A private event at the Allen County Regional Airport over the weekend generated more than $33,600 in revenue for the county and businesses.
The airport sold $27,507.94 in fuel for the weekend fly-in that brought more than 30 historic war-era planes and helicopters, Public Works Director Mitch Garner said.
“While the events were not county-sponsored, we benefited greatly,” he said.
That’s an encouraging sign, as county officials are investing heavily into airport improvements.
The fly-in was organized by aviation enthusiast Vince Hill of Bucyrus.
Robert Rice of Topeka and with the American Flight Museum also brought some of his planes down for the event, as he hopes to relocate the museum to Iola at some point and host similar activities.
A separate event coincided with the fly-in on Saturday. The Op1Vet organization presented an all-terrain wheelchair to a disabled veteran from the 891st Engineer Battalion. That ceremony also attracted a large crowd to the airport and included a drawing for prizes of a gun and a camping adventure.
In addition to fuel sales, the airport also sold $100 in product from its pop machine.
Motels in Iola reported about $5,200 in revenue from fly-in attendees and grocery stores reported additional food sales of at least $500, Garner said.
Two food trucks — Roco’s and Papa Rob’s Eats — were on hand and ran out of food. They did not report revenue estimates.
