Sailors assigned to the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard Drill Team perform at the Montana Fair during Navy Week Montana in Billings on Aug. 15, 2017. Navy Week programs serve as the Navy’s principal outreach effort in areas of the country without a significant Navy presence. Among the cities hosting this year will be Huntsville, Ala. (James Vazquez/U.S. Navy)
(Tribune News Service) — Dozens of sailors will descend on Huntsville, Ala., beginning Monday for seven days of activities to mark the first Navy week in the Rocket City.
The kickoff is set for the U.S. Space & Rocket Center at 5:30 p.m. Monday, according to a release from the service Navy Office of Community Outreach, which also posted additional details on its website.
Each year, Navy Week is held in 15 communities, targeting cities without a significant naval presence. While this would be the first time Huntsville is hosting Navy Week, Montgomery, Mobile, and Birmingham have all hosted the event before.
Activities this week include more than 50 sailors participating in community service projects, musical performances, STEM events, and public appearances to “inform, educate, and inspire.”
Carolyn Shelby McGilvray, a Montevallo native and Cyber Warfare Technician 2nd Class, said, “This Navy Week is important to me because it gives me a chance to tell others about my experiences in the Navy, and it gives a real look into the opportunities the Navy has provided me.”
This week, sailors will volunteer with several nonprofits, including the Boys & Girls Clubs, Downtown Rescue Mission, Manna House Food Distribution, Huntsville Community Drumline, Next Step Farms, Food Bank of North Alabama, 305 Eighth Street Community, Habitat for Humanity, Operation Making a Difference, Sleep in Heavenly Peace and Huntsville Botanical Garden.
Sailors coming include those from different combat ships, the recruiters and the ceremonial guard. Others are the Navy Bureau of Medicine, Naval History and Heritage Command, Navy Band Southeast, Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center, Navy eSports, and The Strike Group virtual reality activation.
These are a some of the outlined activities:
• Navy Band Southeast Performances — Multiple dates and venues, including Burritt on the Mountain, Lowe Mill, and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center
• Earth Day Community Clean-Up — Tuesday, 4–6:00 p.m.
• Military Salute Night at Panoply Arts Festival — Friday, 5–9:00 p.m.
• Arbor Day 5K & Sapling Fun Run — April 26, 7–10:30 a.m.
• STEM & History Experiences — Featuring the Navy’s Meteorology & Oceanography Command, Naval History & Heritage Command, and more.
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