Lynchburg Regional Air Show

Lynchburg, VA

May 20-May 22, 2011

“VIP!”

Dearest Doll fans,

  After a rousing show for the seniors at Summit, NJ, we dropped Shannon off at the train station and continued to Virginia for our first airshow of the 2011 season. I had imagined seven hours in the car would be a bit draining but we passed the time with singing and games like cow graveyard. For you Yankees reading this, cow graveyard is when you count the cows on your side of the car to compete with the other side but if you pass a graveyard you lose all your cows and start again. I have never seen so many cows in my life. As we got deeper into the South, we were welcomed by nature. Even the trees were oozing with Southern Hospitality. After a year and a half as a Doll, I imagined I wouldn’t have quite so many jaw-dropping moments but today I drove through a mountain for the first time.

  I have barely even been on a mountain much less driven through one. The road went around and sideways, surrounded by streams, dams, railroad track and wilderness. Sometime long ago, someone cut that road out so we could get places more quickly; just so we could get from one side of a mountain to another without hitching a ride from the Vonn Trapps. We opened the windows for a breath of this “mountain air” I’ve heard so much about. Good God it was beautiful! Mountain air smells nothing like a homeless person! It’s actually better.

  As we got closer, we turned up the radio and rocked out to “Don’t Stop Believing.” As if on cue, we saw fireworks up ahead. We were having way too much fun before we even arrived. Once we got there, it was straight to the stage. Fifteen minutes later we were having a “chat n chew” with the Blue Angels crew. This naturally led to a dance off. Naturally. Molly showed off her best hip hop, we taught James some “Beat It” and then he and Sarah ran around the corner for a proper rehearsal. They returned with a very impressive rendition of “Ice Ice Baby,” complete with those push up things from the music video.

By the way…still wearing our red dresses for all this.

  Saturday May 21, 2011: We wake up to the greatest hotel breakfast ever. I mean they had made to order eggs, waffles and, wait for it, grits. I love the South. As we pull up to the airport, traffic guards are checking credentials. We have absolutely nothing to show them so we explain that we are singing and they wave us through. That seems to be enough. Next guard, same deal. “Singing,” seems to be the magic word so when we get to the parking area, we again tell the guard, “we’re singing,” and he says in a gentle Southern lilt, “well you just park right here then,” and without taking a breath, barks in his deepest military voice, “VIP!”

  First stop was a vintage fashion show. We sang a little “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” as a teaser but everyone knew the real stars were the two kids in flight gear.

  A golf cart magically transported us to the VIP tent with the good barbeque. It’s my lucky day because they have pulled pork AND brisket. Meat on meat sandwiches next to cheesy potatoes, cole slaw, beans, all accompanied by sweet tea and apple cobbler. Enter the Flying Circus. Their show is basically a highly entertaining comedy routine done in the air.

 

  They have a German villain, a doctor, a buffoon, a hero pilot, and a legit wing walker. The buffoon falls out of the plane, gets bombed, runs to safety in the outhouse and is then discovered with his pants down as the walls fall around him. As soon as Molly found out the original wing walkers were Follies girls, she wanted to start her training.

  At 3:00 we headed back to the VIP BBQ tent to watch the Blue Angles display. A couple of Navy boys dressed in their finest white brought us earplugs. They just managed to capture video of our reactions to the sneak attack. The sneak attack is when plane 5 suddenly swoops in from behind your head. It looks like a giant bug flew in all our faces. I may or may not have screamed a bit. After the show, we trot on down to the tarmac to meet the pilots looking for a gap in the fence. Apparently the Blue Angels are so high profile and the event is so well attended that only those up for joining the Navy are admitted to the planes to take a photo with the team. Our sailor friends bring us over the netting and give us fake assignments. None of us are thrilled about the potential disaster of lying to a Naval officer. Luckily our friends from the dance off the night before bring us an official looking paper. “What’s that?”

“You don’t have to lie anymore.”

“Oh good. Why?”

“We’re making honest women out of you.”

  I hope this doesn’t mean we have to join the Navy now because if so, I’m already in trouble for going AWOL. It’s finally our turn for a photo. We were escorted in and out of their formation so quickly I felt like I was meeting Mickey Mouse at the Magic Kingdom.

  Enough play, time to work. At 5:00 we head over to the hangar for sound check. Shout out to Devon, bestest sound guy! Halfway through our show, we head back to change our dresses while the Blue Angels have an awards ceremony which brought about a larger crowd for our second act! Thanks to Travis from the Black Daggers for a lovely dance.

  Side note, the Black Daggers and All American Freefall were there for the parachute demo. They don’t exactly fly the planes…they jump out…with colored smoke spouting from their heels. Really?

  After our show, the Blue Angel crew and our parachuting friends head up to the stage to express their compliments. Meaning, before we had a chance to step off the stage, they headed up to meet us. As we were busy getting as many handsome men in photos as possible, I noticed the volunteers cleaning up the food. I may love a man in uniform but when it comes down to it, they had lasagna and I have priorities. I dashed away and made up three plates while the other girls finished with the boys. Did I mention the brownies?

  The after party was conveniently held at the hotel bar. Two slow southern bartenders were inundated with about twenty pilots, thirty crewmen, ten jumpers and three dolls. I love these numbers. Crewman Chris pointed over to a very tall man standing just a few feet away from me and said, “That’s the pilot from plane 5.” Oh really?! I begin to edge my way over and he says, “Go ahead. We’re not offended and we’ll still be here when you’re done.” I said about two words past hello to the pilot who was very professional and simply took a compliment with impeccable manners. I turn back to Chris and Sam and Chris says, “you coming back to Earth now?”

Dear Blue Angel crewmen, you are not Earth. You are not Earth at all.

  Sunday May 22, 2011: The world did not end yesterday. Now that we have that out of the way, after more divine grits at the hotel, we arrive at the airshow early because John from the Flying Circus has promised to take us up in his plane! Molly goes first. It is her first show as a Doll after all. I go up next thanks to rock paper scissors. I point to the ground at some strange looking terrain, “what’s that?”
  “A rock quarry.” Like the Flinstones? By the time we get down, the weather has turned so Sarah doesn’t get a chance to go up but she does get some awesome shots playing Amelia Earhart.

  The show is kicked off by a recording of the National Anthem accompanied by a dual jump from All American Freefall and the Black Daggers releasing the American Flag midair. I wouldn’t have missed that for anything. Once they touch ground we head over to meet the helicopter crew and then decide it’s time to drape ourselves over a few antique cars. Last stop, Black Dagger territory. I pretend I’m jumping out of their plane and I finally feel like the photo shoot is complete. Then and only then do I allow myself a corn dog. And maybe a root beer float. We play cow graveyard on the way home.  Apparently the Black Daggers play that from their plane. I heard this and I can’t help but wonder how do they see the cows from way up there in the sky?

Until we sing again,

Annemarie Rosano

Manhattan Doll