Though Super Bowl 60 will take place Feb. 7 in Santa Clara, Watsonville will roll out its own red carpet at Watsonville Municipal Airport this week.
Shaz Roth, CEO of the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, said preparations are underway to welcome as many as 26 planes to the tarmac in Watsonville, where folks can park their aircraft and head over the hill to watch the Seattle Seahawks take on the New England Patriots.
“We will be doing a red carpet welcome again for folks flying into Watsonville Airport for the Super Bowl,” Roth said. “We’ll be giving them local treats, including berries, an item from Annieglass, Martinelli’s, local Rivas honey, and Belle olive oil, something from Bargetto’s, along with an assortment of things from La Bahia Hotel. We’re also handing out a certificate for ice cream from Penny Ice Creamery.”
Roth said Visit Santa Cruz and a list of local businesses have stepped in to make the welcome “special.”
The Chamber ran a similar event for Super Bowl 50 10 years ago, Roth said. This year will be bigger.
“We want people to feel welcome to come here; we want them to return and we want to show them that Watsonville is a great option for small jets to land in a nice, welcoming place,” Roth said. She added that they are expecting visitors from around the U.S.
Gary Air, an air taxi service at the airport, is also staging its own welcoming party as part of the event, where others are invited as well, Roth said.
On deck are even bigger preparations for the World Cup coming in June.
“That’s what Santa Cruz County as a whole will be preparing for, and it’s going to be big,” Roth said. “People will be coming in from around the world, but that event is an entire week, not just one day like the Super Bowl.”
