Traveling exhibit honoring Tuskegee Airmen makes stop at Canal Park, airport

Craig Webb, Akron Beacon Journal
·2 min read
Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan talks with volunteer and Air Force Veteran Bill Wade on Wednesday after viewing The Rise Above Traveling Exhibit featuring Women Air Force Service Pilots and Tuskegee Airmen parked in front of Canal Park.
Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan talks with volunteer and Air Force Veteran Bill Wade on Wednesday after viewing The Rise Above Traveling Exhibit featuring Women Air Force Service Pilots and Tuskegee Airmen parked in front of Canal Park.

History buffs will have a chance to learn about the famed Tuskegee Airmen as a traveling exhibit makes a stop in downtown Akron.

The RISE ABOVE exhibit is set up on South Main Street outside of Canal Park and tells the story of the World War II segregated fighter squadron also known as the Red Tails.

Tuskegee Airmen circa May 1942.
Tuskegee Airmen circa May 1942.

The exhibit also celebrates the role of Women Air Service Pilots (WASPS) and their role in military history.

The free exhibit will be open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday before moving to the Props and Pistons Festival Saturday and Sunday at the Akron Executive Airport.

The exhibit features a semi-trailer that converts into a 160-degree movie screen that seats up to 30 people and shows a film that tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen and the female pilots.

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At the airshow, the exhibit will be set up next to a WWII-era P-51 Mustang similar to what the Tuskegee Airmen flew on combat missions.

Visitors to the airshow will be able to listen as Harold Brown, an original Tuskegee Airman who flew the “Red Tail” Mustangs in WWII, shares his story of what it was like to be part of the segregated unit as a P-51 Mustang takes off for an aerial demonstration.

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan takes a selfie photo for his social media Wednesday after viewing The Rise Above Traveling Exhibit featuring Women Air Force Service Pilots and Tuskegee Airmen in front of Canal Park.
Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan takes a selfie photo for his social media Wednesday after viewing The Rise Above Traveling Exhibit featuring Women Air Force Service Pilots and Tuskegee Airmen in front of Canal Park.

Admission to the air show is $20 for adults and $5 for kids. There are discounts for seniors and veterans.

The airshow will also feature up-close tours of aircraft including vintage and current military models like the massive C-17 Globemaster Air Force transport plane.

The show will also have flybys and aerial shows by a variety of aircraft.

Pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group, better known as the now-legendary Tuskegee Airmen, won the first-ever USAF Aerial Gunnery Competition in 1949.
Pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group, better known as the now-legendary Tuskegee Airmen, won the first-ever USAF Aerial Gunnery Competition in 1949.

There will be opportunities to purchase rides on a biplane and even a helicopter.

Free parking and shuttle service will be offered from Derby Downs.

Craig Webb can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Free Tuskegee Airmen exhibit opens at Akron's Canal Park for two days