OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. -- The 2016 Offutt Appreciation Day Picnic is scheduled to take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Base Lake June 3.
The picnic, an annual event for the last 21 years, will provide free food and drink, performances from the Heartland of America Band, door prizes and pony rides.
All members of Team Offutt, including families, are invited to attend.
“The whole purpose of the picnic and why it continues today is because the Offutt Advisory Council and the state of Nebraska want to show their support for all the tremendous sacrifices that our men and women in the military provide for this country,” said John Hansen, president of the Offutt Advisory Council. “That’s our number one reason, and we want to continue doing that every year.”
Door prizes are valued at up to $5,000, said Doris Urwin, vice president of administration with the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce.
“We have 12 bikes, gift certificates and baskets of items,” she said. “There’s everything from sidewalk chalk to 60 inch – or larger – flat screen TVs, and just about anything and everything in between.”
Members have the choice of driving to the Base Lake or taking one of the shuttles that will make rounds by the King Dining Facility, the lower STRATCOM parking lot and the Ehrling Bergquist Clinic.
While members and families are welcome, Urwin stressed a policy of no coolers, backpacks or pets at the picnic.
“We know pets are your family, but this is one day you need to leave them at home,” she said. “If it’s a hot day, pets can’t be locked in the vehicle. Hot weather can also make pets irritable – so while contamination of food is an issue, it’s a safety issue as well.”