WOODVILLE – Plans are underway for the coming Fall Fly-In and Food Truck Festival, which is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 25 at the Tyler County Airport.
The Chamber of Commerce is putting on the event, and according to the Chamber’s president Cathy Bennett, keeping the event going was a logical win-win for Tyler County, following the “phenomenal success of our inaugural 2024 festival,” which drew more than 2,000 enthusiastic attendees, according to Bennett.
“Some traveled from Central Texas, Houston and several neighboring counties. We can’t wait to bring everyone together once more,” Bennett said.
Bennett noted that the event would not have been possible without the “amazing” sponsors who contributed, and the Chamber is starting to get sponsorships for this year’s event. Any businesses or individuals who are interested can go to the Chamber’s website and find the application there, along with the different tiers of sponsorships. That website is located at tylercountycoc.com/2025flyin.
“We would love for your business to join the excitement in becoming a sponsor for this year’s event again,” Bennett said.
Like the 2024 event, this one will also feature a range of food trucks, with a variety of fare to satisfy all manner of culinary desires. The Chamber promises even more food truck vendors for October’s event, and for craft vendors, the Chamber is accepting applications starting on Friday, August 15. That information can also be found on the Chamber’s website, at the Fly-In page.
The event, which will start at 9 a.m., will feature aviators showing off their planes, skydiving and other aviation-related fun for the public.
For those who might be wondering what a “fly-in” constitutes, fly-ins at an airport, which are also called aviation meets, are gatherings for pilots, passengers and the general public to, respectively, show off their aircrafts and enjoy a slice of aviation culture in a relaxed, recreational setting.
Fly-ins are different from airshows in that they are not competitive events without air displays. Fly-ins also typically carry the air of a group of friends meeting to socialize, sometimes over a barbecue. This is where the food truck aspect comes into play.
Bennett added that the success of the first Fly-In event was “thanks to a real team effort.”
Alongside the nearly 70 sponsors, which contributed to funding all aspects of producing the event, Bennett said the support of the community was valuable beyond any measure.
Bennett also said that the airport terminal building underwent a complete facelift, under Marshall’s supervision, with the assistance of his secretary, Mary Walters. The Tyler County Development Foundation, and the county, rebuilt it. County worker Burtis Conner put in a lot of help, she said, and once the project was finished, Mann’s Furniture finished off the project by donating some beautiful furniture to make the terminal building something to be proud of.
