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Pistons and Props organizers describe growth, veterans and STEAM education goals for July event
Summary
Organizers of the Pistons and Props air-and-community festival briefed the county board on event outcomes from 2024 and plans for expansion in 2025 and 2026, including veterans'rides, a larger STEAM/career day for students, hot-air balloons and the 2026 air-show planning timeline.
Organizers of the Pistons and Props event presented to the Rock County Board on March 13, reporting attendance figures from the 2024 launch and describing plans for expansion in 2025 and future air-show ambitions for 2026.
Joshua Gowey, president of nonprofit Propel Forward and event director, told supervisors the 2024 Pistons and Props drew about 2,500 people, 500 children through the educational area, about 230 cars in a car show, more than 100 volunteers and an estimated local economic impact of roughly $250,000. He said the event provided some free or sponsored rides for veterans and partnered with local nonprofits, including ECHO of Janesville.
For 2025, Gowey said organizers plan a "Salute to Our Vets" night (Friday, July 18) with discounted and sponsored rides on a B-29 Superfortress for local veterans, tethered hot-air-balloon experiences, live music, a motorcycle group and fireworks. Saturday, July 19 will expand the family and STEAM-focused day, with an educational area scaled to handle about 1,000 children and additional partners including local schools and Blackhawk Technical College.
Gowey said organizers plan a STEAM/career-day trial on April 29 to engage middle-school students and local employers, with an eye toward scaling in 2026 and 2027. He described ongoing collaboration with the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport and the airport board and said the nonprofit is seeking county support as the event scales. Organizers are pursuing marketing outside Rock County: Gowey said the event area includes nearly one million people within a 45-minute drive and that organizers were planning more than 1 million marketing impressions in 2025.
Supervisors praised the event's community and veteran engagement and noted the value of such events to local tourism and quality of life. The presentation did not result in a formal county appropriation on the meeting record; organizers asked for general county support going forward and said details would be shared as plans firmed up.
