QC, THAT'S WHERE!

'QC, That's Where' You'll Find A Legacy of Flight and Festivities

Season 5 Episode 9

Can you imagine an air show that not only fills the sky with breathtaking maneuvers but also rocks out with three incredible concerts? Join us for an enlightening chat with Evan Hopper, the Vice President of Air Show Operations, as we unravel the magic behind this year's Quad City Air Show, set for June 22nd and 23rd. 

Take a nostalgic trip with us to the origins and highlights of the Quad City Air Show. Hear stories of the awe-inspiring capabilities of the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor and the dazzling MiG-17 night performance by Randy Ball. Discover the fascinating journey of the show's inception, sparked by Hopper's father's lifelong passion for aviation, making it a cherished tradition since the late 1980s. This episode also delves into the behind-the-scenes efforts of organizing the event, with younger family members stepping up to modernize marketing strategies and streamline logistics, ensuring the show's ongoing success.

Celebrate the indomitable spirit of the Quad Cities community, which has weathered challenges like severe storms in the 90s to keep this air show alive. Listen to personal anecdotes, from an unforgettable flight with P-51 Mustang pilot Vlado Lenik to an adrenaline-pumping skydiving experience with the Canadian Skyhawks team. We also share our favorite local activities, from leisurely strolls at the farmer’s market to invigorating morning runs along the river. For the latest updates on Quad City events, don't forget to visit VisitQuadCities.com. Join us as we honor the legacy and future of the Quad City Air Show, inspiring the next generation of aviation enthusiasts.

Find more about the Quad City Air Show on their website or Facebook account. 
https://www.quadcityairshow.com/
https://www.facebook.com/qcityairshow

QC, That's Where is a podcast powered by Visit Quad Cities. Through the people, partnerships, and personalities woven throughout the Quad Cities region, you'll meet real Quad Citizens and hear the untold stories of the region.
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Speaker 1:

and one of the most you know advanced aircraft. Really, this this world has ever seen in terms of its stealth capability, um, as well as just its its speed and and um maneuverability right, and that's what makes it so fun to watch is like you. You know, you see this massive jet in the sky and it's just you know, one second it's going hundreds of miles an hour past you. The next moment it is literally like falling from the sky like a leaf, you know it. Just some of the things, the things that it can do, are really it doesn't seem like it would be possible, and I think that's what makes it such a, such a fan favorite. That we've noticed is is that just it doesn't. It looks like almost like an alien ship of some sort, right, like most people haven't seen this type of thing in person.

Speaker 2:

Where do you find a family of communities connected by the storied Mississippi River, where young explorers and dreamers, investors and entrepreneurs thrive? Where can you connect with real people living and creating in a place that's as genuine as it is quirky QC? That's where.

Speaker 3:

Welcome to QC. That's where I'm, katrina, your host, and today I'm so pumped to be talking to Evan Hopper. He is the vice president of air show operations with the Quad City Air Show. So, evan, hey, how are you?

Speaker 1:

I'm doing fantastic today. I just got off a long weekend and kind of ready to attack the week here. We're closing in on a month until the show, so there's a lot of work to be done, but we're really getting excited.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, we just wrapped up Memorial Day, so you're obviously listening to this in the future. Memorial Day has come and gone. We are just creeping up on June. The Quad City Air Show is June 22nd and 23rd Back again. So, Evan, do you want to just start out by kind of just highlighting some what's new this year?

Speaker 1:

Absolutely yeah. And with this year's show it really is probably the most you know in over 30 years of doing air shows, probably the most unique lineup that we've had as compared to the other years. So, and why I say that is because we have three different concerts actually that we'll have throughout the day on Saturday. That make it very unique. Right, we've had a couple concerts in the past, but never this extensive and never with the type of lineup that we have, with Aaron Tippin, a country music legend, as well as Electric Shock, which is an ACDC cover band, and then another local band with Haphazard.

Speaker 3:

So kind of incorporating the music this year really makes it stand out no-transcript offering, and I think people come from far and wide because this isn't something you can just get in every single town. You know this is very, this is special. It is it's a lot to organize, which I want to hear you talk about that. But like what, overall, would you say, makes the Quad Cities like a good place for this type of entertainment and this type of activity?

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. Yeah, I mean it really comes down to, like you said, there are people that come from all over the Midwest and, you know, even even from all over the country to see this show. But I think what makes the Quad Cities so unique is just it really is the and when you look at the number of just pilots and the enthusiasm on aviation that this community and really Iowa and Illinois in general have on aviation, it really is remarkable and I think that's really what makes it a great place and a great focus audience right for the types of acts that we bring in. I think the thing that highlights that the most is like the amount of professional and military pilots that we've had grow up in this area or this general area and come back to fly in our show, namely Captain Sam Razlarson, who's going to be flying the F-22 for the second year in a row at the show, and we couldn't be more thrilled.

Speaker 3:

So he's a Bettendorf native.

Speaker 1:

That's correct. He went to. He went to ventnorf high school and he actually grew up, um, just you know, basically right next to the davenport airport.

Speaker 3:

Um, so he, you know, he grew up watching general aviation fly there as well, as you know, coming to the show, obviously at a, at a very young age himself yeah, I saw a little bit about him that I think he attended his first air show when he was like six months old and it was just one of those things that just seeped into his soul much they supported him in this.

Speaker 1:

You know, this long journey that he's been on to to get where he is today and to get through all that training and um, you know the discipline that they've they've enabled him to have is awesome.

Speaker 3:

I can't imagine what would go into that, and so talk to me a little bit about. So it's the U S air force F 22 Raptor demonstration.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yep, yeah. So the U S air force F 22 Raptor, um one of the most um, I think, came on the scene around 2005 and one of the most, you know, advanced aircraft. Really, this this world has ever seen in terms of its stealth capability, um, as well as just it's, it's speed and and um maneuverability, right, and that's what makes it so fun to watch is like you, you know, you see this massive jet in the sky and it's just, you know, one second it's going hundreds of miles an hour past you the next moment. It is literally like falling from the sky like a leaf, you know it.

Speaker 1:

Just, some of the things, the things that it can do, are really it doesn't seem like it would be possible, and I think that's what makes it such a such a fan favorite. That we've noticed is is that just it doesn't? It looks like almost like an alien ship of some sort? Right, like most people haven't seen this type of thing in person before, right, unless they're very avid, avid or showgoers, of course in person, before right, unless they're very avid avid air showgoers, of course.

Speaker 3:

What are some other, you know?

Speaker 1:

eyes to the skies highlights that the audience is going to want to really make sure they catch. Yeah, sure thing. So the next one that really is it stands out to me would be the MiG-17, which is flown by Randy Ball. So MiG-17 is an older aircraft and it is a jet that essentially has both the night show and the day show capabilities. But I would urge you to look up Randy Ball's night show act because it it is incredible. You know he it just there's. It essentially looks like a flaming fireball coming out of the back of that jet that he flies, and it's when he's flying at night like it really seems to kind of make that accentuate. So I think that's definitely something I'd look up. It'll, it'll get you excited, and he's got a lot of footage online for sure.

Speaker 3:

The nighttime performance. It excites and terrifies me because I'm just trying to picture myself as the pilot in that situation and, like the, I can't imagine the training and the confidence you know that has to go into piloting in a in a situation like that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it's. You know, even even as part of even when getting like your private pilot's license, you know you do practice that the night flying, obviously at first at a very slower speed, but you know these pilots are just that's, that's why they're here, that's why they're flying in the shows and yeah, definitely understand that and it makes it makes sense. But I think that's also kind of the element that makes it so exciting to watch. Right, it's like it is almost how kind of scary and how just intense it seems.

Speaker 3:

It's so, yeah, it's so unique. So unique, I mean, honestly, unmatched performances at the quad city air show. Um, and it's so. Talk me through. How does this all come together? I understand you and your family have kind of been the backbone of this show.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, absolutely so. If, in terms of how it all came together originally, I think that's probably helpful to just give a little context there For those that don't know. You know, it was really my, my father, who had, just from a young age, like you know, he grew up in in Davenport and really just he actually grew up riding his bike to the Davenport airport when he was a kid, like you know, a couple of miles each way just to be able to watch the airplanes take off and land Right, like just was literally always fascinated with aviation and you know, as he got older, like he, he, he met a lot of people in the industry. Going to Oshkosh as a kid, which is up in Wisconsin, known as really the largest North American air show, he grew up going to that and he met some of the people that put it on. Any chance he could get to be around aircraft and get to meet the people that flew them and put on these shows, he would, he would take that opportunity, um, and you know, really once he, once he really felt like he had a chance to switch from his normal day job when he was about 28, um, to really really launch a show that he thought could work, which was in about 1986, 87, when he made that decision he poured his heart and soul into it.

Speaker 1:

I think he'll tell you too that when he was about to start the show, he got some really good mentoring, saying like, hey, you're either all in on this or you're not, like it's not something you can really just half-heartedly, um, go on a limb and do like you really need to it's, it's, it's going to be a year round thing. It's going to be a lot of work, um, and you really have to be passionate about it, which that was no problem for him, um, but yeah it, you know, the first one, the first one went, went pretty well, I think, probably probably just barely paid the bills. And then, you know, the reputation just just started to grow and we started to get acts like the Navy Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds and and, yeah, that's, it's really like, it's really his passion that sparked all of this. And you know he's inspired others to be passionate about it as well. Obviously, our family, all the amazing volunteers that help every year. But but yeah, it's, you know it's. It's still a similar process as it was was back then. Obviously, like the marketing aspect has changed a lot, right, and that's something that's something my, my siblings and I have gotten more involved with, just because we're, you know, we kind of understand the social media and and the different ways that people like to consume media nowadays, right, so we're we're helping out with that more now. It's that's been a ton of work to revamp that aspect. We've done a lot of work to make our website more modern this year as well, which definitely go check out QuadCityRShowcom. It's a lot different than it was in previous years. I think it's just more fun and easier to navigate.

Speaker 1:

Just thinking through some of the other things that, um, that it takes every year. You know we can't thank our sponsors enough, right, like without them we really couldn't put this show on Um and we're we're so glad that they enjoy the show and that they, they, they want to. You know that our continued sponsors want to come back every year. Um, you know a lot of it's, it's a lot of work to to make sure they're they're they're fulfilled, and that you know we can, we can, work with that partnership to, so both sides really, you know, get the best benefit. And other than that, you know, organizing volunteers is a big aspect of it. So we're very thankful for them. We, we another for them, another group that we could not do without. Right, we need as a nonprofit, like we need our volunteers to be able to help with this event, and we're just so thankful that they're so passionate about it.

Speaker 1:

And then the last piece I'll mention is just the fun part, which is like getting to getting to get some of these acts in right. Um it's. There's, for example, one, one act that's coming this year. Um, the ea 18g growler, which looks a lot like the plane and top gun, maverick. Um it's. It's not the exact same one, but it's a variant of that right. And so that's a two-ship formation that will fly in this year's show. That one was so fun because totally weren't counting on them being able to make the show, and then they had an opening and we were the first show that they called, so to be able to add them to the mix here, I think we'll just it'll. It'll add another element and you know, I just those guys are awesome. It's going to be great to have them there.

Speaker 3:

So you personally, you got involved in this as just a young kid.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yeah. So I mean as soon as I could really, I guess, be out of a, be out of a carriage right Walking around In a conscious state of mind. Right as soon as I could, yeah, as soon as I had a conscious state of mind. I was, I was helping where I could right, Whether it was just like delivering, delivering food to the people that were actually doing work all the way to, you know, being able to put up fence and kind of lay all the groundwork that was you know.

Speaker 1:

Or I remember when I could first like drive a golf cart, I was shuttling people who were coming to the show to wherever they were going to go sit for the day, right Like yeah that's just getting involved wherever I could with setup and you know, kind of during the show I was involved and then you know, as things progressed lately it's been, you know, now that I'm 27, right, I definitely have more of a legitimate role, right, it's not just like the jack of all trades, it's I'm more focused.

Speaker 1:

Right, I definitely have more of a legitimate role, right, it's not just like the jack of all trades, it's I'm more focused on, you know kind of the operations, like where we're laying out our vendors right, and how they're getting taken care of the day of and even before the show.

Speaker 1:

So helping with that, also helping with kind of our chalet section right where our sponsors live during the show and, you know, making sure that they're taken care of.

Speaker 1:

So it's a lot of, it's really a lot of like hospitality work too, right, just like kind of our almost like a customer success role, if you will of kind of our um, almost like a customer success role, if you will like there's, there's a lot of that that I I feel like both you know me, and then my, my siblings and my um the rest of my family as well kind of play, have to play that role with whoever we're dealing with, um, and you know it's it's also working with some of the logistics of the performers right and making sure that they have what they need right. Making sure that, like all, the, all the smoke oil that they get during the show, they can, that they have their allocated amount, that they have the right contacts if they need fuel. It's it's really just, yeah, making sure that they have what they need and that their checklists are met. Um, in order to to put the show on.

Speaker 3:

So sidebar really quick, because I'm an aviation newbie, if you will.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, for sure.

Speaker 3:

What is smoke oil?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I know I, yeah, I'm sure I've like thrown out some terms that's like okay, I should probably explain that a that's the.

Speaker 3:

That's the first one that I'm like yeah, what are we talking about here?

Speaker 1:

I gotta know for sure, for sure, yeah, so smoke oil, basically. So if you see, um, yeah, I mean, if you look up like a video of the I know, actually, I know the the blue angel movie just came out, that's kind of an aside but um, there, there is a new movie out. If you, if do happen to go see it, you'll probably see smoke oil in that, right, because you'll see the output of the smoke oil. That's what kind of allows them to sky write, if you will. Right, it's kind of like signaling essentially hey, we're here, we're here to put on a show, oh, my God.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and so that's that's kind of the trail that you'll see behind them. It's not real. You know, oil that or fuel that they use, it is a separate, it's a separate tank that is strictly just. You know, creating, creating smoke. Essentially it's not. It's it's not actually powering the airplane.

Speaker 3:

Yeah. Got you it's, yeah, it's the smoke and mirrors of putting on a performance for your audience and that's very cool, that's any other like inside baseball things that, like the average person coming to the show, wouldn't know you guys are dealing with behind the scenes.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, um, I will say let's see here.

Speaker 1:

I think one thing to note too is just with the night show this year, I guess there are going to be different kind of lighting that the planes are going to put on at night. So we have nathan hammond with his aircraft who actually puts like he actually will put like fireworks on the wing of his airplane. So and how that works is he literally is a scent like just strapping fireworks to the side of his of his aircraft. So that so works exactly like smoke oil, right, and the fact that it's it's just for show, but it's definitely a little more flashy and it's cool at night when, when it's completely dark out. So there's there's going to be that going on and gosh like even just as a as a not even as the producer of the show, like as a fan like I'm. I'm so excited to to see that and it's cool to hear some of the behind the scenes of how they, how they put that together this is gonna be like 20 times better than like a fourth of july show, you know we do have.

Speaker 1:

We do have actual fireworks at the end too, right, traditional fireworks. So that's kind of. That's kind of ending the day on Saturday. But yes, I would agree it's kind of like a step up from a traditional show.

Speaker 3:

Too cool. So okay, bring me through you. 20 plus years. This has been part of your life, a huge part of your life You've been involved with your siblings. Can you kind of like identify a highlight or, you know, like significant moment throughout these years that you just really would love to you know, delve into a little bit? I'd love to hear a little bit about something significant to you.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, something significant and honestly it's, it's I kind of have, I guess I kind of two I kind of have, I guess I kind of have two one. I actually was like so young that I don't actually remember, but it was when I heard the story. It was so like um, so eye-opening to me, um, and that that was a show that we had in in the 90s where, um, essentially, like we, we had weather that pretty much decimated the field at the at the air show. I wouldn't say that maybe much decimated the field at the at the air show. I wouldn't say that maybe not decimated, but like there, for example, there was like a tent stake that went through another aircraft on the ground and there was just, you know it was, it was not a pretty sight. When we woke up that Saturday of the air show, you know kind of all that work we did to uh, set things up, was, was was pretty much gone and we had to kind of rebuild from scratch, right, and there's a show that day, so, um it. I think this one really just speaks to the quad cities community, um, because you know, as soon as we kind of put the word out, there was, there was just people in droves showing up to come, just come pick things up, pick up trash, you know, help, help move aircraft back to the spot that they. I think we got the show started a little late that day, but we were able to put on a show right Like we were able to get the crowd in and that's literally all thanks to the great community that we live in.

Speaker 1:

Um, the the second, the second one would be just, I mean, I, I realize like how, how awesome of an opportunity I've had to to meet um, to meet the amazing pilots that fly in our show. Um, I think the one that stands out to me the most is um I was able to fly with. I was actually able to fly when I was about 12 years old with Vlado Lenik, who's no longer with us, but he's just a legendary P-51 Mustang pilot and you know I got to fly with him and just getting to know more about him since that day, it's like I, you know, I, I wouldn't trade that opportunity for the world. It was like the pretty much the flight of a lifetime, I would say. So just just having having that opportunity, um it, I feel like that really made me realize how special, um how special this show is, how special the people are that help put it on, and how special the community is itself.

Speaker 3:

So, like I mean getting these firsthand experiences with these people who are, you know, genuine heroes to you and people who have kind of shaped what you're doing as a career and also kind of as a hobby. I mean, clearly you have a huge passion for aviation, a hobby. I mean, clearly you have a huge passion for aviation. Like, does that stem, would you say that stems, like, from your dad, you know, or does it stem from kind of your, your own, branching out into discovering, like, where did this all start for you and and how, how, how deep do your aviation roots go?

Speaker 1:

For sure, for sure. Yeah, I mean it's ever since I can again kind of back to the ever since I had consciousness, yeah, like that's that's kind of where it is, because, like, yeah, I mean originally it was, it was my dad's inspiration, right, like it was just seeing how, seeing how driven he was not only to to put on this show, um, but also to like just in aviation in general, like he, he loves, he, you know, outside of the air show he actually is, um, he's a, he's a private pilot for for somebody, um, and he's he's worked in aviation outside of the show as well. So it just it, you know, his passion is clear and it kind of it kind of, you know, blends over into my passion as well. For sure, yeah, but you know, I've had my own experiences, right, like being able to actually just meet and talk with some of these guys. They're so inspiring.

Speaker 1:

Last, last year, I actually it's cool. It's cool now being able to like kind of also help pass that passion on to people. Yeah, last year I was, I was able to get my, my girlfriend and then one of my best friends. We went up and actually Skydo for the first time with the Canadian Skyhawks team, which is like we all jumped in this airplane together and just kind of leaped out the back with this. You know, it was cool to do it in a team setting right when we were all just one after the other, going out of this airplane. I was like, you know, a lot of people don't get to do this right Like this is, so it's contagious when you get these opportunities to meet these people and just get to learn and even sometimes do some of the stuff that they get to do right. So that's it. But to your question, it definitely has, you know, kind of it's bled into my own interests and I've obviously done my own research too.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, big props to you for for doing that, and I imagine just being around it your whole life creates a comfort of, of propelling a stunt like that, um wowza, like, and it's cool. You got to bring your girlfriend into it and you know another, another person, and now that, now that they've experienced that kind of firsthand I don't know what to call it other than leap of leap of faith, leap of jumping out of an airplane you know they'll, they'll share that with their. You know their circle as well, and it's just that's too cool. And I bet you see that a lot, for just you know even the people in, you know the Quad Cities or surrounding areas that come, and you know that kid that sees it for the first time and you know, I mean think, how many people do you think you've spawned to like want to pursue a career in aviation just because they got to come and see it?

Speaker 1:

I know, yeah, I. You know, I wish we had like I'm, I'm a, I'm also in my career. I work in data right, so I'm a data guy. I wish we had the. We probably could figure it out right. It would take a little while, but-.

Speaker 3:

Surveys.

Speaker 1:

Just knowing, yeah right, knowing all the people that were inspired, that'd be probably harder to get. I think we could pretty easily find out all the people that have, like, joined the military to go fly, sure, but it's, it's definitely a pretty high number. You know, we've had probably, I would say, within the last, within the last 10 shows probably. We at least every year, and sometimes multiple every year, we've had someone come back, whether they were flying in the show, whether they were just bringing their airplane to kind of put on static at the show. You know someone that grew up here and, you know, kind of had their roots here and went to this show and, you know, ended up just making a, you know, taking that inspiration and really going to do something with it in their life.

Speaker 3:

That is one cool thing I kind of see as like a pattern of the Quad Cities. Like, even if people don't you know in whatever industry and field they wind up in, like even if they don't stay here forever or if they leave for a while, it's kind of like a boomerang thing. They'll either come back and, like you know, they'll bring their family here once they're, you know, an adult or, you know, middle aged or whatever, or they'll just come back and visit a lot place, which I think just really like gives a huge testament to what kind of community, like you were saying earlier, this is where people feel like they want to be here, they want to, they're comfortable here, they can lean on each other. I've heard that countless times in like the you know the business, like small business industry. They, they lean on each other and help each other, and you guys have obviously experienced that with, like, your rough weather story. So it's just yeah, it's. It's a perfect illustration of what we're constantly seeing, that people are coming and just really having quality experiences here.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, no, I, I totally agree and I know like when and I think Captain Larson did this last year but he's doing it again this year where he's you know he's easy to come spend the whole week Like his family's here, like he's he's really pumped about this show and he's pumped about this community, right Like this is I see that elsewhere, right, not even in the aviation space, just my friends from growing up right Like there's always this kind of gravitational pull back that you get that it just you know there's something about the Quad Cities that sometimes you can't even really put into words, but I totally am on the same page with that idea.

Speaker 3:

And it's totally like. You know families like yours and courageous people. You know, like you and your dad, who are willing to put in the time and the effort. And you know from way back when, not knowing if this was going to take off and be a success, and you know it's, it's. It's really a huge thank you to you guys that that this community has these fantastic attractions and assets and things to like, like hook people in, because if we don't have a place where people want to come and visit, we're not going to have a place where people want to live and work and raise their families. So it's just, it's stuff like this that is like the cycle of it all.

Speaker 1:

I totally agree. Yeah, that is that is very well put and there's a lot to. There's a lot to come and visit in the Quad Cities, right. A lot to. There's a lot to come and visit in the Quad Cities, right. Like it's, there's there's so many events, there's so many events like this. They're all unique in their own way, absolutely, but there's there's so many events that are so, just so unique. I would say.

Speaker 3:

Do you have like a Quad Cities favorite, like it's a Saturday, random summer afternoon, like what are you out doing? Do you have a favorite thing or place?

Speaker 1:

Gosh, I mean if there's not an air show going on.

Speaker 3:

No air show going on. You have a free day.

Speaker 1:

This is like the fall or something, right? Yeah, I would say I love if the farmer's market's still going on. I love getting up, going to the farmer's market, getting getting a nice cup of coffee, like I. Like it sounds pretty cliche, but like that is like just a top tier morning for me it is, and maybe even like if I'm really feeling ambitious, like getting getting a run in before that.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Just to be feeling good about my day, right, if I, if I can ever go run along the river in the quad cities like I, just I, I love that, um, that's, that's just a great way to start my day. Um, and then, really like I don't know, the, for me, the quad cities is it's family, so, um, whether it's just like, you know, having a chill barbecue that day, um, being with family and friends, like that's that's. I couldn't really ask for a better day back in the QC.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, for sure. Um, I have. I have two little kids and I'm sure anyone who's listened to this podcast loyally knows I like my main summer activity, fall activity is just taking them anywhere where they can like go and just run amok and just be outside Tangledwood I always tell as like the best because it has that really large space and like I can have a beer and they can like run around and we can all listen to music. Like you know, there's just there's all kinds of places like that and the farmer's market.

Speaker 3:

we are, we are totally getting into that because it's it's just a great it's a great setting along the river, it's beautiful, you can grab a coffee, they can play on the playground, you know, there's just so much stuff like any age can really just fit here, and so I appreciate that perspective, like it's not cliche, it's just good, you know it's just good.

Speaker 1:

I totally agree with that. Yeah, tangled Tangled Wood is a great spot. I you know I have a really good friend that actually he helps us with the air show a lot. He lives literally next door so I take advantage of going to visit him whenever I can.

Speaker 3:

Yes, yeah, tangled Wood not sponsored, but yeah, check it out.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I know, I know, yeah, yeah, tangled Wood not sponsored.

Speaker 3:

But yeah, check it out. Yeah, I know, I know, yeah, it's, yeah, I just love it.

Speaker 1:

Oh, my God OK well. I think the time has come where we're going to have you fill in the blank QC. That's where.

Speaker 3:

OK, yeah, QC, that's where greatness is inspired. That just came to me. Is that? I mean, how do we feel about that? I love it, I will accept it. I think we're going to probably make a, a, a social picture out of that. I really love that. Please don't mind if we steal it, we'll credit you for your words.

Speaker 1:

There's a lot that goes into that. When I'm thinking through it, like it's one with, I love it, you know, with all the great schools in the community, right, like there's with all of the other inspiring events in the community, like it's, it really is across the board. But specifically to the air show, I think it applies greatly.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, the talent, the involvement and and yeah, like you said, just the inspiration that can be drawn from just attending or being more involved is without words. So thank you for filling in the blank. I really like it. Where can people get more information on the Quad City Airshow coming up June 22nd, 23rd?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So I would go directly to our website. That's the best way to get info. It's totally revamped this year, like I mentioned earlier, so that's, that's Quad City, not Quad Cities. Quad City Airshow dot com and you'll you'll be able to find all your info there. We also have our, you know, we have our contact information that you can. You can contact with some specific questions as well, with some specific questions as well Outside of that. I mean social media Quad City or show on Instagram and on Facebook as well, as we're primarily focused on those two mediums, but, yeah, I think those that would pretty much be it in terms of the best ways to contact us.

Speaker 3:

We'll link all of those places in the. If you're listening to this in a podcast, you're watching on YouTube, check out the. If you're listening to this in a podcast, you're watching on youtube, check out the description for those links to all that social media and the website. We'll link it there. Quad city air show. And it's funny too, when we talk about, like you know, quad city versus quad cities, it's kind of like.

Speaker 3:

It's not perfect, but a lot of times you can see what is like an og event or asset if it's quad city and not quad cities. That was kind of like a later ad right, yeah, I know, I know well.

Speaker 1:

Like, yeah, and logically, like quad cities makes more sense, for sure but yeah yeah, like you're right, the og yeah, that's just how. That's how it was and that's how it kind of that's how people said it back in the mid 80s, right, so yeah.

Speaker 3:

So super cool. Well, thank you so much, evan. I appreciate your time. Also, always check out visitquadcitiescom slash events for awesome stuff like this, going on literally every single day of the year. So, evan, I will give you back your afternoon and thank you again.

Speaker 1:

Awesome. Thank you so much, katrina, this was a blast.

Speaker 2:

Thanks for listening to QC. That's when a podcast powered by Visit Quad Cities Text VISITQC to 38314 for insider events, activities and updates sent straight to your phone. That's V-I-S-I-T-Q-C, one word to 38314. Message and data rates may apply.