Winter is coming, but JBER’s annual plow parade shows what it’s up against
Inside the Gates: It’s a tradition that has continued for over 25 years
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson put its snow-clearing crews and equipment on display this week as part of its annual JBER Snow Parade event on base.
A convoy consisting of 27 varying types of snow removal equipment lined up outside of the Arctic Warrior Events Center Monday as active-duty personnel and military families lined the sidewalks to watch the parade start.
Airfield Clearing Equipment Supervisor Frank Hacecky, who’s been involved with the event since 2011, led the parade through the installation.
“We get together with all the commanders on the installation on JBER and we brief them about the upcoming winter, what the snow removal priorities and the snow ops are, and after the briefing is over with, we do an annual snow parade with all of our snow equipment,” Hacecky said. “Just to let everybody know that we’re ready to go for the winter season.”
According to Hacecky, the parade has been a tradition on base for over 25 years.
This year’s snow parade, however, almost got axed due to the impending government shutdown that Congress managed to avoid with a continuing resolution two days prior to the event.
The parade serves as a way to showcase not only the fleet of equipment but also the active-duty and civil service workers who work around the clock during the winter months to keep JBER operational.
Rainy conditions kept the crowds fairly modest for this year’s event, but Hacecky said low turnout does not discourage crews from taking part in the march.
“We will always do our snow parade then move on to doing our snow removal all winter long, because we’re a 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week shop through the winter months,” Hacecky said. “All the holidays — everything — we do not close. It’s so important to keep the mission going here at JBER.”
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