Record air show crowd brings extra traffic, dollars to Latrobe area

Officials say this past weekend’s Shop ‘n Save Westmoreland Airshow attracted a record crowd of about 100,000 in and around Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity, and that was a good thing for many local businesses.

With the influx of visitors during the two-day show, business at the Valley Dairy Restaurant nearby on Route 30 was up by 30% or more compared to a normal weekend, shift supervisor Riley Hofmann said.

“We definitely did get a good amount of business from the air show,” she said.

The story was the same at Sharky’s Cafe and The Pier, another Route 30 eatery located even closer to the airport.

Manager Jake Huemme said the restaurant and sports bar experienced an increase in customer traffic comparable to what it enjoys when the Steelers are in town for summer training camp, just down the road at Saint Vincent College. Restaurant management has estimated the boost it gets from the Black and Gold camp crowd at between 30% and 40%.

“It was a great weekend,” Huemme said of this year’s air show dates. “We get pretty busy each year for it.”

Though they don’t have the same close-up view enjoyed by those who purchase a ticket to enter the air show grounds, he said, “a lot of people like to sit out on The Pier and watch the show.”

The Westmoreland County Airport Authority, which operates the airport and hosts the air show, hasn’t attempted to quantify the event’s economic impact to a specific number.

“There has to be millions in economic impact to the region, when you start to add it up,” authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo said.

He said this year’s show resulted in about 500 combined overnight room bookings at area hotels, in addition to “the food the people buy and the money the vendors make at the air show.”

From the authority’s perspective, Monzo said, “the air show isn’t about making money. It’s about putting Westmoreland County’s best foot forward. We’re basking in some of the glory of a successful show.”

“There was definitely a lot of money getting infused into the community by all the visitors,” said Briana Tomack, president of the Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce.

This year, outside food vendors were able to set up stands at the air show — joining DeNunzio’s Italian Chop House, which leases restaurant space in the airport terminal.

Of the roughly 100 vendors at the show, “Everybody seemed to do well,” said Rocco Lamanna, the vending consultant for the event.

The weather was a primary factor in the show’s success, Lamanna said, with rain staying away and temperatures hovering in the 70s.

“It was perfect weather for the show and perfect for the food vendors,” he said. “The lemonade vendor’s ice machine couldn’t keep up, but that’s a good problem to have.”

“It’s not about the competition (with other vendors), it’s about the weather,” chop house owner Ron DeNunzio said of the success of his restaurant’s outdoor food stand at the air show. “We hold our own because we’re the tenant at the airport, and I think people are appreciative of that fact. There’s a lot of loyalty there from our customers.”

He said business at the outdoor stand dropped off some from Saturday to Sunday, but added, “We were extremely busy in-house.”

Sunday, the final day of the air show, coincided with Father’s Day, when DeNunzio’s offered a buffet to those dining in at its airport restaurant.

“On Saturday, we weren’t so busy inside,” said the restaurant manager, Anthony M. DeNunzio II. “People wanted to be outside to see everything. On Sunday, we definitely had more activity inside.”

The first day of the air show happened to coincide with nearby Latrobe’s inaugural downtown flea market event , dubbed “The Neighborhood Flea In The Streets.” Organized by merchant Emily Pasqualino, who also spearheads the town’s monthly Shop Hop nights, the event attracted about 10 vendors in one block of Ligonier Street.

Pasqualino doesn’t believe the air show had a great impact on the number of people browsing the flea market. But she said it may have limited the number of vendors who participated, as some people in town were busy planning parties to coincide with the air show.

“We had people coming until about 1 o’clock and then it tapered off,” she said. “We definitely want to do it again, at least annually, but not on an air show day.”

County public safety officials said there were no major emergency incidents associated with the air show. While there were some expected backups around the airport, Unity Supervisor Mike O’Barto heard no reports of major traffic problems.

“Traffic was heavy, but people were able to navigate around the airport,” O’Barto said. “We can put up with that for a couple of days with the type of impact the air show brings to our community.”