Wings Over Republic fly-in report

This past weekend was the 4th annual "Wings Over Republic" fly-in in
Washington State. I've driven to the last 3. For an event that is only 4
years old, they really know how to throw one. Last year they had 127
planes, this year appeared to be better. Some of the things that make it so
good:

1. Location and weather. The weather has been great every time I've
attended. The airport adjoins a State Park, so in addition to aviating,
there are opportunities to go fishing, take lake tours, etc.

2. The community really gets behind it. I'll bet there were 75 companies
on their "sponsor" list, having contributed money or goods to be raffled.
I'm not a big fan of raffles, but they certainly seem to bring in the money.
There appear to be a fairly large number of volunteers so they can spread
out the load, including, I'm sure, getting the sponsors in the first place.

3. They have a posted schedule, and keep to it. They have entertainment
into the night. Unfortunately, this year it was a bomb on Saturday night.
An Elvis impersonator really had the crowd warmed up, and a band was going
to follow. Unfortuately, the band took an hour to set up, and most of the
people that weren't camping left. When the band started, they were really
poor, and the few non-campers left (including me) left after only a couple
of songs. I don't think they will be invited back.

4. They have shuttle buses running to town and giving tours of the area.
REALLY good at keeping the non-aviation people in your family entertained.
They use church shuttle buses, and they already have the insurance
necessary, so it is inexpensive for the fly-in to offer the service.

If you are in easy flying distance to Republic, Washington (R49), and you
want to attend a friendly fly-in, you should add this to next year's
schedule.