Press

Bethpage Federal Credit Union’s Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach Draws Close to 400,000 Spectators at 9th Annual Show

Audrey Cohen
Epoch 5 Public Relations
Office 631/427-1713
Cell 516/263-6546
acohen@epoch5.com

New York State’s Largest Public Event, the Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach, Which Took Place Memorial Day Weekend, Starred the United States Navy Blue Angels, Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds, U.S. Airforce F-22 Raptor and United States Army Golden Knights

Interactive Facebook Contests, Pilot Meet & Greets and Motivational Presentations Helped Engage Fans, Support Event

Bethpage, NY – May 31, 2012 – Bethpage Federal Credit Union, New York State’s largest credit union, and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, are very pleased to announce an attendance of almost 400,000 spectators for this past weekend’s 9th Annual Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach, that took place on Saturday, May 26, 2012 and Sunday, May 27, 2012.

“The Bethpage Air Show provides Bethpage with an exceptional opportunity to connect with our community in an impactful way,” said Kirk Kordeleski, President and CEO, Bethpage. “Almost 15% of Long Island’s population chose the Bethpage Air Show as their Memorial Day holiday weekend destination and we look forward to continuing to work closely with New York State Parks to bring this irreplaceable and free event to Long Island for many years to come.”

“Now in its 9th year, the Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach has not only grown to become New York State’s largest public event, but one of the most anticipated and annual family traditions for hundreds of thousands of air show fans across the tri-state area,” said Linda Armyn, Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy, Bethpage. “The turnout for this year’s show was incredible. We had an exceptional lineup of military and civilian performers including both U.S. and Canadian demonstration teams that rarely perform together in one show. Having the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, Royal Canadian Snowbirds, U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor and United States Army Golden Knights Parachute Team, all together in one show, was extraordinary.”

Supporting this year’s show, Bethpage executed two interactive Facebook contests for fans. My Very First Flight challenged contestants to share photos capturing memories of their first flight, and Recognizing Our Veterans challenged fans to share stories about what Memorial Day means to them. Ten winners received tickets to meet Bethpage Air Show performers, the GEICO Skytypers, at a planeside reception where winners climbed aboard vintage WWII aircraft. Tickets to Bethpage’s VIP reception at the Cradle of Aviation and tickets to view the Bethpage Air Show from Bethpage’s VIP tent were awarded as well.

A first for this year’s show, Bethpage also arranged for Bethpage Air Show Pilot and Motivational Speaker, Ed Hamill, to share an inspiring “Follow Your Dreams” presentation with underserved students from Long Island’s Westbury and Uniondale school districts.

The following world-class performers performed at this year’s show:

Military performers include: United States Navy Blue Angels, Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds, U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor, United States Army Golden Knights Parachute Team, The United States Navy F18 Super Hornet, 106th New York Air National Guard Rescue Demo Wing HC-130/HH-60, and the WWII B-17 Flying Fortress.
Civilian performers include: American Airpower Museum Warbirds, GEICO Skytypers, Sean D. Tucker – Team Oracle, Lt. Col. John Klatt – National Guard Reserve, Matt Chapman, David Windmiller, and Ed Hamill, who will fly the Bethpage Bi-Plane.

For information about this year’s show and its performers, please visit the Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach website or Facebook page.

Bethpage Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative, existing solely to serve its members and has experienced rapid growth in recent years to become a strong alternative to banks. Bethpage was approved for the largest federal community charter in the U.S. in 2003 and now is Long Island’s largest credit union and leading community financial institution with over 196,000 members, 26 branches and 60 shared service center locations throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties. As a financial cooperative, Bethpage offers better rates, lower fees and a full menu of personal and commercial financial services.

Bethpage maintains branch locations in Bay Shore, Bay Shore King Kullen, Bethpage, Central Islip, Commack King Kullen, Elmont, Farmingdale, Freeport, Glen Cove, Hempstead, Huntington, Levittown King Kullen, Lynbrook, Massapequa, Melville, Mineola, North Babylon, Patchogue, Port Jefferson, Riverhead, Seaford, Smithtown, Roosevelt, West Babylon and Westbury with over 350 surcharge-free ATMs in King Kullen, 7-Eleven, Walgreens and Costco locations throughout Long Island. For more information, call 1-800-628-7070 or visit www.bethpagefcu.com.