STUART, Fla. — The first-ever fundraiser for the Stuart Airshow raised thousands of dollars Friday night to make sure the show can still go on in the future.
The plane crash death of the pilot, Dr. Joseph Masessa, and rough weather in 2019 led to a large financial loss for the show.
“There were a series of just really unfortunate events that transpired in 2019 for the show,” said Airshow Executive Director, Skylar Gorman.
She said they need to raise $100,000 to get back on track.
The fundraiser raised more than $65,000.
Martin County Commissioners have also approved a $150,000 one-time grant for the airshow, which can be used to pay performers and vendors from 2019.
“We still have to pay all the people who came and all the bills we had. So, it was a little troublesome there for a minute,” Gorman said.
The fundraiser will help replenish their financial reserves which were completely depleted, Gorman said. It will also make sure the 2020 airshow is ‘top-notch’, knowing there could be fewer ticket sales with 2019 tickets being honored in 2020.
More than 200 people turned out for the fundraiser. Airshow President Amy Bottegal said the airshow is a staple to the Stuart community, and a tradition many people want to make sure continues.
“It’s been here for 30 years and we just really want to keep it going. That’s important to us,” Bottegal said. CenterState Bank covered the costs of the fundraiser so all proceeds could benefit the airshow.