With just a week remaining before NAS Kingsville opens its gates for the 2010 Wings Over South Texas air show, base officials are making final preparations for the event and double-checking everything to ensure the command is ready. NAS Kingsville’s commanding officer is predicting clear skies for the weekend, and is hoping for a crowd of about 100,000 – nearly double what the command drew two years ago.

“We have a superb lineup of performers again this year,” Waddingham said, “headlined by the US Navy Blue Angels, the US Air Force’s Viper East, the US Army Golden Knights, and world aerobatic champion Rob Holland. But we’ve also got some exciting new acts this year like the Commemorative Air Force’s Tora, Tora, Tora, and aerobatic performer Jack Knutson, along with air show veterans Jan Collmer and Paul Fiala. We’re really excited about the show and can’t wait for the show to get underway.”

Waddingham and his air show team also added some new events to this year’s show that is sure to drive in its own share of the crowd.

Country music Grammywinning band Emerson Drive will host a free concert following the Saturday show, and the base is linging up a special guest for the Sunday show. Both acts will draw big crowds to the air station, along with thousands of aviation enthusiasts.

Air Show weekend will actually kick off Friday morning, March 26, when school children from throughout South Texas will muster at Texas A&M University-Kingsville’s Javelina Stadium for the Air Show Pep Rally, hosted by the college. High school and middle school students will meet the Blue Angels and other performers from 9-10 a.m. and elementary school students will see aerobatic performances over the stadium and witness the US Army parachute team, the Golden Knights, jump into the sta- dium from 10-11 a.m. The two-hour event will feature speakers from the Blue Angels, the US Air Force Viper East team, and the Golden Knights talking about the importance of staying in school and getting an education.

Friday night, the City of Kingsville will host a “Meet the Performers” event at JK Northway Coliseum at Kleberg Park, open to the public free of charge.

Nearly all of the performers – including the Blue Angels – will be on hand to mingle with the crowd, pose for photographs and sign autographs.

Musical entertainment will be provided by the band “Latin Talk.”

After these events, it’s time for the big show, with gates opening at NAS Kingsville at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, with the show starting at about 11:45. Free admission and convenient parking make this a great event for families, and there will be something for everybody this year, including a KidZone for children, food, merchandise and souvenir booths, military recruiting simulators, and more than 30 static aircraft on display.

To see the names and photos of all the performers for this year’s show, visit the air show web site at www.wingsoversouthtexas. org.