Air show canceled

due to federal cuts

ESSEX JUNCTION — Organizers have the Wings Over Vermont air show, saying they couldn’t hold the August event after studying the impact of automatic federal spending cuts.

The Vermont National Guard Foundation announced the cancellation Wednesday. The U.S. Air Force Demonstration Team, the Thunderbirds, were scheduled to headline the show.

“The implementation of across-the-board cuts in federal spending has caused the curtailment of the Thunderbirds 2013 show schedule. Effective April 1, all of the team’s performances have been cancelled,” according to the Thunderbirds’ web site.

The foundation noted the Department of Defense directed the Air Force to cancel aviation support to public events for the remainder of the fiscal year.