"This event is presented in commemoration of all those who served in the American Armed Forces," according to an airport statement. "Flabob’s Veterans Day celebration began many years ago and has become an iconic event for the airport and community. Flabob has teamed up with the city of Jurupa Valley to host … the festival in honor of our veterans. Without them, we would have nothing to celebrate."

Parachutists loaded onto the Commemorative Air Force’s "D-Day Doll" C-53 are scheduled to make a drop over the airfield to start things off, after which there will be an honor guard ceremony, parade and live music with patriotic themes.

Representatives from each service branch are expected to be in attendance, with tributes paid to vets from all major overseas campaigns.

Military reenactors will convert the tarmac into a display of historic images, including the raising of the Stars and Stripes by U.S. Marines at Iwo Jima.

There will additionally be military armaments, vintage automobiles, motorcycles and tractors on the airfield. Rides aboard several different types of planes will be available to attendees interested in a bird’s eye view of the Riverside metropolitan area.

Food booths and a "kids zone," replete with life-size dinosaurs and remote-controlled planes will be available, according to airport officials.

Festivities will wrap up about 4 p.m.

More information is available at https://www.flabobairport.org/copy-of- veterans-day-parade-festival.

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