Pryor Field Regional Airport was busy Friday making final preparations for this weekend’s, June 10-11, inaugural North Alabama Airfest. The event will celebrate the aviation industry in Alabama and the Tennessee Valley with more than two hours of flying activities for the whole family to enjoy.

“I don’t believe Pryor Field has ever had a dedicated airshow,” Pryor Field Regional Airport Manager Adam Fox said. “We are having this airshow because we are creating jobs and we need to be able to get people aware of the industry, aware of Pryor Field, and aware of the jobs that are coming.”

The North Alabama Airfest would not only be a first for Pryor Field, but the first for North Alabama in over a decade. Organizers are prepared for a crowd similar to Decatur’s Jubilee, which recently saw a crowd of 30,000. With guests already arriving from other countries, Fox is proud to say that the North Alabama Airfest is now an international airshow.

“We are very glad to have this coming back and to have an event that is going to be action packed. We have a jam-packed weekend planned. We are encouraging everybody to bring your chairs, your walking shoes, and come out and enjoy the day,” Fox said

Pryor Field is partnering with David Schultz AirShows, an airshow coordination, operations and event company for the North Alabama Airfest. David Schultz AirShows will coordinate all of the air and ground operations to ensure a safe and fun experience.

Fox is also excited to welcome guests to see Pryor Field so they might better understand its role in the community and economic development.

“Based on our based aircraft and our operations, we are up there as No. 1 or No. 2 in Alabama. We are so unique in the aircraft that we see. We see Boeing 737s, 727s, MD-83s — very large jets. All these huge airplanes that we have coming in [are] supporting huge infrastructures and businesses in North Alabama,” he said.

“We have 57 hangars. People drive by and just see this hangar and this facility, but behind Calhoun, we’ve got just rows and rows and rows of hangars. We have 141 based airplanes, but we have a wait list of 107 that want to move here but we don’t have enough hangar facilities,” Fox said.

Pryor Field has created a master plan, and they have allocated areas for maintenance and overhaul facilities. The airport has also recently signed a contract for a facility that plans on building 170,000 square feet of hangar space and will employee 250 people.

“That’s huge. I have got to get people to the airport to learn about the industry and hopefully go into programs to fill those jobs,” Fox said.

Guests can expect to see the Army’s Silver Wings present the flag and the 2021 Miss United States performing the National Anthem. The Airfest will also feature fly-by demonstrations, vendors, comedy acts, static displays, local food trucks, a kid zone and more. Attendees will also have a chance to have their photo taken with California Tom Cruise (Maverick) and Arizona Ice Man.

“Everyone in the airshow world has said, ‘Hey, you got a great lineup so far for your first airshow.’ We definitely paid to have some of the best come in. We are excited about the lineup. We could possibly grow from here and get bigger and better ones,” Fox said.

The North Alabama Airfest is Saturday and Sunday, June 10-11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets to the air show will be $10 per person, with children younger than 5 able to enjoy the event for free. To purchase tickets, visit flydcu.com/airfest. Tickets are good for both days of the event and parking is free.