Air Show Attracts 15,000 to 20,000 Over Weekend

The Paulding County Salute America Air Show, held Oct. 5 and 6, attracted between 15,000 to 20,000 fans to Paulding County's airport, according to a report given by Blake Swafford to the Paulding County Airport Authority during a meeting on Tuesday.

Swafford, the executive director of the Paulding Airport and Industrial Building Authority, told the members of the Airport Authority that between 12,000 to 15,000 people attended the air show on Saturday and another 3,000 to 5,000 more on Sunday.

"That's about three times the number that attended last year," he said. "So as far as attendance goes, it was obviously a huge success."

The air show also did well in terms of budget concerns, according to Swafford, with the show at least covering it's costs for the year.

"That was one of our primary goals going into it this year," he said, "and we accomplished that."

Several upset and concerned residents also attended Tuesday's meeting but were not allowed to voice their concerns during the meeting. Their concerns ranged from the use of the new fire station that will be at the airport to the size and frequency of commercial aircraft that may be using the airport.

Residents were told by Airport Authority Attorney Tom Cable that the meeting was not an appropriate forum for residents to ask questions. They could call or contact Swafford or request to be put on the agenda for a future meeting.

Editor's note: come back to Patch later today to see video of contentious  residents trying to get their questions answered.