Museum Presents 29th Annual M*A*S*H Bash

M*A*S*H made its annual comeback at the March Field Air Museum (MFAM) Oct. 5 as several Captain Hawkeye Pierces casually appeared at the grounds of the museum to support the annual M*A*S*H Bash. Though it was only for an evening, M*A*S*H characters filled the MFAM grounds, where participants enjoyed a variety of food, wines, performances, and seized the opportunity to participate in several auctions. The M*A*S*H Bash is the museum’s annual fundraiser, now in its 29th year. The museum’s major annual event, it is hosted in an effort to raise enough money for new educational programs both within the museum and within the community. Though a traditional event for nearly 30 years, the museum has only hosted the event for the last five, taking the event under its wing from the community hospital. Funds raised go toward an educational fund, which helps improve the museum and contributes to the development of new educational programs on military, aviation or space history. Many event leaders stressed the importance of this type of education, emphasizing the idea that educational opportunities in these areas are crucial to the preparation of America’s youth as future leaders. Skip Goetz, facilities manager at MFAM, said, “What we’re really trying to do at the museum is provide a basis for education for young people to come and understand the history of the Air Force, to get them interested in and, possibly, bring them into the Air Force. It’s really all about the education of the younger folks, [and] to get them to understand their past and how they can contribute to the future.” This year’s M*A*S*H Bash included local restaurant samplings (including those from Sweet BOB’s BBQ Restaurant, Chick-Fil-A, and Jose’s Mexican Food, to name a few), beverage samplings provided by Vindemia Winery, a special performance by the San Diego Chargers cheerleaders, a live band performance given by Brigitte and the Dynamic Brothers, and a live and silent auction. Additionally, the event provided refreshments through a prototype of Rosie’s Bar, a very famous setting in the hit 1970’s T.V. sitcom M*A*S*H. Many attended to support MFAM, including Riverside City Mayor Rusty Bailey and current and retired military men and women literally participating in the M*A*S*H theme and dressed in themed costumes. Patricia Korzec, Museum Director, said, “People enjoy the evening. It is a lot of fun. You will see them dressed in costumes, dressing up as different characters from M*A*S*H.” Event coordinators also acknowledged and expressed gratitude and support toward fellow military members, as the museum itself is located near the March Field Reserve Base and displays historic military and aviation artifacts. “We are an aviation museum and are not part of the Air Force, but there is an Air Force base located right next to us. We do support their activities and also carry out their Air Force aviation themes in our many exhibits. Many Air Force members come to this event,” Korzec added. M*A*S*H is the recurring theme of the event every year, and it was purposefully chosen for its rich mixture of both aviation and military history. The event was also somewhat of a gathering, bringing together many generations of families carrying on the legacies of many military heroes throughout history. Many people attending were either currently military men/woman serving, retired veterans, or even third generation family members to past military figures, dating all the way back to World War II. Stan Wolcot, a military-affiliated family member, said, “I’m a big supporter of the museum because [March Field Reserve Base] is where my dad began his military career. My dad served in the Air Force for 27 years, and he’s actually still with us, turning 94 years old in April. I was a 4F during Vietnam so I didn’t serve but our son is currently in the Marines, so he’s making up for it.” In line with the event’s diverse guests were also people who were not affiliated with the military attending as well. Riverside resident Francisco Lacy, accompanied by his friend Joclyn Baldassarre, added to Wolcot’s excitement concerning the event. Lacy said, “We came out here to support the museum simply because we love aviation and military history.” Many museum volunteers are also veterans or simply enjoy the historical aspects the museum brings to the community. Bob Pieksma shared his reason for volunteering at MFAM and his love for aviation when he said, “I just love airplanes. I’ve been building model airplanes since I was 9 years old. I actually have a pilot’s license and worked at the Long Beach airport for five or six years.” Event planning required teamwork and thorough planning, according to Board of Directors member Roger Pupp. “To put on this event took … great team effort to put all this together. It is our one biggest event of the year, so we want it to be good,” said Pupp, who served with the Marine Corps for four years. Throughout the years the museum has been a big supporter of education, constantly trying to find ways to improve educational programs within the museum, and especially within the community. MFAM acknowledges the importance of a good educational foundation on the history of exploration, innovation, and American history. Among one of the most anticipated educational activities and programs the museum has helped develop is the celestial space dome, according to board member Bill Berg. “It’s a half dome, about 30 ft in diameter and inflatable by air. It was here a few months ago. It had the assembly of the space station and the skies and stars above us. We managed to [raise] $30,000 and buy that celestial sphere. Now we’re going to take it around the area to different schools. It is a marvelous display and makes a wonderful learning tool,” said Berg, who served in the Air Force for 33 years. The museum will now gear up to plan and host next year’s M*A*S*H Bash, the 30th annual event.