Billboard goes up protesting Blue Angels in Seattle's Seafair Air Show

SEATTLE - Every summer, supersonic fighter jets scream over Seattle for the annual Seafair Torchlight Parade. This year, a group of residents and climate activists have taken their protest against the upcoming Blue Angels air show up a notch.

They are now using a billboard in Seattle to speak out against the show, which has gone up on Rainier Avenue South. 

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The coalition unveiled the billboard this week, and with Seafair weekend coming up in early August, they hope to get the message out before the show.

The flight of the Blue Angels has been a staple during Seafair weekend for many years.

But, a group calling themselves the Air Show Climate Action Coalition says not everyone is charmed by the display in the skies above Seattle.

"We don’t oppose Seafair, we do oppose the continued Boeing-sponsored airshow with the Blue Angels," said Mary Paterson, Volunteer with 350 Seattle and member of the Airshow Climate Action Coalition.

Paterson says the coalition is fighting against the use of the Blue Angels in Seattle due to what they say is the militarization of Seafair along with air, climate and noise pollution.

"The noise they make, which is so thrilling for some, causes hearing damage, especially for children," said Paterson.

"We just dislike the sound, obviously. We are all a little traumatized by it, especially this little guy obviously," said Leon, Air Show Climate Action Coalition member, referencing her dog.

The latest weapon in that war is a billboard.

The group hopes that from its spot on Rainier Ave. S and S Thistle Street, it educates as many people as possible about the plight of some of the residents in the flight path.

"Why would we be spewing so much carbon into the atmosphere during a time of climate crisis? Why would we be stressing our local ecologies?", said Paterson.

 The coalition says so far, thousands have signed a petition, calling for an end to the participation of the Blue Angels in the airshow.

"We want this to be the very last year we see them flying in Seattle," said Paterson. "I think we are upwards of 5,000 participants."

Seafair, in the meantime, is responding to the protest.

"We have met with this group before. We tend to meet with them each year and we listen to their concerns, and we know not everyone loves the Blue Angels as much as we do," said Emily Cantrell, President and CEO of Seafair.

Cantrell says the show is safe.

"What I think a lot of people don’t know is the smoke trails that people comment about, these are actually made with biodegradable paraffin oil, which is safe for the environment," said Cantrell.

Officials with Seafair say they also warn people ahead of time, so those who are noise-sensitive can make plans to leave the area.

"Some people do make arrangements to leave town. That’s why we publish the dates a year in advance, so they can find other accommodations. So, again, we understand that we aren’t for everyone," said Cantrell.

The coalition is undaunted. They have a protest planned for Aug. 2 and they say the billboard will stay up at its current location for at least a month.

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