The fourth annual Awesome Wassom Cool Kooky Costume 5K will take place at the Little Rock Air Force Base on June 2.
The race is dedicated to the memory of Master Sgt. Dan Wassom, a loadmaster in the Arkansas Air National Guard who died in the April 27, 2014, Vilonia tornado while protecting his daughter Lorelai, who survived the storm.
The race is open to anyone with base access and will start at 8 a.m. in front of Building 118.
Brandon Lee, Voodoo Association president, said those who can’t attend can still donate to the cause or purchase a Missing Man T-shirt.
“We have donated to Wreaths Across America, to a needy family during Thanksgiving, and this year, we’re setting up a scholarship in Dan Wassom’s name,” Lee said.
“We welcome all ages and any kind of costume for the theme that year. This year, it is Hollywood-themed again,” Lee said.
“The tragedy that Dan Wassom and his family experienced put the wing in gear to make sure they were taken care of during that difficult time,” Lee said.
“At the time of [the race’s] creation, I was not in the unit. It was primarily a vision of our outgoing wing commander and Dan’s fellow loadmasters that put the initial race together. Since then, it’s kind of spawned into something bigger and better each year,” Lee said.
“Runners and Missing Man participants receive a T-shirt and a goodie bag of various discounts from around the area,” Lee said.
Registration is $25 for adults and $15 for children. Missing Man shirts are also $15.
“The run is funded primarily through donations from the area. We do not have any major sponsors for the Awesome Wassom 5K, just the Voodoo Association that puts it on,” Lee said.
“I see the event as something that brings the whole wing together in remembrance of a true hero,” Lee said.
Lee said his favorite part of the race is seeing everyone come together toward a common goal while having fun and taking a break from the day-to-day norm.
Pam Wassom, Dan Wassom’s mother, said she’s in charge of putting together the bags for runners.
“I also put together the winners’ bags for first-place male, first-place female and first-place costume,” Wassom said.
“They put together the first Awesome Wassom Cool Kooky Costume 5K about six weeks after his death,” Wassom said. “It was really quick and quite successful.”
“The first year, all of the money went toward victims of the tornado. The second year, [the money] benefited a sick guardsman. Last year, they donated to Wreaths Across America, and this year, most of it will go to the Awesome Wassom Scholarship Fund,” she said.
“Dan was just one of those people who was larger than life. He was so outgoing. There was never a stranger,” Wassom said.
“My son had a wonderful sense of humor,” she said.
Wassom said Dan’s nickname was Bud.
“We all called him Bud,” she said.
“That boy always had a nickname for everybody,” Wassom said, laughing.
“I didn’t know anybody who disliked him. He absolutely loved being a husband and father. He was the best dad ever. He did everything he could with those girls,” she said.
“He made a big impact on people,” Wassom said. “I guess if you’re going to die, what better way to go than protecting your baby?”
Wassom said Dan’s wife, Suzanne Wassom, was shielding their daughter Sydney while Dan shielded their daughter Lorelai during the tornado. Suzanne and Sydney also survived the storm.
Lorelai was 5 years old, and Sydney was 7 years old at the time.
Wassom said the run is a way to bring the Guard together and have some fun.
“I put together some pretty good winners’ bags,” Wassom said. “They are worth at least $500.”
Wassom said local businesses in the area donate gift cards, coupons and more for the bags.
Wassom said businesses that donate include The Dixie Cafe in Cabot, Brick Oven Pizza Co. in Cabot, Mean Pig BBQ, Prater-Built Cabinets and Doors, and Young’s Tire and Auto, among others.
“The race shirts always have a saying that Bud would say on them,” Wassom said. “A ‘Wassom-ism’ is what somebody called it,” she said, laughing.
“This year it’s ‘Viva la Revolution,’” Wassom said. “I think he and I were probably the only two to use that one back and forth.”
“Everybody is invited who can get on base,” she said. “You don’t have to be in the military to come.”
Wassom said participants in the past have dressed up as The Incredibles, The Addams Family and characters from MAS*H.
“This run means my son is never going to be forgotten,” Wassom said. “It honors his memory.”
Staff writer Kayla Baugh can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or kbaugh@arkansasonline.com.