Bushplane Days celebrates 25th anniversary (5 photos)

The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre celebrated its 25th anniversary of Bushplane Days over the weekend.

The two-day event brought a little over 600 visitors through its doors on opening day, according to marketing and promotions manager Edie Suriano. 

“We’ve had a very successful weekend. I think everybody that has come has enjoyed themselves,” Suriano said. 

This year marks the second year in a row that the widely-popular water bomber demonstration, featuring an appearance by a Canadair CL-415, has been scrapped by the Ontario government.

“It’s a big expense to them, so we were missing the water bomber demonstration. But next year hopefully everything is back to...a little bit better, and we can see that big 415 coming across the sky,” Suriano said. 

Although the COVID-19 pandemic forced Bushplane Days to go virtual last year and scale back its entertainment options this year, Suriano says the demand for a fun, family-friendly experience still exists. 

“People know how much fun it is here. We keep the prices very low so they’re family friendly. They know they’re coming to support the bushplane, a non-profit,” said Suriano. “Some people think we’re government-funded, but we’re not.”