The Fort Belvoir Bowling Center was the center for fun recently as the Fairfax-Lee Chapter of the Association of the United States Army held its annual Celebrate the Army–Family Fun Night.

Close to 150 service and family members attended this free event hosted by the the AUSA chapter.

In addition to free cosmic bowling, there was a complimentary Virgin BBQ dinner with chicken quarters, pulled pork, cole slaw, and baked beans. The event kicked off at 6:30 p.m. and lasted three hours.

Those who braved the rain and thunder storms to be there were welcomed by Ken Britt, chapter president, Kathy Callahan, first vice president, and other members of the chapter’s Board of Directors.

Attendees made new friends, and learned a little about the Fairfax-Lee Chapter and AUSA.

If they had a lucky ticket they went home at the end of the night with one of many a door-prizes – including four tickets to an upcoming Washington Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves game.

Strikes and spares were in abundance throughout the evening with friendly competition up and down the lanes. As one uniformed attendee put it, “The most family friendly military event we’ve attended. There was something for everyone – soldiers, former soldiers, spouses and military kids. Wonderful way to recognize military families and demonstrate the values of AUSA.”

“Amazing” and “fantastic” were additional superlatives used to describe attendee’s experiences. Much of the accolades for the night can also be attributed to the Bowling Center staff who went above and beyond to make sure everyone’s needs were accommodated.

The Fairfax-Lee Chapter and its over 4,000 members serves and supports the Army community from Fort Belvoir, located on the scenic Potomac River, to other areas all the way to the rolling foot hills of West Virginia.

The chapter has been serving soldiers, Army civilians, and Army families since 1972.

Family Fun Night is just one of the annual events the chapter hosts to demonstrate its appreciation for the service and sacrifice soldiers and their families. Other chapter events include June’s Scholarship Awards luncheon and December’s Salute to Soldiers Holiday Celebration.

The Fairfax-Lee chapter also hosts monthly Last Wednesday Socials. Part mixer, part information exchange, part networking, Last Wednesdays are always fun and informative. Check out all upcoming chapter events on Facebook @ausa.fairfaxLee or on the chapter website: https://www.ausa.org/chapters/fairfax-lee-chapter

Chapter officials said, “Last, but certainly not least, a huge shout-out to our event sponsors: Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Tobin Seven Realtor. Our gratitude and thanks for your generosity.”