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Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
Mohammad Samra

Chicago Air and Water Show takes flight

A member of the U.S. Army Golden Knights glides with a parachute in the air after jumping from a plane during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)

The roar of an engine caused the pavement on the Lakefront Trail to vibrate. 

A young boy covered his ears as a soaring jet tore by. 

The crowd roared and applauded as a team of fighter jets twirled in unison and fanned out, creating a giant heart made of white smoke trails along the skyline. 

The city’s latest rite of late-summer aerial passage took flight Saturday morning near North Avenue Beach, as thousands gathered for the Chicago Air and Water Show’s second full-scale spectacle in as many years. 

The Triple Time Team performs during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)

The show ran Saturday until 3 p.m. along the lakefront from Fullerton to Oak Street with North Avenue Beach as a focal point. 

Families crowded the lakefront from Fullerton to Oak Street, pointing skyward with every crack, roar and boom of a jet engine. 

Attendees look up at a plane during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)

At the beach, children were playing in Lake Michigan as show spectators were sprawled out on towels, in tents and underneath umbrellas. 

One child buried his body in sand while others were tossing around a football. As the children played, planes from the show’s lineup continued to twirl, bob and weave across the sky. 

A kid’s ears are covered while the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)

Anoosh Varda watched on as his son looked at a plane twirling in the sky through binoculars. Varda’s son then passed the binoculars to Varda as he caught his own glimpse of the swirling plane. 

“The time I spend with my son is priceless,” Varda, 34, told the Sun-Times. 

The family made a roughly hour-long trip from Barrington to experience their first show. 

Families at the beach doused themselves in sunscreen and held umbrellas as a source of shade on a sunny day. 

The U.S. Navy Rhino Demo Team (right) performs while an FG-1D Corsair (left) flies during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)

David F., 35, carried his 2-year-old son — only sporting a cap and diaper — as he pointed out a plane flying over Lake Michigan. 

Saturday was the first time they attended the show and David was looking forward to showing his son different planes as he played in the sand. 

During the show, an announcement over the speakers notified beachgoers that a 4-year-old boy was missing. When a followup announcement said the boy had been reunited with his family, a section of the beach erupted into cheers.

Andrew Moore, who said he took a day off work to bring his son Andrew Moore, Jr., 9, who loves plane watching near O’Hare Airport, covers his son’s ears during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)

Pat Hollon, 55, looked forward to seeing the Blue Angels during the show. He first attended in 2021 and told the Sun-Times the event was “a sign that society was opening back up.” 

The show was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic and was presented in 2021 in a distinctly scaled-back, hourlong presentation by the Navy Blue Angels.

Hollon, like many at the beach, was in attendance with his family.

“Whenever you can enjoy an experience with family members, it makes it more enjoyable.”

A member of the Chicago Fire Department jumps off a helicopter and into Lake Michigan during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)

The United States Air Force Thunderbirds and U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights provided the headlining showcases, as usual. 

Four Thunderbird jets flew in unison as Macklemore and Skylar Grey’s “Glorious” blared over the intercom. 

A member of the U.S. Army Golden Knights glides with a parachute in the air after jumping from a plane during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)

Two of the jets created a “mirror image” with one plane flying in tandem with another flipped below it, sailing across the sky in the same direction. 

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)

Another stunt saw two of the jets zooming toward each other at over 1,000 mph before dodging out of each other’s way at close proximity. 

The Air and Water Show dates back to 1959, when it only had a budget of $88, according to an official website for Chicago. 

The planes and boats return to the lakefront Sunday from 10:30 a.m. till 3 p.m.

A lifeguard monitors swimmers while a plane flies in the air during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)
Beach goers swim in Lake Michigan during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)
Susan Dacy performs during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)
The U.S. Navy Rhino Demo Team performs during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)
Burton Kopulski watches a plane through his binoculars during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)
Kevin Coleman flies upside down during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)
A lifeguard screams at crowds blocking the path during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)
Members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights land after jumping from a plane during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)
A bird flies in the smoke trail behind a plane during the Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)
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