PHILLIPS, WIS. – Fourth of July weekend has become sacred for residents of Price County, Wisconsin, as the annual Price County Fly-In & Air Show is held at Price County Airport, Phillips, Wisconsin. There was a twilight air show Friday, July 1, 2011 with live entertainment across the highway at Harbor View Pub & Eatery. The daytime air show was held Saturday, July 2, and again, followed by evening entertainment at Harbor View.
Air show performers included Darrel Massman of Waupaca, Wis., in his Panzl aerobatic monoplane; Peter Tallarita of New Richmond, Wis., flying a Pitts S-2B biplane; and Bill Cowden of Menomonie, Wis. in Massman’s Harmon Rocket. The air boss was airport manager, Chris Hallstrand. Monitoring the show from the Milwaukee FAA Flight Standards District Office was Wesley Hakari of Luxemburg, Wis., who flew his newly acquired Cessna 310 to the show with his family. Hakari is the nephew of the late Charlie Hillard, who was the leader of the Eagles Aerobatic Team for 25 years and air boss at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Hakari is the air show monitor at Oshkosh.
A fly-in breakfast was held at Harbor View Pub & Eatery on Saturday. Harbor View is not only conveniently located adjacent to the airport, but is on Long Lake, and floatplanes regularly dock at the restaurant. A half-a-dozen floatplanes flew in for the fly-in breakfast and air show. Harbor View owners, Duane and Bonny Grube, are corporate sponsors of the show. Hallstrand says that the fly-in and air show is the one time of the year he and the airport commission can showcase the airport to the community. The air show remains free to the public, and is sponsored by Price County Airport and the Phillips Area Chamber of Commerce.
