A feast of companionship

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jose L. Hernandez
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  More than 300 Airmen and community members attended the 47th Annual Team Minot Sportsmen Feed at the Jimmy Doolittle Center Jan. 22.

The event brought together Team Minot families and guests from the downtown community in an afternoon of companionship and feasting.

Exquisite wild-game appetizers and dishes were served ranging from breaded arctic walleye pike to South Dakota bison roast au jus. Attendees also had the opportunity to play Bingo, enjoy the NFL playoff games, and even win raffle prizes, with a big screen TV as the grand prize.

Col. James Dawkins Jr., 5th Bomb Wing commander, said the event is a testament to the great relationship between the base and Minot community.

Betty Fedorchak, business owner and member of the Minot Area Chamber of Commerce, said she noticed a higher attendance of younger Airmen this year. She found this delightful because they have always dedicated the event to Airmen who find themselves away from home.

"The goal is to make as many people as happy as we can by having them experience the greatest wild-game feed of all time," Fedorchak said. "Many people have never tried a lot of this food."

In the kitchen, more than 20 Military Affairs Committee volunteers spent hours preparing the appetizers and dishes for the hundreds they expected to show up.

Gary Brevig, Sportsmen Feed co-chair and head chef for the event, said he has attended the annual feed for nearly 40 years. Thirty of them have been as head chef, making sure all the dishes are prepared to their finest.

"This event is all about camaraderie," said Brevig. "This is a good opportunity to spend time together and provide Airmen with a chance to come out and try new food."

Some of the volunteer cooks are retired military and others are friends who like to hunt, cook and show their support for the community, Brevig said.

John MacMartin, Minot Area Chamber of Commerce president, added their volunteer work is also a way of saying thank you to the Airmen and their families serving the military.

"Getting to see families and old friends together once a year, enjoying an afternoon, is great," said MacMartin.

Fedorchak gave props to the volunteers who once again were able to make the Sportsmen Feed a success.

"At the end of the day you can tell we had a well run kitchen, despite how hectic it was organizing everything in the morning," said Fedorchak. "I know friendships will be developed because of this event and that's what it's all about."

With coordination of the Team Minot First Sergeants, Fedorchak said they provided to-go boxes with food for the Airmen working 24/7 shifts and unable to attend the event.