An all new festival celebrating the heritage of Nestor Falls will kick off this Labour Day weekend.
Starting on Saturday, the Nestor Falls Wings and Wheels Festival will kick off a weekend filled with planes and automobiles, fun and food.
One of the highlights of the weekend will be the offer of sightseeing tours from planes, food vendors and games on Saturday, and a car show, live music and fireworks on Sunday. A beer garden will be offered both days.
According to community member Mike Gate, Nestor Falls has been a long-time hub for the float plane industry.
“The airplanes have been kind of a staple of the town for many years,” Gate said. “So that’s what we’re trying to capture. People can have a look at the airplanes and get sightseeing trips and see the planes in action.”
Gate said a group of people in the area got together to create the event.
“A local group of younger people wanted to kind of embrace the history of the airplane in the area,” Gate said. “It employs a lot of people in town and they just wanted to have a fun get together. People don’t really get a chance to be exposed to airplanes much. To be able to go look around and see how they work, go for a ride, get the whole experience in.”
People interested in booking a sightseeing tour by plane can contact nestorfallswingsandwheels@gmail.com. The tours are $100 per person and have availability between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday. The tours will take a predetermined route that lasts about 20 minutes, and passengers can pay for their flight in cash to their pilots.
Sunday will primarily feature the car show at the Nestor Falls Airport. Car owners wishing to register can also do so by email, the cost is $5 and can also be done on site on Sunday. Gate says they’re hoping to see cars from all over the area.
“There’s quite a few coming from the Fort Frances area, as well as Dryden and Kenora,” Gate said. “It’ll be cool cars as well as a bunch of airplanes. So, we’re hoping it’s going to be a good weekend.”
The event’s Facebook page has more details of events throughout the weekend including other activities like a photo scavenger hunt.