Photo By Staff Sgt. Courtney Davis | Liam Bray crawls through the tunnel of the bouncy house during United States Army...... read more read more
CAMP HUMPHREYS, Republic of Korea - Members of U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys and the city of Pyeongtaek gathered on the Millet Gate field for the garrison’s annual Fall Festival, Oct. 15.
“This year’s Fall Festival was significant because we were able to do an open-post event in conjunction with our host city’s One-Heart Festival,” said Col. Seth Graves, USAG Humphreys commander. “This was the first open-post event for the garrison since the pandemic and you could tell this was something both communities were yearning for.”
Command Sergeant Major Benjamin Lemon, the garrison’s senior enlisted advisor, said the festival was the opportune time for Pyeongtaek residents to get a glance at what’s happening on Humphreys as they visit vehicle static displays and interact with the garrison community members.
Lemon added jokingly the event was a chance for the Pyeongtaek residents to get a glimpse at the Humphreys community to, “see how we party”.
Families, couples and friends stood in lines, extending past the walk-in gate’s taxi stand, to get their identification verified. Rides, bounce houses, food vendors, and adult beverage stands waited for them on the other side.
Reilly Spiwak, one of the lifeguards working on Humphreys, said his brother really wanted to come listen to the music and play laser tag, one of the half dozen games set aside for children ages 5 to 12. He also said opening up the gates to families on and off post was a brilliant way to bring the two communities together.
Some of the attendees walked around the festival bobbing their heads to bands and solo artists who played various genres of music from jazz to K-Pop. Other attendees whipped out their cell phones and cameras to capture their child’s ballet or taekwondo performance.
Home-based businesses sold their services and goods to interested onlookers, and food vendors filled their customers with red velvet stuffed waffles, potato swirls, funnel cakes and wings.
Tundra Madison, Department of Defense contracting officer, said her favorite festival foods were the fish, the chicken and dip, and the potato swirls - she made the swirls. She said the best part of the day was seeing the community come together and watching as the Korean counterparts enjoyed some of the American food culture.
Two fall-decorated photo stands were displayed for interested parties to stop and take pictures.
Evening approached and festival patrons who filled the festival area slowly transitioned beyond the walking gate and into the Pyeongtaek’s One-Heart Festival. Strand lightbulbs illuminated a street filled with more food, music and fun.
"A huge 'thank you' to all those involved for a well-organized, and safe, event," said Graves.
Lemon said the alliance between Camp Humphreys and the Pyeongtaek community "will grow stronger as we are allowed these opportunities to immerse ourselves in each other's cultures."
| Date Taken: | 10.15.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 10.21.2022 01:45 |
| Story ID: | 431675 |
| Location: | CAMP HUMPHREYS, GYEONGGIDO [KYONGGI-DO], KR |
| Web Views: | 174 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Humphreys,Pyeongtaek: two communities share one heart beat, by SSG Courtney Davis, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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