Residents in St. Thomas will want to keep their eyes on the sky on Saturday.
AirFest, a salute to essential workers who have been on the frontlines throughout the pandemic, will see two dozen planes fly over the city starting at 12:30 p.m.
The air parade was originally scheduled to take place on April 10, but was postponed when the province put a stay-at-home order in place. That order has since been lifted and further pandemic restrictions were loosened on Friday when Stage 1 of Ontario's economic reopening plan took effect.
"Following consultation with the pilots that will be taking part in the fly-bys, it was deemed that our event is a COVID-safe event and will meet all government and public health guidelines," AirFest organizers said in a statement. "Pilots will adhere to all safety protocols and in most cases, they will be flying alone."
The aviation spectacle will open with a tow plane pulling a banner with a special message for essential workers. That will be followed by a variety of different aircraft including a Royal Canadian Air Force CC-130H Hercules, four Harvard planes from the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association, and the T-33 Mako Shark jet.
The free show is intended to be viewed from the comfort of your own yard, a local park, or a patio. The air parade can also be livestreamed with commentary through www.airfest.ca. The public is advised not to attend the St. Thomas Airport for the event, as there are no additional festivities being setup there and no planes will be landing.
The city's annual airshow, which was cancelled this year because of the pandemic, is expected to return next June.