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Mountainfest Feedback?

Tuesday, 30 June 2009

By MG Mike Oates

What did you like or not like about the Mountainfest activities this year?

Comments (75)

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I thought everything was very well organized considering the size of this event. Welcoming the public into a military base for an event like this has got to be challenging. The welcoming ceremony was pretty cool. Glad we made it for that. The airshow was also very cool. It's always fun to see and hear any aircraft, thats why the jet car was so popular. Yes the food situation was ugly! That can not happen as it did. We had numerous complaints from folks in lines or what we thought were lines (very confusing), you have the space so spread them out. I live in Oswego Ny and we have Harborfest so I am very aware of the issues when thousands of people converge on a small area or community. You have to be able to handle it no matter what to grow the event. All in all I had a great time. Thank you.

Thanks everyone for the useful comments - we underestimated the crowd and the challenges with food availability and long lines showed it. We will be ready next year.
Also - will fix location of fireworks and see about multiple concert venue.
Thanks for coming and supporting - make sure an bring your neighbors next year!

I loved it except I and my family (and everyone around us) thought the music was way too loud. Both kids, teens, and adults were complaining and covering their ears. We were there on Sunday and you had to shout over the loud speakers in the middle of the concession area just to hear each other speak. The officers couldn't hear their radios standing by the porta potties when we were talking to them.

Also it would be nice to have had the car show on day 2 too, so that those who couldn't make day 1 could have had a chance to see it.

I did think you would have had more people there if it wasn't on graduation weekend. That was sort of poor planning. Everyone knows that the last weekend of June is graduation. I understand it's hard to get the air show groups but you have all year to get them lined up, put in for a weekend before or after graduation.

Other than that, my suggestions would be to spread out a few places to purchases drinks. Having the drinks located in all one spot makes it difficult for those who can't make it to that area easily.
Maybe you get someone to sell some heatly food? Just a thought.

Loved the extra police, loved the extra potties!

It was great!!

I thought overall the festival was very nice. My family attended on Sunday and enjoyed all the festivities. If I had any suggestions for improvement it would be to add a place to change a baby and to have more garbage and recycling containers.

We went last year and ejoyed every bit of it. This year with 3 graduations to attend we were only able to attend Sunday's event. We weren't sure what we'd missed on Saturday but did notice there were no air assaults or other tactical events. We really enjoyed that last year. I think that even though it's an air show it would be nice to see some additional military equipment such as tanks and weapons. I would like to say excellent finish to the Canadian F-18. Wouldn't it be neat to see some of the more spectacular planes take off and land like the HUGE cargo planes and maybe more of the many helicopters that we saw none of. Being free we would still go. With the additional displays we would definately pay to see.

This year's show was good, but not as good as last year. We missed the displays on the field when the men demonstrated how they would go in by helicopter to hostile situations to remove the enemy. I was really looking forward to the Geico Sky Typers. Last year they could not write on the day we were there because of bad weather and I wanted to see them this year.

The food situation was horrendous. We never did find the funnel cake tent, though with the time that others say they waited it may be a good thing that we missed them. I missed 1.5 hours of the show to get my young son a hot dog. When everyone else became hungry we checked the lines and decided to leave for the day and go to the Chinese buffet. I had originally wanted to stay for the concert and all, but everyone was just too hungry.

Other than that, it was a good day.

i really enjoyed the air show. that was great. going thru the other airplanes and all that stuff was fun too. but i tell ya, the lines for food and drink were so ridiculous. we never got to eat at all because the lines were so damned long. and we couldn't take our cooler in with us, so we sat there all day without anything to eat or drink. this will discourage me from going back for sure. it was hot and who the heck wants to sit outside all day without anything to eat or drink???!!! ya need to get up on this for the people. then the toilets were out of toilet paper.......this was at 1:00 on saturday.
come on fort drum, you are so organized at getting people in, be prepared for people's simple needs!!!!

With the state of economics having NY DOT there is a total waste of money. Coverage was already enough from other agencys. double dumb.

ok first off about the cuban flag, that is no different then waving the NY state flag or the Mexican Flag. we have people from all walks of life in the military and they are proud of their heritage. just as we are proud of our US heritage. its called freedom of expression. hmmmm something the us military fights to protect.
about the festivities, maybe two shows in stead of 1. change up the genre of music. scheduling, two shows would make it easier to schedule events around attending mountain fest and Abay Bike weekend, and graduation weekend. food lines, yes spread them apart, and a baby station for parents with little ones.
Fire works should have been published as division hill, most people would have moved closer for them instead of having to stand 5 miles away to see them.
the air show. it was 90% the same as last year, brings in the cliche, seen one seen em all. something to add. this is an army post. maybe showing what the helicopters can do with flying in formation and stuff like that. yea its great to see the airplanes but why not showcase the great army aviators as well. I am sure our pilots would love a chance to show low level high speed flight in formation. and what is with the with the swap meet of vendors?

also the army no longer condones drinking but yet every event it seems the first tent up is the beer tent. units and soldiers are told don't drink and drive, don't consume large amounts of alcohol and get fullish but yet every event the military puts on the beer tent is prominent. isn't this like putting a loaded .45 in a persons hand attempting to commit suicide.

all and all a good time giving the limited time people could make to be there due to all the other activities in the area the past weekend

My civilian neighbor and I, plus our 3 young children went for a couple hours Saturday afternoon and had a great time. I'd never have gone to an air show if it weren't free and in my backyard, but my girls really enjoyed seeing the planes, seeing the airfield Daddy deployed from, and sitting where paratroopers sit (or so we figured). The narration made it that much better to a novice. Thanks to everyone who donated their time and effort or worked this weekend.

As a mother of small children, it would have been easier to plan which hours to be there if there had been, somewhere (the Ft. Drum website?), a more detailed schedule of who's flying and when. I also agree that a diaper changing station would be helpful. And recycling bins.

You know, it's not often that you get something wonderful for nothing. It's a gift to have such a great airshow and free concert with good names. You're never going to get the "perfect" date for everyone, that's for sure. However, it needs to be advertised better. Many locals did not know about the celebration. I knew because my husband is a civilian on base. Perhaps fliers could be sent to local schools for distribution. With permission from district offices, this would be an easy way to advertise. I agree that getting food and liquid refreshments was next to impossible. We left and went to Evans Mills, got food and then returned. It was quicker that way-seriously. Someone knew enough to get enough portajohns, but not enough to provide enough vendors/lines for food.
It's a wonderful service for the community in general, and I would like to extend my thanks to those who put in an awful lot of hard work.

Thank you for another great event this year! What a treat to be able to go and enjoy all of the wonderful things, and it all be free! I especially loved the Memphis Belle.

The organization of the event (from the MP's directing traffic, to parking, to all of the displays etc was awesome.

My only comment for room for improvement would be the food booths. last year there seemed to be a lot more family readiness groups and more plentiful, so you didn't have to stand in long lines. this year's consolidation seemed to be overwhelmed and long lines, and not enough of them...making it hard to get hamburgers etc...

other than that Thank you very much and look forward to next year's!

By and large, the show appeared to go very well. I, too, was impressed by the twilight show, and sorely disappointed by the distant fireworks. I understand the debris was an issue - perhaps next year a laser show can fill the bill.

As for next year, it's my understanding that the tentative date is 11-12 July - a direct conflict with the French Festival, and rumor has it a conflict with the county fair.

While the groups providing the food stands certainly did a great job, it was clear they weren't up to the volume of food that was demanded, especially during the time between the air show and the concert on Saturday. Definitely room for improvement there.

Awesome!! This was my second year attending mountain fest, We went both days from beginning to end, we visited all the statics displays, watched both air shows and took over 400 pictures that weekend. My wife's uncle (pilot) came up from Hartford CT and was impressed by the quality of the show. Yeah the fireworks were a little far, so we decided to watch them while walking back to the car. A big thank you for all those involved!!!

Second year my family and I attended and once again were very pleased. The Salute to the Nation Ceremony was fantastic. I sat there wishing I had all my cub scouts present. Which leads to my next question.
2010 is the 100th anniversary of Boy Scouts of America. Is it possible to set up a special seating area, like you do for the VIPs, for scouts to sit with their families and PLEASE, do another salute to the Nation or similar ceremony?! It would be awesome to have our scouts invited to see a formal ceremony such as that and enjoy the airshow. My son and his friend both were very thrilled with the entire show. As a District Roundtable Commissioner here, I'd be happy to help set this up!!!!

I know this event is to honor our service men and women but for many of our scouts who are not from military families it is still a vague concept that there is a military base in our area and what it is really all about.

Great job by all who planned and executed the event - thanks for your outstanding efforts.

The only two changes I would recommend are to fix the food concessions (better access, more and spread them out) and to allow folks to bring their own coolers – surely the security concerns can be mitigated. If possible, add the Air Assault demonstration back into the program.

To those who whining about the conflicts (graduation, Mt. Carmel, etc) - Get over it - Fort Drum gave us a two day celebration centered around the Division Headquarters return from Iraq. There was plenty of opportunity to attend on either day - you all made your choices on how to spend your weekend.

Fireworks – my sources told me it was an environmental consideration based on a recently published Army Directive (one to which NYC does not have to adhere) that moved the display off the airfield. They also tell me there are fixes that will allow the return of the display to the airfield next year

Air Acts/Displays - My sources also tell me the organizers have tried to get the Blue Angles, Snow Birds and Thunderbirds both years but were not selected for those teams' performance schedule. They have also tried to get a B52, B1, B2 and other aircraft. Success is based on aircraft availability and mission requirements.

This was a great "FREE!" event - thank you Fort Drum

I do agree that scheduling it on Graduation weekend was probably the worst of the entire event. The show was fantastic and I did attend all day on Saturday. The concession stands could have been a little better set up. At one point I was in line for almost 1 hour to get something to eat. Maybe break up the concessions to different areas. The last minor detail is the location of the fireworks. Maybe they could have been setup at the P-4900 National Guard site. I know you don't want them too close to the airport but they would have been much more viewable from the bleachers than having them way down on the left side of the field. Other than that, The concert was good, It was great for community relations and I look forward to another next year.

This was my second year of attending mountainfest and hats off to all who thought of having this event, organize, and participate. The military and civilian displays are awesome. The airshow spectacular. The best part is the interaction with the troops. My grandchildren gained much insight and appreciation for all the 10th Mountain Division does for our community and the north country.

What a great event put on by Fort Drum in this time of low bugdets. This shows how much Fort Drum and the community means to each other. The air show was spectacular, especially the night showing. Many vendors, but not enough for the food and drink issues. Displays were informative and interesting. The only problem was when everyone got or stayed at the airfield for fireworks, then they were not held there but on Division Hill. Could not see or hear them. Not the idea of fireworks!!!!

The mountainfest would have been wonderful to see if i was actually able to see it. There was a lot of conflicts going on with the airshow, i recommend switching weekends maybe a weekend earlier? The conflicts for this past weekend for the airshow are as following, 4 days, graduations, block leave some started it early, mount carmel fest in watertown. Heres Another... when you work for mwr or aafees we are supposed to be family oriented... why is it with all of these events going on this past weekend why was the px open its normal hours? Yes we are supposed to be family oriented and there to serve the soldiers and there families, yet the last and only sale most people had from the px was first thing in the morning. We walked by food court and half of the foodcourt hadn't been touched the entire day the chairs were still up and everything, if we are so family oriented out at the px and such then why were we open? Why couldn't we close at 1 or 2 for the day and go to the airshow. I believe the only places that should be open with special events like this should be The gas stations & the commisarry if anything else is needed then there is walmart or whatever. I think more things like this need to be taken into consideration.

Being very involved with so many organizations that work with the 10th Mountain, it was an honor again to be apart of this awesome event. Great way for the community to come and be a part of the military together. I seen pride, support, thanks and a whole lot of fun all over. I was not able to make it for all of the events this year. The only complaint I have myself personally is that I was not able to clear my schedule to spend more time at mountain fest! Kudo's to everyone to an awesome event and can't wait till next year.

As a senior NCO on the Division staff I got to witness first hand the hard work everybody put into the Mountain Fest and I am truely amazed at all the dedicated people who made this event happen. I want to thank each one of you for support in making this event a class act. I know the soldiers, families, and civilians enjoyed the entire event. "CLIMB TO GLORY"

It is a great event for the community. The airshow was excellent and the concert was good as well. I would be willing to pay a small admission fee to attend. Two areas for improvement would be the food lines and the view of the fire works.

This is the 2nd year in a row that I have taken my kids to the event. We loved it last year and again this year. Last year my parents made the trip up from the Binghamton area and this year a friend new to the area attended with us. Both my parents and my friend enjoyed it as well. I told as many people as I could about Mountain Fest leading up to the event and will do so again next year. Most of the complaints from the previous posts have some validity...BUT, it is a great FREE event. No complaints here and we are already looking forward to next year! Thank you for opening this event up to the civilian population that enjoys the fact that we have an Army Base located right in our back yard.

I was only there for the air show, which was great. The only thing I would do different is get more seating. We had to stand, my feet were definately hurting! The food was a little pricey, I'm sure that it was all donated by local businesses. It is a profit, even if you lower the sandwich prices 50 cents to a dollar

Well the Airshow was AWESOME , The showing of the planes was also another great eye catcher we loved it .

However the lines for food were herendous.I feel they should have had more food tents set up . The funnel cake tent should of had at least 3 tents alone for the 1-2 hour wait in line. WE missed the whole concert due to the fact of waiting in line for a funnel cake.

The transportation to and from parking did not go unnoticed. You moved a man who recently had heart surgery both physicaly and emotionaly. You who are responsible for MOUNTAINFEST take a bow. I hope this airshow never ceases. The addition of the airshow and the concert to the weekend will continue to increasingly draw more folks from the area. Please take this oportunity to charge even one dollar per person. Save it for the following years festivities, Or do some good at Waltereed, I don't care. The only letdown was the fireworks held at divison hill and not the airfield. I understand that a possible contamination of the watershed was the reason for the move. If that is the case what gives NYC the right to have them in hudson bay. Come on guys and gals move the fireworks back to the airfield.

Very nice show. I've been to both and enjoyed each. One of these years the weather will cooperate fully and the crowds will be even larger.

On the way in I was impressed with the neatness of the grounds. I served a couple of years in the Army a long time ago so I should not have been surprised. What WAS painfully obvious after the music show was that a large number of people did not pay attention to their mothers, let alone have any military training. PICK UP AFTER YOURSELVES, PEOPLE.

Unfortunately, the folks that need to heed that message won't be reading this blog.

Regardless, I'll be back!!

The air show was good. Needed a little more for adults to do outside of look at the planes though. The concert needs to have something other than country and then it was only one band. Excellent setup with the porta-potties. No wait at all to go to the bathroom. They need to be able to take in and park traffic quicker. They need more vendors and the vendors definitely need to be set up differently. The lines to some of the vendors were ridiculously long where at the same time others were of reasonable length. Perhaps if they set half of the vendors across from the other half people would be able to see easier which lines were shorter. As it was the vendor tents were all in a single file about 1 1/2 football field lengths long so that the end of the vendors lines that were closest to the festival entrance were over packed all the time while the other end were quite slow most of the time. I little more variety of food would be nice too. Most vendors had hot dogs and hamburgs. The fireworks seemed about a mile off. WAY too far. I did not even thinks that they were the festivals fireworks.

We tried to have booth for a Boy Scout troop that is from Watertown. We have boys in our troop that are dependents of Active soldiers. Our troop would have loved the opportunity to earn funds but the red tape involved made it too difficult. Sounds like more vendors could have been used.

Going green is in style. I didn't see any recycle bins.

This is the 2nd year in a row we have been to Mountainfest and have loved it both years. I had attended many years ago when each battalion had a setup and explanation of what they do. That would be nice to see again. Thank you and keep up the good work!!!!

Recommendation to help ease food lines at next years event:

Food tickets. Patrons would purchase tickets at two or more locations outside the tents, then enter the food tent/booth that has those items, show your ticket and get your food.

Also, signs on the outside of the tents listing what foods are available at the booths would help alleviate the congestion inside the tent.

This is how it was done at an air show we attended a couple years ago at Fort Bliss, TX. Not sure how they worked it as far as different agencies/FRGs manning the booth and using it as a fundraiser - but it might be worth checking with someone from Fort Bliss/Biggs Airfield and get their best practices/lessons learned.

This was the biggest "complaint" I have heard about the enter weekend. Well, that and the fact that the fireworks display was entirely too far away.

Otherwise, Mountainfest and the Air Show is a wonderful event for soldiers, families and the entire community and we look forward to attending each year.

I think over all that the air show was a great event. I saw alot of exciting events has well has seeing interesting duties and honor of our military men and women. The aircraft on display was fantastic and everyone envolved was very kind and helpfull.
The things that I think would make it even better fot the next time is haveing better directions to the airshow and and more local advertizement. The food tents were the biggest holdup. I do not mean this in a bad way at all, I am just saying that more lines and severers would have been better. I found out that these folke are volinteers that serve the food and drink and do this to raise money for kids in need. Well by GOD my hats off to you. Thank you 1 and all for a great job and a wonderful show.

My family and I thought that the airshow and static displays were amazing. We were occupied all day Saturday and the twilight airshow was fantastic. There seemed to be no shortage of adequate bathroom facilities and the fact that everything was free was the icing on the cake. This event helps enhance the bond between the Ft. Drum community and the Watertown and surrounding area and should continue. The only complaint we can muster is the lines at the concessions. We have no argument with the quality or prices of the food items just that it took so long to try to get something to eat. We think that in itself may have kept some people from even trying to get anything. The cooler rule should be re-worked as its sometimes hard to get kids to eat what the concessions provide and maybe 2 baby changing areas would be a good idea. Has anyone thought about the possibilities of selling folding camp chairs? I only wished I had an exclusive on that concession as I would have sold out. Overall it was fantastic and we will be back next year irregardless and it was the best free item we have ever received. Many Kudo's to all that were involved.

Graduation conflict are you for real? Do you have any idea how many things are going on in June on any given weekend on Fort Drum? once school is out, military families tend to go hometo visit their families. If fort Drum was going to take into account for every single event going on around them , the Air Show would never have happened. This was not the only graduation weekend! Also to those who complained about country music, I am not a fan either but, no matter what genre you get someone is not going to be happy! It was a FREE event! Enjoy it, how many of those ever happen? So you had long lines at the concessions, it happens! The fireworks happened a ways away, I am sure there was a good reason for it! It was most likely a safety reason, someone gets hurt, what is going to happen? Someone is going to sue! I am sure it will be a complainer on here! They are nice enough to open this up for " constructive criticism" and most of this is alot of boo hooing! Isn't anyone thankful for anything? For the people who actually enjoyed the event and had alot of positive, kudos to you!

It was the only disappointment for the entire weekend!! They would have been better displayed from a big screen with speaker system at the concert site. I couldn't even hear the fireworks over the complaints from all the other patrons at the event. I'm sure it had something to do with the Environmental Division from post and Airplane fuel or something though. At least let the location from which the fireworks were to be let off know so people can relocate closer or bring binoculars.

Other than that....EXCELLENT, and look forward to future events on Fort Drum!!

THANK YOU!!!

I met some really professional people that work for MWR, they were helpful, knowledgeable, and professional. Eugene Spencer, Terri Spencer, John Bernard, and Jim Arthur. These people deserve an AAM or something. Great job! Can't wait til next year.

The signage on Route 26 coming in from Lowville said "Right lane: VIP,handicap parking, etc. only". Another sign said "Center lane: General Parking". Most drivers stayed in the left lane until they got to the traffic light, where they had to make a last minute right lane change to enter the main road to the event. That signage should ONLY have been displayed on the main road once you turned at the light. It was on that main entrance road did you find 3 lanes...one on the right for VIP & handicap parking, a center lane for general parking and a third lane for exiting traffic. A simple sign saying "Turn Right for Air Show" on Rt. 26 would have been less cofusing.
Also, when the B-24 was started, security was having a tough time getting the crowd back from the prop wash behind the plane. It appeared that someone decided to get some short clothesline ropes to help push the crowd back to a grass area, safely behind the plane. Security appeared not to have experience in using rope lines. It was poorly handle with not enough security people able to handle all tne people walking back to their cars. Someone with a couple of bullhorns or a vehicle with a PA speaker would have been more effective in moving the crowd away from the back of the aircraft.
Otherwise it was a pretty good show...when are you going to bring in the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels?

I still don't understand how Mountainfest this year had Kick ball but not Soccer (number 1 sport in the world) or football (number 1 sport in the USA)

I've been to many airshows in my life (Niagara, Batavia, Oshkosh, etc.), but I have to admit I've never seen a twilight airshow...I really enjoyed it. Next year my dad (retired flight instructor) will attend with me and I hope there is another twilight show. Thanks to all the people involved in putting this show together, they truly put alot of hard work into it!!!

i loved mountainfest. my complaint would be to not make it on graduation weekend! i couldnt stay at mountainfest for very long because i was graduating and had parties all weekend. my grandma worked mountainfest so it made it harder on her with all of my activities that weekend also. and i didnt like the fact that the fireworks were so far away. you could barely see them and the music was so loud that you couldnt even hear them. and dont get me wrong, i love jo dee messina, but you had country music last year and this year, do you mind getting another genre of entertainers out here? for the other people who don't like country as much. bowling for soup was good, maybe others like that also.

I did not make last year's Mountainfest but was there for both days this year. The organizer's did an amazing job. Static Displays were fun to look at and well spaced out. There was stuff to do for all age groups and the air show was fabulous.

Things I would change:

Set up ropes for food vendors so you know who is in what line and space them further apart.

Move the fireworks closer

Have baby stations available

Post schedule of events and times in common areas

More Chairs in food areas

We throughly enjoyed the entire event this year and last.
The only dissapointment came through the comments made by Gov. Patterson: He took a perfect oppertunity for NYS to slaute the Military an turned it into a political statement.
Friends came from Rochester, Ilion, Syracuse, and Albany to attend the show, ALL commented on how much fun they had.
Please keep this a tradition as long as possible.
THANK YOU!

This is the second time that I have been to the MountainFest with my wife and children and you have never failed to entertain us all day. The combination of the salute with all the flags was very inspiring, along with the inspired mix of flying aircraft old and new.

Having the bleachers so close to the flight line was fantastic. We sat on the left hand side of the VIP area and had a great view, except when people right by the fencing stood up to take pictures...why do they do that?

I would like to see some different display teams; the A10 and Canadian CF18 were great, but perhaps we could see the F15, F16, F117, B1, B52 or other modern aircraft up there. Maybe we could even coax the Blue Angels or Thunderbirds to stop by? I know that is a big ask, but you never know.

My only real gripe, as mentioned by others, was the immense length of the lines to the concession stands. The access was limited and thus many people waited for a considerable amount of time. I was amazed that tempers did not flare, in all honesty.

Still, an outstanding event that showcased the dedication of all of those that serve the United States without ever questioning why they do what they do. Congratulations!

It was a fantastic event, a great family day event, affordable and very well organized. I also thought the concession could be improved, difficult for families with small children having to wait so long. I would suggest increasing the opportunity for non-profits to sell food or charge a "fee" for private concessions that could go to the MWR or FRG groups. This is typical for state and county fair concessions and could produce siginificant revenue. I am continually impressed by the men and women of the Armed Forces and really enjoyed every aspect of the show! Congratulations.

Great job done by all...only problem that I could see some improvement on was the long lines for the concession stands...other than that a great time was had and can't wait until next year....
from a very proud AF mom....Thank you!

The evcent would have been much better if we were permited to bring coolers and pack a lunch for our little ones. The lines for the FRG tents were insane. You all set up a nice "free" event and stick it to people with large families by mandating food be purchased by the FRG groups. I am curious about the sanitation of said tents. Were there food inspectors to ensure the food being sold was safe?

The event in and of it's self was great though.

Mountain fest was great,exept the no cooler rule,it was almost impossible to obtain food,lines with a wait of more then one hour and when it was finally my turn they were out of food and I had to wait another 20 minutes.Same to get a water or soda,you got to bend the rule somewhat.

Food prices were very reasonable. Lines were far too long. Waited with my children until after 10pm to see fireworks that were being shot off in "Watertown." They were so far away we couldn't even hear them.

Great day, we were there 10 hours and were never bored.

I have two small children and they had a blast. I was happy to see that there were many differences this year. Having the Memphis Belle was a big thrill for me. I had built a model of this B 17 when I was a kid and know so much about the crew and that aircraft. My kids and I were able to chat with many of the Soldiers and Airman at the displays and they helped to answers all of our questions. The only thing I can think of that I didn’t like was the chosen weekend.

It is a great family event! We have enjoyed it both years and looking forward to the next. However as a Nana who spends the time with the grand kids, I have one request. Please include a baby changing area as a stroller does not make the best place to change a child who likes to squiggle. Maybe pampers or huggies could sponsor the supplies and Fort Drum could offer a tent for privacy. The port-a-potties fill the needs for the adults but let’s not forget about the little ones

Great Program. Enjoyed it immensely. By 10th Grade it should be a manatory field trip for every boy and girl in America to see. However, you need more Concession Stands - lines far to long.

All in all great show.But a little dissapointed in the fireworks,way to far away,my kids were a little unhappy and so were alot of other kids and fams.Think they should pick a better location next time...Maybe a little closer.But other then that we had a great day and alot of fun.

I REALLY enjoyed the airshow and experiencing the base. The ONLY negative was on Sunday I was waiting in line for 20 minutes to see the cockpit of one of the small jets, and someone came over and said no more could view it. I was next in line and like I said, waited about 20 mins. to see it and snap a picture, and there were several people behind me waiting as well. They should determine a cut off and have a volunteer stand at the end of the line at the predetermined cut off so everyone that has waited has their chance. OTHER than that, it was a great day, a good experience and great prices....and I WILL return again (I live about 100 miles from Ft. Drum).

The Airshow was great this was the second year for me but my only comment was seeing it was on Fort Drum why did you not have your own ambulance covering your own show. Not an off post ambulance? Fort Drum Ambulance has some GREAT medic's and i think it would of Looked good to have your own covering your own show but other than that was a GREAT JOB and GREAT time, Thank You

First off, thank you for a great event to kick off the summer. My father attended last year and convinced my husband and I that we needed to go. My husband wasn't keen at first, but enjoyed himself in the end.

Getting to the air show was very easy. By the time we arrived there was quite a line but it was very well organized to get everyone in with as little trouble as possible. The air show was great. I had never seen one before but really enjoyed it.

I can't believe how affordable the food and beverages were. Thank you! My only complaint were the lines for concessions. Some lines were extremely long for young children or even adults. They were also confusing. When you did finally get your food though, it was great and the price was right. The only thing I would change is how the concessions were set up. Everything else was TERRIFIC, and to be honest, the concessions are a small price to pay for a great event like this.

My wife and I attended The Mountianfest air show and consert. I can't find the words to express the gratuide We feel to Fort Drum and all it's personal and staff to making this such an enjoyable event. Everything was so well planned out from the traffic routes in and out of the premisses, to the entertainment provided by the air show pilots to the music, and aircraft desplays. Thank you Us Army for all you've given back to our community. Everyone stay safe.

Very nice day for the family, the kids enjoyed it very much. We liked the fact that everything was spread out so that you didn't feel crowded and overwhelmed. The only problem was the concessions, this needs to be improved and also plenty of tables but not enough chairs.
Over all had a great time.

I DID NOT APPRECIATE SEEING A FULL SIZE CUBAN FLAG BEING WAVED BY AN INDIVIDUAL AND DISPLAYED ON A VEHICLE DURING THE CAR SHOW!!!! I find it appaling that this behavior was tolerated!!!!!!! I left the show enraged that this happened on a United States Army Base!

As far as the air show and displays I thought they were A++++

Gerry Thompson

PS if youd like a picture of this incident I'd gladly email it to you.

This was the second year I attended Mountainfest. It's great - if possible, better this year than last. It makes for an inexpensive, funfilled day that's great for adults and children. Wouldn't recommend changing one thing.

First, "Well done!" to everyone involved in the planning & execution. I sure you had your headaches, but the day came off flawlessly.

I arrived in time for the Salute to the Nation, a very moving and inspiring ceremony. It was fun to hear the cheers of support for each state as it was honored.

The folks manning the static displays were courteous, enthusiastic and informative.

The Air Show itself was a breath-taking display of exceptional skill combined with a passion for aviation. Maybe next year the cloud cover will be less of a factor, which limited the aircraft on Saturday afternoon to low altitude maneuvers only.

Ft. Drum and Northern New York share a unique relationship, fueled by mutual respect and nurtured with shared activities. This year's MountainFest was a great gathering of neighbors and a perfect opportunity to say "Welcome home!"

Thanks for throwing a sensational party!

I am so glad I went to MountainFest. Thank you Fort Drum so much. The Air Show was phenominal and Jo Dee Messina Rocked. My kids loved climbing in the military vehicles and planes. The one thing I wasn't happy with were the fireworks Saturday night, they were too far away and I missed most of them by the time I figured out where they were coming from.

This was my first visit to the Mountainfest and I can say I will be back.

I enjoyed the airshow a great deal,but the concessions,while plentiful and reasonably priced,weren't set up for the long lines.I couldn't tell where one line to a vendor started and where the next one ended.Something that might be improved for next year.

I liked the fact that that I was literally shaken awake from a leisurely Sunday afternoon nap by (what I presume was) a jet going supersonic over my house. Startled my wife and I, but it was cool!

I also liked the fact that I could clearly see the fireworks show from my home. A beautiful display!

I did not like the fact that I wasn't aware of Mountainfest until a week prior, and had other plans during most of the scheduled events... but that's my fault! We hope to be at the next one!

My family and I attended on Sunday and enjoyed all of it. We have a 5 year old that enjoyed himself as well. As a civilian it was nice to be able to attend and the fact that it was all free made it that much more enjoyable. We would have paid to get in.

Why was the concert only 1 hour long? The air show part was good, static displays could of have had more planes like the F-14, F-15,and helicopters like the Cobra helicopter, Apache Helicopter, but other then that overall good show.

I really can't say that I did not like anything at the mountain fest.The food offered there was very reasonable and It was really cool to see all the planes performing.I was there for about 3 hours on Sunday with my family and friends and we really enjoyed our selves a lot.

Iloved almost everything.the concert was great,the show was great.weather sat night could have been better.fireworks display was so far away could'nt here it and traffic was a nightmare.my son timothy mcgovern is security with air force at bagram surving third trip to iran and afgan.its always nice to see military and civilians enjoy time together.THANKS MUCH FOR MOUNTAINFEST please do it again maybe with trace adkins in concert

I HAVE NEVER SEEN A SHOW SO WELL PUT TOGETHER AS YOURS. FROM THE AIRCRAFT ON DISPLAY, TO THE
CONVERSATIONS WITH THE TROOPS - I HAVE NEVER ENJOYED A DAY LIKE SATURDAY. I COMMEND YOU AND
YOUR STAFF ON DOING SUCH A FINE JOB. THE AIR-SHOW ITSELF WAS TOP NOTCH, WITH THE PILOTS
REALLY TURNING IT UP! CAN'T WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR,AS I HAVE TOLD MANY PEOPLE WHO ALSO PLAN ON
ATTENDING. THE ONLY DRAW-BACK, WAS THE LINES FOR FOOD - THAT NEEDS ALITTLE BIT OF WORK.
THANKS AGAIN.......

Dear orginizers. I think that all was very well done. The only thing that may make better is if you explained the ease of entering post and how helpfull the troops are to the general public. Will make the troops and civilations more at ease and bring them closer. Thanks for the oppertunity to refect on all the good you do.
Thanks, Chris Palmer

I enjoyed many things about Mountain Fest. The fun family atmosphere and reasonably priced concessions are rare in this day and age. My main enjoyment was it gave me a chance to spend time with my wife and son and let them experience what the military is all about. I served three years at Ft. Drum and decided to stay after getting out. I would also like to thank all the soldiers who gave up there weekend to host this event. Every solider I came in contact with was polite and professional.

This being my first time attending I would like to say "Thank You" to all those people behind the scenes who made this such a great event to attend, I enjoyed the Hands on Military Displays, the Air Craft and shows, and the overall hospitality that was so openly displayed on the grounds by staff and volunteers.

Gary Wood
Carthage

This was my first year attending this event and was very impressed. Very well planned, looking forward to next year. Thought it was nice of Fort Drum to do this for the community.

Why on Earth did you guys schedule it graduation weekend? Me or my family didn't go because we had graduation/graduation parties to go to all weekend.

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