Rock County’s first Navy Week filled with fun activities

May 24 – 31 will be the area’s very first “Navy Week” celebration. Navy Week activities will help to kick off the 2009 Southern Wisconsin AirFEST, which will be held May 29 – 31 at Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport. Navy week activities will include memorial services, special appearances and performances by the Navy Concert Band, the Navy Rock Band Horizon, the Navy Parachute Team, Leap Frogs, and the Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron at AirFEST.

Navy Week activities will include Chief of Navy Reserve, Vice Admiral Dirk J. Debbink, speaking at area civic groups and schools as well as making appearances at community events. He will offer comments at a service recognizing the “Janesville 99” at 7:00 pm on Sunday, May 24^th at the Monuments, on the corner of West Milwaukee and Franklin Streets. 

The Navy Concert Band will hold a free public concert at Janesville Performing Arts Center (JPAC) on May 26th at 7:00 pm. Admission to the JPAC performance is free, but tickets are required. The tickets are available at JPAC and the Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (JACVB).  The JACVB is sponsoring this event.

The Navy Parachute Team, the Leap Frogs, will perform at local schools and other venues including the Southern Wisconsin AirFEST. The Leap Frogs are comprised of Navy SEALs, Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen or other naval special operations or naval special warfare team members. Throughout the week, area youths will be participating in the Rock County Area SEAL Fitness Challenge. Finalists will compete in the Southern Wisconsin AirFEST on May 30^th.

Topping off the week will be the Blue Angels’ performances at the Southern Wisconsin AirFEST. "The

Blues" are widely regarded as the world's premier flight demonstration performance team, and are making their first return trip to the area since their 2005 performance.

Navy Week Memorial Day Parade and Activities at Traxler Park

The Janesville Memorial Day Parade will begin at 11:30 am on Monday, May 25^th in downtown Janesville. The parade will include the 40-piece Navy Parade Band, the 65 member Navy Recruit Training Command 50 State Flag and Drill Team, a Navy Desert Patrol Vehicle and the Navy Sea Cadet Color Guard. The parade will conclude at Traxler Park with a memorial ceremony.

The Navy SEAL challenge will begin at 1:00 pm. At 2:00 pm the Navy Rock Band Horizon will perform. Horizon plays musical standards ranging from classic rock, to funk, to contemporary top 40 hits with a touch of showmanship that will leave people pleasantly surprised that the band is comprised of uniformed active-duty Navy Sailors. From 1:00 – 5:00 pm attendees can feel firsthand what it’s like to be an aviator by taking a ride in a flight simulator. All Memorial Day activities at the park are free of charge and open to the public.

Navy Weeks serve to bring a concentration of Navy assets and personnel to Middle America where there is not a significant Navy presence, allowing community members the opportunity to see and experience "their" Navy. Navy Weeks are coordinated through the Navy Office of Community Outreach (NAVCO), and Rock County is one of the 21 locations selected to host a Navy Week this year. For more information about Navy Week visit http://www.navyweek.org/rockcounty/index.html.

The JACVB is a private non-profit Destination Marketing Organization, whose mission is “to lead, support and promote tourism in the area by promoting Janesville as a prime destination for meetings and conventions, motorcoach and leisure travelers, thereby creating a positive economic impact on the community and enhancing the quality of life.” The JACVB is funded by local hotel room tax and receives 37.5% of the room tax collected by the City of Janesville with the remainder going into the city’s general fund.