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This was the ninth year of the event, created by Hawks Prairie Rotary. It initially was staged in the parking lot of the Lacey Walmart but in recent years has moved north to the east parking lot at Cabela’s.
Saturday’s event included free food, live music, about 50 vendors, and military personnel and vehicles for visitors to see. It used to have a military march, but that ended after it moved to Cabela’s.
A highlight is the helicopter candy drop, and this time 20,000 Tootsie Rolls were dropped for the children below, said Andrew Oczkewicz, past president of Hawks Prairie Rotary and an organizer of Military Family Support Day.
He said 2,000 hot dogs were served – 1,000 in the first hour – along with 1,200 bags of popcorn.
“It was an absolute success,” Oczkewicz said. “It’s the best one we’ve ever had.”
“This is certainly a military community, and we want them to feel welcome,” he said about the event, adding that many stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord are from outside the state.
Members of the military praised the event, saying it’s unlike what they’ve encountered in other parts of the country.
Christopher Hill, who has spent 12 years in the Army and has been stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord since 2008, said it was his first time attending.
“People often say, ‘Thank you for your service,’” Hill said, but after hearing it so many times, he’s not sure if people really mean it or are just trying to be nice. The Military Family Support Day, however, felt genuine and was well-received, he said.
Hill has served at bases throughout the U.S., as well as in Germany, Afghanistan and Iraq. He said he couldn’t think of an event that compared favorably with Lacey’s.
Sarah Davidson, who attended with her three children, said her husband has been stationed at Lewis-McChord for three months after previously being stationed in Hawaii.
“It means a lot,” she said, adding that people tend to forget about the military until there is a tragedy.
Jeffrey Baldwin, who is stationed at Lewis-McChord, and his wife, Clarissa, said they enjoy the area because it feels more like home than Georgia did. They also weren’t sure whether their home in Northern California would be as supportive to the military as Lacey is.
“I like it when they see where their freedom is coming from,” Clarissa Baldwin said about the gathering.
Rolf Boone: 360-754-5403 rboone@theolympian.com www.theolympian.com/bizblog
