Ocean State Air Show Canceled

NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI — Excitement was in the air last month when organizers said the Ocean State Air Show was coming back after a three-year hiatus, but unfortunately the event will be canceled again, organizers said Friday.

This year's air show was scheduled for June 25 and 26. For the first time since 2018, guests were supposed to be able to watch several military and civilian performers take to the skies, with demonstrations from the United States Air Combat Command F-22 Raptor, the US. Marine Corp AV-8B Harrier, and the Rhode Island National Guard's own C-130J and Blackhawk Combined Arms Demonstration. But the show was canceled because of operational challenges.

"A number of factors contributed to this difficult decision including the relocation of the show onto Quonset State Airport property, the reduction in available parking in the Quonset Point/Davisville area, upcoming large-scale runway reconstruction projects at the Quonset State Airport, National Guard deployments, and because of the additional responsibilities that the National Guard has assumed to help Rhode Island address the pandemic," a spokesperson from the Rhode Island National Guard said in a statement.

The National Guard said it will work to potentially have the air show in 2023.

The last air show performance was in 2018. The last two years, the air shows were canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic. In 2019, it was canceled because of National Guard deployments.