49th annual AFAD kicks off Saturday

The base honor guard will lead the parade Saturday.

After weeks of planning, the Mountain Home community will honor U.S. service members and retirees, along with those stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base, at the 49th annual Air Force Appreciation Day festival Sept. 12.

This year's event begins with corn shucking at 6 p.m. on Sept. 11 in Carl Miller Park. Up to 300 people, including base and community leaders, are expected to gather at the park to prepare 5,000 ears of corn for the free barbecue the following afternoon.

In addition, the annual AFAD fun run starts at 6 p.m. Friday at the park. The race features a choice of a five-mile run or three-mile walk.

Meanwhile, organizers plan to feature an assortment of vehicle displays in the park starting Friday evening. The Army National Guard will bring in a Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle for people to view Friday and Saturday. Meanwhile, the Landstar Carrier Group will set up a safety "no zone" display to increase public awareness about safely sharing the road with large trucks.

The main AFAD events begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, with a 90-minute parade that's billed as "one of the largest" in Idaho, said Sue Gross, who's served as the AFAD parade organizer the past 11 years.

Parade organizers have 121 entries signed up for the annual parade, including an assortment of military vehicles from the base and Idaho National Guard.

This year's parade starts with an aircraft flyover featuring A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from the Idaho Air National Guard. The 25th Army Band from Gowen Field in Boise will lead the parade procession.

The parade begins at the intersection of N. 2nd East Street and Jackson Street next to Paul's Market. The route takes participants and their entries down North 2nd Street East to the Stardust Plaza and over to North 3rd East Street, then back to and up American Legion Boulevard. The route ends at Carl Miller Park.

Parents are urged to keep their children from running into the street seeking the candy thrown by parade participants.

Each year, the parade represents a broad spectrum of people and organizations representing the entire Mountain Home community, Gross said. It remains a favorite with many city residents with several thousand people expected to line up along the route.

"People put their lawn chairs out early so they can get their spot (on the route)," she added.

Local military units plan to include additional vehicle and equipment displays in Carl Miller Park during Saturday's festivities, Gross said.

In addition, the National Guard plans to raise a climbing wall in the East Elementary School playground for people to enjoy throughout the afternoon.

Parade organizers expect up to 10,000 people to stop by Carl Miller Park to catch the rest of Saturday's festivities. A free barbecue starts at noon in the park's cook shack. The AFAD committee plans on serving 5,000 meals to the public that afternoon.

Meanwhile, local businesses, private organizations and vendors will run an assortment of booths in the park during the day to sell food and trinkets, showcase their wares or provide information on various issues. In addition, the base youth center will set up up several inflatable attractions for youngsters.

AFAD chairman Randy Valley has emphasized the need for people to leave their pets at home if they choose to come to Carl Miller Park.

A map of the parade line-up can be found in this week's Mountain Home News.

See the Mountain Home News for the complete story.