Arms reaching out into the sky; laughter throughout the air; and a few flames and explosions at the city’s oldest airport commemorated this year’s 23rd annual Wings Over Houston Airshow at Ellington Field.

Children, young and old, turned out by the tens-of-thousands to the joint-use civil/military airport, this month, to witness the air-spectacular that has become one of Houston’s most anticipated annual events. This year, however, there was more reason to party.

Ellington Field is celebrating its 90th anniversary.

“Every year, it’s a thrill to have the airshow out here,” says Brian Rinehart, manager of the airport. “But this also being the year we are celebrating nine decades of the airport being open, makes it more of a significant event, and we know that the community that has grown up with Ellington Field also feels the same way.”

Members of the Texas Air National Guard’s 147th Fighter Wing, based at the airport, certainly expressed their appreciation. A special 90th anniversary F-16 fighter jet, decorated to commemorate the military unit’s nine decades at the airport, was unveiled at the Wings Over Houston Airshow.

The Canadian Snowbirds, however, delivered the most anticipated performance of the weekend. As soon as they began their aerobatic performance, the crowd was at attention, compensating each choreographed move with a roar of applause and excitement.

Equally impressive was the reenactment of World War II, whose pyrotechnics displays brought thrills to the young. For the adults, it was a stern reminder of the role Ellington Field has played over the years in the nation’s defense efforts.

“There was so much to see and do here,” says Bill Roach, executive director of the airshow. “There’s so much history and so much diversity; it’s just something great for everybody.”

Other acts included the sky team Tora! Tora! Tora!, flight demonstrations from the Texas Air National Guard, the REMAX skydiving team, and even a remote-control operated airplane in the shape of a witch that flew in little early to welcome the Halloween season.