Westmoreland Airshow a family affair for Latrobe locals, visitors

Lisa Hartman wasn’t always a fan of the Shop ‘n Save Westmoreland Airshow.

As a child, she would visit the air show with her dad, but “hated it,” she said.

When her own daughter Olivia got involved with Air Force Junior ROTC in high school back in 2016, she gave it a second try, and ended up falling in love with the excitement. Now, the Gibsonia family come to see the show every year.

“Now, I’m like, god, I was stupid when I was little,” she said. “My dad is laughing, (and saying) ‘I told you!’ ”

Olivia graduated high school in 2020. Though she did not continue with ROTC after that, she maintains a love of aviation and supporting the Air Force.

“I don’t think this is something I would be interested in either if I hadn’t done that,” Olivia said. “I think all of the acrobatics is really cool, and the different maneuvers they do.”

“She can go through here and identify all of these planes,” Lisa said. “I learn a lot from her.”

The Hartmans were among scores of excited visitors to the air show on Sunday, many of whom came with multiple generations of family members. Following a record 30,000 visitor total on Saturday, Sunday’s show again brought a packed crowd.

Carlo Garbeglio, Renee Garbeglio, and their son, all of Latrobe, watched the aerobatics performance from the VIP section. The trip to the air show is already a family tradition, they said, but this year, it’s a Father’s Day treat.

“We’re local in Latrobe, so we like to support the community, and come on out,” Renee said. “It’s just always a really nice time to see the jets that come in. It’s very exciting.”

“I like the noise, the jets, the weather when it’s nice, and being outside,” Carlo said.

Not all visitors were regular attendees to the show. Irwin residents Jeff and Michelle Mook and son Logan, 13, came to the show for the first time Sunday. They had just moved back to the area from Columbus, Ohio.

“We saw it online, and we decided to come out,” said Michelle. “Yesterday, we were thinking about coming, but the traffic was so backed up by the time we were thinking about coming out. We decided to come today and come really early.”

The family was ready by at 9 a.m. right when the gates opened.

At one ground station, Roman Graziani, 3, was thrilled to get his photo taken in a F/A-18 Hornet.

“He loves airplanes, and he loves Top Gun for sure,” said Ashley Aversa, his mother.

Their family lives close to the Pittsburgh airport, in Imperial, and it was their first time coming to the air show in Latrobe.

This year was also first visit to the show for Tyler Kelly, 5, though his father Brandon Kelly can remember visiting the air show years ago with his own dad. All three generations were there to see the Thunderbirds and other performers on Sunday.

As one of the aerobatics pilots turned in a spinning maneuver, Tyler had his eyes glued to the skies.

“I can’t tell what side is the top or bottom, because it’s going too fast!” he said.

“It seemed like a really good thing to do (for) Father’s Day,” said Brandon, of Wheeling, who credits his childhood trips to the air show in the ’90s with sparking a lifelong interest in aviation. He now works with the Air National Guard at the Pittsburgh Airport.

“(Tyler) is at about the right age to get started, and I think all the stars aligned to just come out here and have a great day,” Kelly said. “It’s great to be back home, and to be able to do stuff like this.”