Navy to host Virtual Navy Week in Buffalo June 14-20

Story by Lt. Kimberly King, U.S. Navy
Event Planning Department, Navy Office of Community Outreach

(NNS) To help Americans stay connected to their Navy while staying safe at home, the Navy Office of Community Outreach will bring a virtual Navy Week to Buffalo, New York, June 14-20.

Navy Weeks are the service’s signature outreach program that enable the Navy to build and strengthen ties to the community, with over 250 Navy Weeks held in more than 80 different U.S. markets. Transformed to a virtual event as part of the nation’s ongoing COVID-19 mitigation efforts, the Buffalo virtual Navy Week will include live events on social media, demonstrations, interviews, and local media coverage of:

√ Senior Navy Leaders – Flag officer and senior civilian Navy leaders with ties to Buffalo and surrounding area

√ Hometown Heroes – Videos and live events featuring New York natives serving in the Navy

√ Navy Band Northeast - Virtual performances and masterclasses with Navy musicians

√ Naval History and Heritage Command – Educational conversations and lesson plans about the deep ties between Buffalo, New York, and the Navy

√ USS Constitution – Live, virtual tours aboard the oldest commissioned ship in the Navy

√ Navy Parachute Demonstration Team – Conversations and skydiving events with the Leap Frogs

√ Navy Meteorology and Oceanography – Undersea robotics and STEM classes

√ Many other education-focused groups and events

Due to the virtual nature of Navy Week Buffalo, participants and viewers will be able to interact with sailors and units they may not otherwise have the opportunity to engage with due to physical location.

“While we greatly value and cherish our face-to-face interactions with the public, everyone’s health and safety are our top concern,” said the Navy Office of Community Outreach Director Cmdr. John Fage. “Our virtual Navy Week in Buffalo will allow us to show everyone what their Navy does for them and why their Navy is so important, while ensuring they remain safe. We are excited to continue connecting with the communities we belong to and serve and are looking forward to a great Navy Week.”

Held in lieu of an in-person event, the virtual Navy Week will mark the first time since 2012 that a Navy Week has been held in Buffalo.

For more information on 2021 virtual and in-person Navy Weeks, visit http://outreach.navy.mil.