Board weighs future of Truckee family festival and air show amid costs, staffing and emissions concerns

The Truckee Tahoe Airport District board spent an extended portion of its meeting debating the future of the airport's family festival and air show, a long-running community event that combines hands-on STEM activities with aerial demonstrations. Supporters described community benefits and youth outreach; some directors raised questions about cost, staff time, liability and greenhouse-gas emissions.

Air-show advocates framed the event as an outreach and education platform that showcases public-safety partners and provides hands-on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, environmental, art and mathematics) activities for children. "When you think about STEM, that's hands-on STEM activity," air-show committee chairman Dave Love told the board. He said volunteers and nonprofit partners bring public-safety participants such as Cal Fire and CHP onto the ramp, and that the event gives residents a chance to see services that rely on the airport.

Civil Air Patrol aerospace education officer Ken Aronson said the air show "allows us to show off to our community who we are and what we do" and noted cadet participation and hands-on flight-simulator activities that expose youth to aerospace careers.

Supporters and committee members emphasized the volunteer base and charitable benefits:…