Fort Belvoir, Va. (Oct. 30, 2014) - According to Erika Rochon, 7, the great thing about being a kid is getting to do "stuff." If "stuff" means dressing up like a cat and eating lots and lots of candy, then Rochon has got it made.
Rochon and many other children, along with their Families, descended upon the USO Warrior and Family Center at Fort Belvoir, Saturday for USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore's Fall Festival. More than 1,400 people, including 800 children, came to enjoy the festivities. The little ones buzzed around the event space and danced to music pumping from the speakers with songs varying from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" to Madonna's "Vogue."
Many children honed their artisan skills as they decorated pumpkins they picked from the pumpkin patch. USO volunteers supervised the game stations and rewarded players with treats. Families also took advantage of the "photo booth," a station festooned with Halloween decorations and silly props to add to pictures.
Other activities included face-painting, apple tasting, live performances by the USO Show Troupe and an appearance by Miss Maryland and Miss District of Columbia. Complete with a Haunted Tunnel and other Halloween-themed activities, the event was created to provide maximum entertainment at no cost to military Families.
Maj. Casey McKenna, Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, managed care department chief, said he always enjoys the events put on by the USO.
"It's nice to have things to do for the kids so you don't have to go out and seek other events," said McKenna, who came with his wife and children. McKenna said outside the gates events such as the Fall Festival put a price tag on fun, but not here.
"This is just geared toward providing nice things for the military Families," he said.
Ranna Armstrong, USO Warrior and Family Center at Fort Belvoir, manager, said that's the goal of the USO, to show appreciation for Service members by hosting Family-oriented events.
"Events like this are important to the community because it helps bring military Families together in a safe, fun environment," said Armstrong. "The USO has always been here and will always be here to serve our military Families."
Victoria Riollano had a similar observation as McKenna.
"Typically events like this cost a lot of money," said Riollano. "We're a Family of six so we need cost-efficient ways for the kids to have fun. Events like this make life very easy."
Armstrong said USO Metro is gearing up for a busy holiday season.
"We have a whole line up of holiday programming," said Armstrong. "We have Turkeys for Troops, Project USO Elf, a holiday party, a Christmas tree-lighting and we'll be doing a cookie run. These programs and events are the way local citizens and corporations can express thanks for the service of our troops and their Families."
For more information about upcoming USO Metro events, visit www.usometro.org.
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