Navy Week underway in Richmond region

Monday marked the beginning of Metro Richmond’s first Navy Week, an education and social engagement effort coordinated by The Navy Office of Community Outreach.

“Richmond Navy Week will bring between 50 and 75 Sailors from across the nation to volunteer throughout the community and discuss why the Navy matters to Richmond,” according to the NAVCO website.

The event calendar features a wide array of programs from concerts and festivals to museum visits and community service projects.

“We are very excited to bring Navy Week to Richmond,” NAVCO’s director, Commander John Fage, said. “Navy Weeks give us the opportunity to help connect Americans to their Navy. We are looking forward to safely and responsibly building those connections in the Richmond area and showing everyone why their Navy is so important.”

Tuesday and Wednesday provide Navy sailors and Richmond-area residents many chances to come together and serve the community, with volunteer opportunities at Feed More Food Pantry and Habitat for Humanity.

“Our Navy has a long and storied tradition of service and humanitarian support around the world,” Lieutenant Joel Borrelli-Boudreau said. “Our Navy Weeks are part of that service ethos.”

“As guests in these cities, we believe that it is vitally important that we lend our time, talent and labor to the welfare of those citizens that need it the most."

Thursday will be lively and celebratory with events like a concert at the Children’s Museum of Richmond and other performances at the Dominion Riverrock Sports and Music Festival.

Richmond Navy Week will feature performances from two musical groups from the U.S. Fleet Forces Band; “The Navigators” a New Orleans style brass band and The Woodwind Quintet, a versatile chamber music group, Borrelli-Boudreau said.

The music will continue into Friday when The Navigators are scheduled to perform at Kings Dominion Park and the Navy Woodwind Quintet will perform again at the American Civil War Museum.

Borelli-Boudreau explained that The Navigators were chosen to play because of the excitement and energy that their music genre sparks across age groups.

“After all," he said, "who doesn’t love an energetic rollicking New Orleans Brass Band?”

The Woodwind Quintet was selected for their versatility and their ability to capture audiences in intimate settings, Borelli-Boudreau said

Other events were curated for mature audiences, like Thursday’s Civil War naval history presentation.

Three lectures will celebrate the legacy of Vice Admiral Samuel L. Gravely Jr., the U.S. Navy’s first Black flag officer and Richmond native. The lectures will be held  Tuesday at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture; Wednesday at the Westminster and Canterbury Community; and Thursday at the Black History Museum.

“These lectures will be given by Dr. Regina Akers, a historian from the Naval History and Heritage Command,” Borelli-Boudreau explained. “On Thursday, May 19, we have the distinct honor of hosting Vice Admiral Gravely’s daughter, Ms. Tracey Gravely, who will share the podium with Dr. Akers.”

The Navy Day event at The Virginia Museum of History and Culture at 5 p.m. Tuesday is what the Sailors are most excited about, Borelli-Boudreau said.

Navy presentations are scheduled to take place on Thursday at Henrico High School and on both Thursday and Friday at Varina High School.

“To our Sailors, every event is a unique opportunity to tell their Naval journey, especially in the high schools,” Borelli-Boudreau said.

Two Navy admirals and Richmond natives helped curate the week's schedule: Rear Admiral Adam Kijek, Director of Operations and Plans in The Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, and Vice Admiral Frank Whitworth, Chief for Intelligence on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. These admirals, Borelli-Boudreau explained, will support engagements with Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and other high-ranking Richmond officials.

“We are very fortunate to have created strong collaborations throughout Richmond and wish to maintain and develop these relationships,” Borelli-Boudreau said.  “Through these collaborations, we seek to bring a greater level of awareness of our Navy to the people of Richmond.”