NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ONT. -- After much consideration, the organizers of the Wings and Wheels Niagara Air Show have decided to cancel their 2007 event, scheduled for the weekend of August 25 & 26.

"We are very disappointed to have to cancel this year's show." says airshow organizer Ginger Blythin. She continues, "We had to ground it mainly due to lack of sponsorship support from the business community. A common misconception has been that the air show performers come to the area for free - this simply isn't true. Ever-rising expenses for insurance, lodging, hospitality and other necessities for putting on an event like this is the main reason that we have been forced to cancel."

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds, the CF-18 "Hornet" Demonstration Team, the Canadian Harvard Aerobatic Team and Third Strike Wingwalking were among the acts slated for 2007 at the Niagara District Airport in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

Wings & Wheels Niagara is an annual non-profit community event that has been held in Niagara since 2003. Past performers at the show have included the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, the Canadian Forces Skyhawks Parachute Team, the CF-18 "Hornet" Demonstration Team, Scott Manning in his BD5 MicroJet "Stinger", and precision aerobatics by Rick Volker, Julie Clark, Paul "Pitch" Molnar and Melanie Rader.

As Niagara's only not-for-profit airshow, proceeds from previous Wings & Wheels Niagara events supported community partners such as the local food banks, air cadets and Tender Wishes. This year's show was to have supported the CDS Military Families Fund.

According to air show organizer Neil Blythin, "A show like this simply isn't possible without local community support. Each year this event is run by a dedicated crew of 100% volunteers who contribute their time and expertise to making the show a success."

Not to be deterred, plans are already underway to bring back the show in 2008.

Ray Spiteri's article in the Niagara Falls Review:
(full article available here at http://shrinkster.com/pn3

She's four years removed from a hip replacement.

She needs two canes to get around town.

Nothing, however, was going to stop Edna Manson from casting her online vote for Niagara Falls before the polls closed for the all important competition at midnight, Pacific time Thursday.

The 79-year-old had been yearning to add her name to the list of Cataract City supporters for weeks now, as the Honeymoon Capital has taken CBC's Seven Wonders of Canada contest by storm.

There has been one big hurdle for her to overcome, though. She has no computer.

"I'm going to the (MacBain Community Centre) library to vote right now," said an adamant Manson Thursday afternoon.

"I really wish (the CBC) allowed the public to vote by phone because there are alot of seniors who don't have access to a computer.

"When people talk about a (computer) mouse, I still think of a little mouse running around the place."

Ever since the CBC launched its contest in late April and local teenager Becky Puddicombe made her passionate defence of the falls on CBC Radio One's "Sounds Like Canada" show, the push to assemble the combatants began.

In the last week or so, students have taken home flyers reminding their families to support the city. Banners have gone up everywhere from schools to parks, advertising the link to vote. Even members of the popular online site Facebook.com got involved - creating groups to discuss the merits of Niagara Falls.

But the news for the falls and its backers was not good Thursday evening.

As of 7 p.m., Niagara Falls was trailing a surging Sleeping Giant by nearly 80,000 votes.

Thunder Bay's potential wonder had garnered 155,540 votes, while the falls was positioned at 76,036.

The Bay of Fundy sat in third with 63,798.

Those figures were a far cry from earlier in the week when the falls had been in first place, ahead of the Sleeping Giant by almost 1,000 votes.

Votes cast exceeded more than one million as of Thursday, said CBC spokesman Jeff Keay.

There have been numerous glitches on the website, including difficulties voting and posting a running tally of results.

That was one of the reasons voting was extended from its original deadline of May 25 until midnight Thursday.

The gavel will now be turned over to judges, who will consider the online results and their own knowledge of the country to determine the final seven.

The finalized list is scheduled to be revealed June 7 on "The National" TV news show.

Coun. Jim Diodati, who led the charge from city hall to mobilize support for the falls, said the only aspect of the contest the public had control over was voting and he was pleased by the community's "willingness to take ownership of their city."

In fact, Diodati has been so involved in the contest his e-mail account was recently suspended because of a campaign he initiated, which involved contacting more than 300 people within minutes of one another.

"Cogeco thought I had a trojan or a virus on my computer because there is an apparent limit to how many e-mails you can send out in an hour and I was sending e-mails out like crazy," he said.

"They thought I might be a spammer."

For Ginger Blythin, a local woman who has been making the case on the Internet for Niagara Falls, said when the competition began April 23, she "took it for granted" that Niagara Falls would be a lock as a wonder.

"I thought Niagara Falls would obviously be No. 1 and that it was just a matter of where the other six would fall two through seven.

"I think because of how close the voting has been throughout, it has rallied our community together. It has brought out our pride and we have also seen people from outside Niagara Falls and outside Canada, putting their support behind us as well."

CBC spokesman Jeff Keay said although finishing first in the voting could enhance the possibility of that nomination being chosen as a seven wonder, there are no guarantees.

"As interesting as it has been to watch the votes come streaming in, we can't discount the judges. Voting is only one element of the decision making process."

There won't be an official ranking when the final seven are named either, he added.

"It will be a collection of seven wonders."

Keay said CBC has been "overwhelmed" by the attention the competition has garnered.

"I guess you never know with these sort of things how they will turn out, but this has certainly captivated the minds and hearts of people all over Canada. It's been great to see."

rspiteri@nfreview.com