Wings & Wheels Festival to Return in 2022 Revamped

East Wenatchee's Wings & Wheels Festival is canceled for 2021, but the city is planning for the festival to return from its two year hiatus in 2022 revamped. The city is preparing to revamp the festival to better fit the original purpose of highlighting Miss. Veedol and the first nonstop flight across the Pacific Ocean.

"Our goal is to put the focus of this new revamped event back on Miss. Veedol," said Elmes. "Wings and Wheels didn't have an airplane component. We want to tell the Miss. Veedol story and make it an interactive, cultural experience for our community."

The city used the pause in 2020 events as an opportunity to evaluate festivals and events to determine if the happenings were meeting goals. The Wings and Wheels festival performance fell short of meeting two of the three goals.

"It came to our attention Wings and Wheels wasn't performing and meeting the goals that were set when the event originally started," said Trina Elmes, events director. "Wings and Wheels was originally created to bring awareness to Miss. Veedol...and bring our community together to celebrate that and also hoping that it would become a tourist destination."

The city has had meetings with several community partners invested in Miss. Veedol's story to start the process.