Organizers reflect on past, future of Bethpage Air Show on 20th anniversary
JONES BEACH, Long Island (WABC) -- When the Bethpage Air Show takes to the skies at Jones Beach this Memorial Day weekend, it will officially mark 20 years of celebrating the start to summer at the popular destination.
Eyewitness News spoke to the two people who helped launch the very first Bethpage Air Show and have been working together ever since.
Today it's a Long Island tradition, but back in 2004, it was just meant to be a way to celebrate 75 years of Jones Beach.
WATCH our "Kickoff to a Long Island Summer" special. Watch it on Saturday, May 25th at 7 p.m. - on Channel 7 and wherever you stream ABC7NY!
George Gorman is the regional director of New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation Long Island.
"We wanted to have a very special world-class event, so an air show came to mind," Gorman said. "We never organized one, this was the first time we were doing that and we needed a sponsor."
Linda Armyn is the president and CEO of Bethpage Federal Credit Union.
She said she got a phone call one day asking if she wanted to sponsor the air show - and of course the answer was yes.
The next step was to find some acts to put in the air.
"We had met with the United States Navy Blue Angels," Gorman said. "An air show they planned was canceled. An intermediary contacted me and said, 'they're looking for an air show, what about Jones Beach,' I said 'that's great.'"
And from there is has been almost clear skies the whole way.
"But it did rain every day for 10 days leading up to the air show, so I will throw that in just a little bit," Armyn said. "But then miraculously the first day of the air show, the sun came out, and it was, I mean, spectacular."
It's 20 years later and the show is still spectacular.
"The stars are the United States Navy Blue Angels," Gorman said. "Their shows are different every year, so that just alone is a wow."
The United States Army Golden Knights also impress with their parachute jumps.
And they are already looking ahead to the future of the Bethpage Air Show.
"From the perspective of a sense of community and belonging, we have a lot of families that come and people come with their neighbors, and they bring all the kids, and they set up on the beach," Armyn said. "It's pretty amazing."
"It's really an institution, it's what people want, it's what people enjoy and I don't see it stopping, I see it continuing," Gorman said.
Gorman and Armyn estimate more than 10 million people have seen the air show over the years and it has brought in millions of dollars for the community.
WABC-TV is a proud sponsor of this year's air show, and it will be featured in our "Kickoff to a Long Island Summer" special. Watch it on Saturday, May 25th at 7 p.m. - on Channel 7 and wherever you stream ABC7NY!
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
