This year was the fifth Aviation Roundup at Minden-Tahoe Airport, an air show meant to wow the crowd with acrobatic stunts.
The event is run by sponsors and volunteers, so they usually host the event every other year. They hosted the roundup last year and were going to take this year off before a famous jet team mentioned they wanted to fly this year.
"We try to do every other year just so we don't overburden the community," Aviation Roundup Director and Manager of Minden-Tahoe Airport Bobbi Thompson says. "But the Blue Angels said, 'no we'd really like to be there in 2018.' So after a couple conversations, we said, 'ok, we'll make it happen.'"
Thompson says they've hosted the Thunderbirds a few times, but this is the first time they've had the chance to host the Blue Angels.
"This is the fourth year we've had a jet team," Thompson says. "We're very honored to do that we are actually the smallest community by very large numbers that they've ever performed in. And they really like it because they can interact with a crowd so much more than a regular show."
Thompson says they've seen a lot of growth over the years, considering how small Minden is, and the fact that some people hardly understood the concept when the show started less than 10 years ago.
"Yesterday we were just short of 28,000 [attendees,]" Thompson says. "Which since Minden's 3,000 that's not too bad. We actually sold tickets in 10 different states."
It's too early to tell what's in store for the next Aviation Roundup, but Thompson says it won't be until 2020.
