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Fall Festival offers tons of fun

  • Published
  • By Monte Miller
  • 375th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Free, free, free, that is the key word when describing the 2008 Scott Air Force Base Fall Festival which is Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Scott Lake.

"We're trying to encourage people to come out on their day off," said Rene Brantly, 375th Services Squadron Outdoor Recreation assistant director. "This event started with a quaint gathering of about 50 people then the next year we had 500 and it grew to 4,500 last year."

For those who have not attended in the past, Mrs. Brantly likens the Fall Festival to the annual Match-Up picnic held in the summer, only in a different location.

A major attraction of this year's festival will be the food, which was donated and is being prepared by chef Tony Hedges and his students from the L'ecole Culinaire, a cooking academy in St. Louis.

"There is literally going to be tons of food," Mrs. Brantly said. "The chef is preparing 5,000 pounds of pulled pork and 5,000 pounds chicken along with other side dishes totaling about $10,000, not to mention the donated time to prepare it all."

On the subject of food, Mrs. Brantly said the serving of the food has been well planned and will go a lot smoother without the long lines.

"We've learned from last year," she said. "We planned for 3,000 people last year and had 4,500. The chef knew how to cook for the masses, but we didn't know how to serve everything because we had more people than we thought we would."

In addition to the entrees and sides, there will also be something to tickle the sweet tooth during the Country Pie Bake Off, which is sure to feature some of the best bakers on base. Last year there were 30 entries.

This year's festival will also have a craft bazaar featuring crafters from both on and off base.

"There really is something for all ages," Mrs. Brantly said. "From retirees to the youngest kids, we'd like to see the entire base community come together for this."

Just about every event at the festival will include prizes and giveaways from the costume contest, which is open to all ages, kids' games, paintball target shooting, pumpkin painting and many, many more.
In between games, families can snack on kettle corn, watch magic shows, listen to music provided by 93.7 The Bull, see exotic reptiles, have their face painted or just bring along a lawn chair, kick back and enjoy a fall day in southern Illinois.

Each year the Fall Festival is funded solely by donations and is facilitated by volunteers.

"We could not do it without the volunteers," Mrs. Brantly said. "It is also good for our first-term Airmen to get involved in the event. For many of them, Scott it is their first time away from home and they may not know many people here. Participating in this event suddenly makes them feel like part of the community and not so homesick."

For more information and a full list of planned events at the 2008 Fall Festival check out the Outdoor Recreation website at www.375services.com or call Outdoor Recreation at 256-2067.