BY DAN HILDEBRAN
The Keystone Heights Airport board said it would not allow a lights festival at the airport, even though the promoter had already advertised the celebration and sold tickets.
The October 19 Lights Festival would have featured the release of up to thousands of sky lanterns illuminated by Tiki torches.
Airport Board Chair David Kirkland told the board that he first heard about the festival through a social media post from a neighborhood group. He added that no one from the airport had previously heard about the event.
Kirkland said that the event organizer has never produced his lights festival at an airport but mostly at fairgrounds.
“One of my biggest concerns is that the rice paper is nonflammable on the lantern, but there is a small flame with a fuel source,” he said.
“It’s an incendiary device,” added Vice Chair Scott Fryar.
“Obviously, we don’t want any lanterns floating over our fuel farm,” the board chair said.
Kirkland also said the lanterns can float up to 900 feet, but the airport’s airspace starts at 700 feet.
Fryar faulted an airport tenant, the Florida International Rally and Motorsport Park, for agreeing to host the event without timely completing the required event application.
Airport Manager Craig Coon said he received the application earlier in the day.
“The F.I.R.M. (has handled) many different groups over the years,” Fryar said. “The Krawlin’ for the Fallen has become a great event. I think last year they had over 900 Jeeps, but they are benefiting from (the lights festival) financially, and I think they should know better,”
Fryar told Coon, “They should have, before they even approved this group putting out advertising, they should have filled out an application or, at the very least, picked up the phone and called you.”
Fryar added that the airport’s event application ensures promoters obtain adequate liability insurance and arrange for law enforcement and fire rescue if needed.
After the meeting, Kirkland said the event organizer promoted the festival as a Jacksonville event. He added that he put the promoter in contact with Clay County Tourism Director Kimberly Morgan to find an alternative site for the festival.
