HOLYOKE — PeoplesBank has joined Big Y as a sponsor of the 2018 Great New England Air & Space Show, specifically by underwriting the appearance of Team Fastrax, a professional skydiving parachute demonstration team.
“This was a unique opportunity for us to honor those who served or are serving, as well as area veterans and active military personnel,” said Thomas Senecal, president and CEO of PeoplesBank. “It also is an investment in economic development, as the Air & Space Show brings thousands of people here, and it has an overall $15 million economic impact on the region.”
Team Fastrax has performed thousands of exhibition skydives at entertainment venues as far away as Moscow, Russia, and Normandy, France. Approved to jump in highly restricted airspace, it is the only parachute demo team to have performed over Ground Zero (on 9/11), the Pentagon, Independence Hall, and the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
To sponsor Team Fastrax, PeoplesBank worked with the Galaxy Community Council, a nonprofit that supports Westover and assists with putting on events like the air show.
The 2018 Great New England Air & Space Show will be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 14-15, and gates will open at 8 a.m. Shows are expected to start at 10 a.m. Attendance and parking are free.
