The Rhode Island National Guard Open House and Airshow was established in 1992 as a major community event that everyone from the region could be proud of and enjoy. The airshow offers the finest aerial and static displays along with activities for people of all ages. Our show has operated for 16 consecutive years and will take place this year on 28-29 June, 2008.

From its inception the show has operated with a simple creed; put on a world class show featuring only the best aircraft and pilots and operate the show totally for the benefit of the community. To date, contributions to local charities exceed $1,100,000. The Hasbro Children’s Hospital is our largest benefactor and has received over $1,000,000 since we began.

There are several key factors to meeting the goals set forth by the Rhode Island National Guard. Cooperation, vision, and commitment are just a few. Our show requires the commitment of the entire community. Vendors, suppliers, supporters, participants and volunteers all come together in the spirit of cooperation that produces an airshow of which we are very proud. In a 96 hour period we transform a fully operating civilian/military airport into a safe airshow venue and return it to it’s original format. This can only be accomplished by sharing a vision of success. The source of energy for all involved is the shared commitment to the children of Hasbro and all the local charities that benefit from the effort.

The business community of Rhode Island has a very active role in the success of our airshow. Remarkably, most sponsors, vendors and financial supporters are founders of the show. They have been with us since the beginning and continue to stand loyal to it’s cause. We strive to offer a win-win situation for all of our financial supporters. We do this by making our show a safe, family event that is free of charge. To illustrate this, companies have made significant donations that include sunscreen, water, ear plugs and various items to our children’s area. We offer this all to families at no charge. Our supporting companies not only meet their marketing and advertising needs but satisfy their philanthropic goals as well. Pre-event planning and after action reporting is a very important process in the successful relationships.

Our government and regulatory agencies are also a critical link to the success of the show. Some of the relationships we’ve built with local, state and federal officials are now going on 16 years. Partnerships with Air Traffic Control, FAA, state and local police officials also began as far back as 1992. “Pride in Ownership” is a big factor in the success of these relationships. We treat everyone as team members. In fact, we call ourselves “Team Rhody.” From pre-event planning to after action reporting, all parties have an active role in accomplishing the same goal.