CAF Airsho Back to Local Vendors

Last year, the Commemorative Air Force took a step back and lowered their ticket prices for the Airsho. This year, they’re taking it one step further and returning to the community.

A few years ago, the CAF stopped using local vendors for food and hired national concessions instead at the Airsho. This was a move a lot of people opposed and after one too many phone calls complaining about this the CAF decided to bring the taste of West Texas back to this year's Airsho.

Each year the Airsho gets bigger and better and organizers always look for ways to improve. This year, that was the food.

"This was the opportunity this year for us to come back and say we want that support, we want to support you and we want you to support us and we want this to be part of the community," explains Airsho Director, Clay Francell.

The CAF dropped all national food concessions and are bringing in local vendors. Which, was an opportunity that local food vendor, Kona Ice, couldn't pass up.

"It’s good because it shows their support for vendors like us that want to be involved in the community because we give a lot back to the community.  It's more of a way to get us all involved and we're just happy to be there this year," says Kona Ice Manager, Les Riek.

Shaved ice is majority of their business and Kona Ice sees the Airsho as a way to expand and get more people to order this icy treat.

"The CAF is exciting because it will attract a new venue for us and some possible opportunities to go into other areas as well," says Riek.

The CAF hopes other local vendors sign-up like Kona Ice and right now the list of vendors is growing.

"We have pretty much the usual, the BBQ, the nachos, we've got funnel cakes…we're on track [and] we're pushing to get everything ready to go," says Francell.

There's no limit to how many local vendors can sign up for the Airsho, but you do have to go through an application process. You can find that at www.airsho.org