La Crosse airshow cancelled, despite Thunderbirds being booked

Road construction projects force Deke Slayton Airfest to cancel

There won’t be an airshow in La Crosse again this summer.

Interstate 90 construction cancelled the Deke Slayton Airfest last year, and it looks like it will again this year.

The Air Force’s Thunderbirds had been invited to join the show. Last year, they were scheduled to perform and, of course, did not.

The airshow may not happen next year, either. The show only goes on if it can feature a precision-flying group – like the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels.

Airfest organizers wrote on Facebook, “There is a very slim chance that the Thunderbirds schedule could change in our favor in 2017, we have asked for them to come in August 2017. But if that doesn’t work, our request for a 2018 show is our first opportunity to get them back in La Crosse.”

Two years ago, the Blue Angels performed