This weekend, the Blue Angels returned to Jacksonville Beach for the Annual Sea and Sky Air Spectacular.

The air show was free to all who could attend, and lasted from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both, Saturday and Sunday. The event boasted several venues for entertainment including live music, street food, and various activities for kids. Visitors of all ages appeared to be having a great time, evidenced in the widespread “Ooohhs” and “Aaaaahhss” dispersed throughout the crowd.

Believe it or not, the Blue Angels travel throughout the country for demos and live shows similar to those in our hometown. The next show is scheduled for November 11-12 in Pensacola, followed with shows stretching from Jones Beach, New York to San Francisco , California. This year, in fact, marks their 70^th anniversary of flying.

For those of you that are aircraft enthusiasts, the Blue Angels fly Boeing F/A-18 Hornets and the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules – planes that can easily fly faster than the speed of sound (Mach 1.7+)!

Despite large spans of beach along the northeast coast for vast amounts of onlookers, the current beach restoration project did make some viewing areas quite cozy. At the time of the Saturday show, the dune restoration machinery was situated just south of Oak Street in Neptune Beach, forcing many residents into a stretch of about three blocks of beach. This only made for a more unified response when a jet flew extra close to theshore – a neighborhood bonding experience, indeed!

Regardless of close quarters, the show proved enjoyable for all in attendance – though I unsure whether the resident dogs of the Beaches area could say the same, as they were heard howling along with the frequent rumbles of the jets.