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Jodie Grasgreen snagged this photo over the Highland Square Branch Library and also captured a helicopter that was trailing the blimps through the evening, visible in the upper right corner of the photo. (Submitted photo by Jodie Grasgreen)
Editor's note:
Want to see your blimp photos from the Tuesday fly by in our gallery? Send them to hello@signalakron.org
In honor of the 100th anniversary of the first Goodyear blimp flight, three airships flew over the city Tuesday evening during Akron Mayor Shammas Malik’s State of the City address at Lock 3 park as well the Akron RubberDucks game later.
Attendees at the mayor’s speech witnessed the three blimps circle downtown for hours, with the classic black and gray Wingfoot One, based in Akron, in the lead throughout. It was joined by its blimp brethren, the Florida-based Wingfoot Two and the California-based Wingfoot Three.
Wingfoot One was decked out in the same black and gray color scheme as Pilgrim, Goodyear’s first blimp.
The blimps were expected to be out again Wednesday, although there were some reports they were grounded for weather.
Liz Janes captured this shot of the blimps looking east along Market Street as the airships head south behind the Akron Art Museum downtown. (Submitted by Liz Janes)Wingfoot One, center, decked out in the same black and gray color scheme as Pilgrim, Goodyear’s first blimp, is joined by its blimp brethren, the Florida-based Wingfoot Two (left) and the California-based Wingfoot Three fly past Canal Park during the Akron RubberDucks game downtown on Tuesday. (Arielle Kass / Signal Akron)
Derek Mitchell shot this photo from United Disability Services downtown on Tuesday. (Submitted by Derek Mitchell)Wingfoot One, decked out in the same black and gray color scheme as Pilgrim, Goodyear’s first blimp, is joined by its blimp brethren, the Florida-based Wingfoot Two (left) and the California-based Wingfoot Three. The three blimps were flying over Canal Park during the Akron RubberDucks game downtown on Tuesday. (Arielle Kass / Signal Akron) Liz Janes captured this shot of the blimps downtown as they fly south. The building in the foreground at the bottom of the frame is the High/Market Parking Deck at 40 S. High St. across from the Akron Art Museum. (Submitted by Liz Janes)
Wingfoot One, center, decked out in the same black and gray color scheme as Pilgrim, Goodyear’s first blimp, is joined by its blimp brethren, the Florida-based Wingfoot Two (left) and the California-based Wingfoot Three. The three blimps were flying over Canal Park during the Akron RubberDucks game downtown on Tuesday. (Arielle Kass / Signal Akron) Liz Janes captured this shot of the blimps looking east along Market Street as the airships head south behind the Akron Art Museum downtown. (Submitted by Liz Janes)Historical photo of Goodyear’s Pilgrim blimp, it’s first, on the ground. (Courtesy of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.)The gondola of the Goodyear Airship Pilgrim on display at the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. (Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution) Credit: (Smithsonian photo by Mark Avino)Wingfoot One, decked out in the same black and gray color scheme as Pilgrim, Goodyear’s first blimp, flies over downtown Akron during Mayor Shammas Malik’s State of the City address June 3. Pilgrim celebrated its 100th anniversary today. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)Robin Clark shared her view of the blimps as they flew through the Chapel Hill area. (Submitted photo by Robin Clark)Wingfoot One, top, decked out in the same black and gray color scheme as Pilgrim, Goodyear’s first blimp, is joined by its blimp brethren, the Florida-based Wingfoot Two (bottom left) and the California-based Wingfoot Three fly over Canal Park prior to the Akron RubberDucks game downtown on Tuesday. (Arielle Kass / Signal Akron) Robin Clark shared her view of the blimps as they flew through the Chapel Hill area. (Submitted photo by Robin Clark)(Left to right) Wingfoot One, the Akron-based airship, the Florida-based Wingfoot Two and the California-based Wingfoot Three fly over the Civic Theatre in downtown Akron during Mayor Shammas Malik’s State of the City address June 3. Wingfoot One is decked out in the same black and gray color scheme as Pilgrim, Goodyear’s first blimp, which celebrated its 100th anniversary today. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)Wingfoot One, the Akron-based airship, the Florida-based Wingfoot Two and the California-based Wingfoot Three fly over downtown Akron during Mayor Shammas Malik’s State of the City address June 3. Wingfoot One is decked out in the same black and gray color scheme as Pilgrim, Goodyear’s first blimp, which celebrated its 100th anniversary today. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)Florida-based Wingfoot Two, one of three Goodyear blimps in downtown Akron Tuesday, flies over the Akron City Center Hotel above Cascade Plaza during Akron Mayor Shammas Malik’s State of the City address June 3. Wingfoot One, the Akron-based airship, and the California-based Wingfoot Three also flew over the city, with Wingfoot One decked out in the same black and gray color scheme as Pilgrim, Goodyear’s first blimp, which celebrated its 100th anniversary today. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)(Left to right) Wingfoot One, the Akron-based airship, the Florida-based Wingfoot Two and the California-based Wingfoot Three breeze past the Akron Civic Theatre downtown as they fly toward the back side of Lock 3 park in downtown Akron during Mayor Shammas Malik’s State of the City address June 3. Wingfoot One, at left, is decked out in the same black and gray color scheme as Pilgrim, Goodyear’s first blimp, which celebrated its 100th anniversary today. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)(Left to right) Wingfoot One, the Akron-based airship, the Florida-based Wingfoot Two and the California-based Wingfoot Three fly over the PNC Building and the Akron Civic Theatre downtown as they fly behind Lock 3 park in downtown Akron during Mayor Shammas Malik’s State of the City address June 3. Wingfoot One, at left, is decked out in the same black and gray color scheme as Pilgrim, Goodyear’s first blimp, which celebrated its 100th anniversary today. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)Spectators shoot photos from the top of the O’Neils Parking Garage as Wingfoot One, the Akron-based airship, the Florida-based Wingfoot Two and the California-based Wingfoot Three breeze past the back side of Lock 3 park in downtown Akron during Mayor Shammas Malik’s State of the City address June 3. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)Wingfoot One, the Akron-based airship, the Florida-based Wingfoot Two and the California-based Wingfoot Three fly over the Maynard Performance Pavilion at Lock 3 in downtown Akron as Mayor Shammas Malik, lower left, gives his State of the City address June 3. Wingfoot One, at left, is decked out in the same black and gray color scheme as Pilgrim, Goodyear’s first blimp, which celebrated its 100th anniversary today. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)
Editor-in-Chief (she/her)
Zake has deep roots in Northeast Ohio journalism. She was the managing editor for multimedia and special projects at the Akron Beacon Journal, where she began work as a staff photographer in 1986. Over a 20-year career, Zake worked in a variety of roles across departments that all help inform her current role as Signal Akron's editor in chief. Most recently, she was a journalism professor and student media adviser at Kent State University, where she worked with the next generation of journalists to understand public policy, environmental reporting, data and solutions reporting. Among her accomplishments was the launch of the Kent State NewsLab, an experiential and collaborative news commons that connects student reporters with outside professional partners.
