BRUNSWICK, Maine — The Great State of Maine Air Show at the Brunswick Executive Airport was officially canceled Friday due to the coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic
In a Facebook post, the show said mandates on social gatherings with more than 50 people slated to remain through August make the show unable to go on. It was scheduled to feature the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the F-16 Viper Demo Team as the headlining acts. The event was set to be the only New England appearance for the Blue Angels in 2020 and their first show in Maine since 2017.
According to the post, the show made efforts to change the event set up to ensure social distancing by reducing capacity by 70 percent and assigned seating for all guests.
“Our hands are tied but we can’t say we didn’t try,” says Jim Breen, President of The Air Show Network, the production company for the Air Show. “COVID-19 challenged us to find new ways to safely put on a show for our guests with social distancing. We came up with an alternative to traditional air show models but due to the State mandates on social gatherings, it was impossible for us to move forward with planning the show.”
The next show will happen in 2021 or 2022 depending on the Blue Angels' availability according to Steve Levesque, Executive Director of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, owner/operator of the Brunswick Executive Airport.
At NEWS CENTER Maine, we're focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the illness. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: /coronavirus
