MCB Quantico -- The base will celebrate this year’s Fourth of July as it did last year, with a barbecue at the 50-Meter Pool, as well as bowling and a movie at Little Hall.
Admission to the pool will be free for the day, and the party, including a live DJ and food for sale, will run from noon to 6 p.m. Beginning at 2 p.m., a rock wall, two moon bounces and a Whirlybird Ride will be set up in the pool’s parking lot.
Gary Gutshall, the base recreation operations manager, said budget cuts will not allow organizers to offer free food, as they did last year. “We still want to make it a good deal for everybody,” he said. “We made the price minimal, but we needed to recoup some of the expenses.”
The Clubs at Quantico will sell hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, watermelon, corn on the cob, ice cream and drinks at the event.
Last year, more than 500 people attended the pool party over the course of the day, which Gutshall said is about as many as the facility can handle. “A little more than 400 is capacity at the swimming pool, and we hit capacity a couple of times.”
Some revelers will have to wait to get into the pool if it reaches capacity again this year, he said. “We regret that, but it’s for everyone’s health and safety.”
At Little Hall, the Bowling Center will offer a glow-bowling special of $5 for two games and shoes from 4 to 8 p.m., and the Little Hall Theater will show a $1 movie at 6:30 p.m. The movie has not yet been determined.
With Lunga Park still closed, the base will not stage a fireworks display. For those who want to end their evening with a bang, the Fredericksburg fireworks display will start at 9:15 p.m. and can be viewed from Old Mill Park or Pratt Park. The Manassas fireworks, also starting at 9:15, can be seen from the Old Town Manassas Train Depot and the Manassas Museum lawn.
— Writer: mdicicco@quanticosentryonline.com