Rain couldn't keep the Blue Angels away on the final day of the Pensacola Beach Air Show

Not even looming grey clouds could keep the Blue Angels out of the sky during Saturday’s Pensacola Beach Air Show.

Saturday’s show marked the end of Pensacola’s Beach’s annual Red, White and Blues Week.

Although Saturday’s show was cut short due to lightening — which grew severe enough for an emergency alert to be issued urging attendees to take shelter — the crowd “oohed” and “aahed” through the Blue Angels’ signature maneuvers. Even with the long wait to see the brief show, fans didn’t seem to mind.

“The show was awesome. It was not their fault — it’s the weather,” Rosanna Henley said, her bedazzled Blue Angels baseball cap keeping off the rain. “You just never know what to expect, but they put on the best show they could considering the weather.”

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However, some spectators made a little bit longer trip to see the show than Henley, who is a Pensacola local.

Yolanda Wilson made the 10+ hour drive from Texas to see the show with her father, Will Wilson, who has attended 20 Blue Angel Shows since 1995.

Yolanda shared how excited she was not just for the planes, but also for sharing in a long tradition of her father’s. “I heard it’s going to be spectacular,” Yolanda said. “Worth coming out here and dealing with the heat for too.”

Saturday’s heat index rose to 103, and spectators relied on umbrellas, tents, snow cones and air-conditioned spaces around the island to get a sense of relief.

By the show's end at 2:30 p.m., nine people had been transported to the hospital from Pensacola Beach, according to Escambia County spokesperson Andie Gibson. Lifeguards did not need to perform any water rescues, however.

It becomes especially important in high heat to plan ahead, and seasoned air show attendee Becca Calloway has her family's supply list down. When getting to the beach at 10 p.m. the night before the show to set up camp like they did, it’s important to have everything you need to stay hydrated and help pass the time.

These essentials include a tent to mark your territory, water to keep you hydrated, cards to keep you busy, chairs to keep you comfortable and beer to keep you happy. Right along with a wagon to transport it all.

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Calloway said even though they have been coming for the past 10 to 15 years, this year it seemed that the crows were forming a little earlier than in years past.

“We almost ran down here with our tent and found this spot,” Calloway said.

Calloway’s suspicions were confirmed the next morning, as the main parking lot had already filled up by 4:37 a.m. Late arrivals resorted to parking miles away anywhere they could get away with. Resources like the Santa Rosa Island Authority’s free trolley were able to get people closer to the main beach where the festivities were centered.

The traffic was equally as bad at the show’s end, when a car collision brought the Bob Sikes Bridge to a gridlock, slowing traffic on Pensacola Beach for hours.

But what makes the day in the hot sun and heavy traffic worth it? The traditions, the pride, and the Blues. Every time.

“My parents started taking me out here around the early 2000’s, ever since it’s become a ritual,” Michelle Kit said. ““I hope that my kids and grandkids will do the same thing.”

For Kit, it’s about what the Blue Angels represent. “It’s like a big, local, special holiday,” she says. “It’s a combination of the Blues in our community and our beach into one event, two parts of Pensacola which are very unique to it.”

Others find themselves filled with respect and admiration for Pensacola’s hometown heroes, and events like the beach show spark a sense of patriotism.

“Oh the Blues are just, in general, the American pride, man,” said tourist Chris Powell.

Even Orange Beach, Alabama out-of-towner Alexandra Bissell feels the Pensacola connection due to her family’s deep military roots.

Her father was born on NAS Pensacola while her grandfather was stationed there.

Her grandparents, Jane and Melvin Wilucki, met during World War II where she was serving as a flight logger, and he was serving as a flight surgeon.

“He would see if the pilots should be flying and test (them) under stressful situations. It was up to him to give the go ahead − ‘You’re fit to fly and go into combat,’” she said.

The military background also stretches into her husband’s family tree, which is why the fascination with planes bonded them as a couple.

Now, she brings history to life by collecting damaged military planes that are rich with war stories, either to restore them or to create keepsakes, such as dog tags, out of the battered odds and ends.

Her latest find is a 1990’s Blue Angel plane that was damaged mid-flight in a collision in El Centro, California. There were no casualties, but the plane was no longer up to Blue Angel standards. Her family plans to restore the cockpit as a static display.

Being at Saturday’s air show makes their most recent purchase even more special, as she gets to experience the Blues in flight with her daughter, Ava, and son, James.

“We’ve traveled all over the world, and we just really love this country and our military,” Bissell said.

Saturday’s show featured a variety of awe-inspiring performances aside from the headlining Blue Angels, from military and civilian planes that left a big impression.

“The craziest thing about this show is the pilots flying upside down,” New Orleans resident Denzel Herron said. “They did a crazy trick of combining with each other; looking like they were going to crash. That was crazy to see.”

Those watching from the fishing pier like Herron were able to see extra special views, such as the planes flying directly over top of them at lightning speed.

Herron said it’s inspiring to see, especially since he dreams of becoming a pilot one day.

“I want to be a pilot in the future so seeing things like this is amazing. I love it,” he said.

If you missed this summer’s show, the Blue Angels are scheduled to perform in Pensacola again at NAS Pensacola on Nov. 3-4 for the Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show. Until then, check out their full practice schedule here.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Blue Angels Pensacola Beach air show short, but sweet Saturday