Top photo: Pilot Shawn Bagley takes videographer Tanner Browning cruising through the Rexburg skies as Browning films footage for an episode of “The American Dream.” | Lucas Spaulding, EastIdahoNews.com

By Emily Miller

REXBURG — The skies above Rexburg will be abuzz Saturday as the Legacy Flight Museum Air Show sends vintage aircraft up, up and away in a nostalgic spectacle to honor America’s military veterans.

“Thunder Over Rexburg” goes from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Rexburg Madison County Airport at 296 Airport Road.

The event is free, and is a fantastic opportunity for aviation enthusiasts of all ages to get up close to the historic aircraft and their distinguished pilots. The show is a tradition in Rexburg that draws thousands of spectators — some from nearby and some who jet in for the occasion.

Air show director Kevin Lee says the event, which has been happening for about 20 years, takes about a year to plan.

“It’s an absolute gift to the community,” Lee says. “People love it. It gets busier every year. It’s a small town, but it’s a big show.”One of the highlights of Saturday’s air show will be the Vietnam War-era DeHavilland Caribou, the oldest existing one in the world. | Lucas Spaulding, EastIdahoNews.com

One of the highlights, Lee says, will be the large Vietnam War-era DeHavilland Caribou (known affectionately as “Boo”), which is the oldest existing Caribou in the world today. It was one of the original prototypes. It’s a larger military aircraft meant to transport supplies, vehicles and soldiers.

The show will also feature many military training and fighter aircrafts, including the Bell P-63 Kingcobra, a World War II-era aircraft that is one of only three remaining, and a couple P51 Mustangs, including the “Mormon Mustang,” which is a replica of celebrated U.S. Air Force General Roland Wright’s fighter plane. Lee says the Mustang is his favorite to fly.

“It is the ultimate warbird,” he says. “It’s fast, sleek, and smooth.”The “Mormon Mustang” featured in Saturday’s show is a replica of celebrated U.S. Air Force General Roland Wright’s fighter plane. | Lucas Spaulding, EastIdahoNews.com

Saturday’s air show will feature local pilots, including the show’s founder John Bagley, and a few out-of-state performers, including Bob Freeman who hails from Colorado; Yellow Thunder, the aerobatic team of brothers David Watson and Drew Watson from Alberta, Canada; and Danny Sorensen, an aerobatic pilot coming from Bountiful, Utah. It will be the Watsons’ and Freeman’s first times performing at the Rexburg show.

“They bring some neat things that you wouldn’t normally see,” Lee says. “It’s pretty spectacular.”

Lee says spectators should bring their own chairs, shade, and water, and are welcome to start setting up at the airport grounds at 8 a.m. Parking will be available west of the airport and on the west side of U.S. Highway 20. Lee says spectators will not be allowed on the golf course or at the Rexburg Nature Park.

The Legacy Flight Museum is unique, Lee says, with most of the vintage aircraft housed at the facility in working order.

“It’s a rare thing to have that many planes from a museum that actually fly,” he says.

The museum and the air show are made possible by donations from those who enjoy and believe in the organization’s mission to honor American veterans.

“It’s what keeps this thing alive,” he says.

Museum manager Jim Dorcheus says there will be donation buckets available in the museum, and, with a smile, he says that people are welcome to “just throw hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of dollars in there.”

Rexburg City Clerk Deborah Lovejoy says donations can also be made on the phone or in person at Rexburg City Hall.

Bagley is proud of the work the Legacy Flight Museum has done to preserve the aircraft and honor veterans.

“It’s very unusual for a city the size of Rexburg to have a museum of this magnitude,” he says. “We do it for the veterans. These planes changed World War II.