- April 26, 2024
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Flagler Broadcasting and the city of Palm Coast have agreed to discontinue their partnership with Rock ’n’ Rib Fest.
And so, the event will no longer be held at Town Center under the auspices of the city; instead, this year, the Flagler County Airport will host a concert in conjunction with another returning event, April 25 and April 26: Blue Sky Yakrobatics’ Wings Over Flagler.
“Rock ’n’ Rib Fest ran its course,” said David Ayres, general manager of the radio station. “It brought the community together and was the biggest party of the year, but now the city is going their way with their events, and we’re going our way. ... We have amicably dissolved our relationship with the city of Palm Coast in putting on events.”
The new event will be called Wings Over Flagler: Rock the Runways. Bill and Kim Mills, who recently moved their business, Technology By Design, from Alabama to the Flagler County Airport, also hosted Wings Over Flagler in years past. Last year, the event was canceled.
“We are thrilled that it will be coming back,” Bill Mills said on “Free For All Friday,” Feb. 21. He added that a portion of the proceeds will benefit a scholarship foundation in honor of William “Wild Bill” Walker, who was killed in a crash at the 2011 Wings Over Flagler event. Ayers said a portion of the radio’s proceeds will benefit Flagler Adult and Community Education.
County Commissioner Nate McLaughlin said, “The county’s role is as a sponsor by providing the assets of the airport. We’re just real excited that Bill Mills was able to team up with David Ayres and WNZF to resurrect Wings Over Flagler, and to bring in not only the warbirds and the vintage planes, but to also combine that with a music festival and to provide two nights of entertainment, and we’re excited about that.
“We believe that this will be a great event for our community. We anticipate it to be well attended. We hope we can continue this in the coming years.”
Ayres noted that Blue Sky Yakrobatics was involved in Rock’n’ Rib fest in the past. “At sunset, you did a flyover,” he said on the air while speaking with Bill Mills. “One person looks up and points, and then a thousand people are pointing. It gave you goose bumps.”
Mills said he is planning an even bigger flyover this year, from four planes to eight or 12.
“It’s going to be the biggest event ever in Flagler County,” Ayres said.
Seafood Festival canceled
Ayres also learned recently of a Feb. 6 memo in which the city explains that it will no longer partner with the radio station for the annual Seafood Festival at Town Center.
“We are currently evaluating all of our special events and deciding which ones are the best fit for Palm Coast,” Palm Coast Parks and Recreation Director Luciana Santangelo wrote. “Then we will invest in those events to make them as high quality as possible.”
The city plans to move the International Food and Wine Festival to October, Santangelo wrote.
“Because the decision to discontinue Rock’n’ Rib was made just this week, there simply isn’t enough time to plan an alternate major event by April,” she continued. “So we will skip it this year. We are in the early stages of planning an exciting new event — that would likely be held each February — so stay tuned for details!”
The city holds 75 events year-round. The next major city-sponsored event is the Arbor Day Celebration on May 3.
