Fort Riley races into Thanksgiving week with annual Gobble Wobble run

By Téa Sambuco, Fort Riley Public AffairsNovember 21, 2018

Families enjoy Gobble Wobble event at Fort Riley Nov. 17.
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Chief Warrant Officer 4 Justin Evans, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 1st Infantry Division, battles his 4-year-old son, Liam Evans, for the final chair during musical chairs inside Riley's Conference Center. The event was part of activities... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Families enjoy Gobble Wobble event at Fort Riley Nov. 17.
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT RILEY, Kan. -- The fifth annual Fort Riley Gobble Wobble was held Nov. 17 at Riley's Conference Center, Fort Riley, Kansas.

"I love the gobble wobble," said Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation special events coordinator, Taylor Ferrarin. "It is one of my favorite things that we do ... a unique spin on a generic Thanksgiving run. It's (better than just) going out and running in the cold."

Ferrarin said, in theory, the Gobble Wobble is a 2-mile fun run where the participants consume a full Thanksgiving meal while on the course.

This year, she said, Mother Nature was not cooperating. Tables were being knocked over by the wind and it was very cold. Instead of eating the Thanksgiving meal on the course, participants would run the 2-mile track around the conference center and then enjoy their meal inside.

"We've got mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, turkey with gravy, dinner rolls and pumpkin pie," Ferrarin said.

Inside the conference center, Child and Youth Services staff hosted an obstacle course and DFMWR employees had crafts laid out for the kids.

Antonia Taylor, DFMWR recreational aide, said at her table, children could make their very own turkey puppet. She then pointed to the table next to hers and said children could decorate their own dinner bibs as well.

There was also a fierce competition of musical chairs.

During the last minutes, the finalists Chief Warrant Officer 4 Justin Evans, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 1st Infantry Division, battled his four-year-old son, Liam Evans, for the final chair. As the music stopped, Liam dove for the chair and was abruptly sat on by his father, Justin.

In the end, Liam was pronounced the winner and properly awarded.

"I winned," Liam said. "So, I got a big bag of potatoes."

Liam and his father Justin then geared up for the 2-mile fun run around the conference center.

Other participants in the fun run included Sgt. Moses Garcia, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Infantry Division Artillery, and his beagle Caesar.

Garcia has run with Caesar since the beagle was six months old.

He said they both enjoyed the gobble wobble, and joked that normally, Caesar would be tired at the end of a race and Garcia would have to carry him.

Garcia and Caesar finished the fun run early and were waiting for Garcia's wife to cross the finish line with their stroller bound baby.

"It was a lot of fun," Garcia said. "Families (really) got to enjoy themselves in a less stressful environment."