Corps outlines inaugural Marine Week event - Marine Corps News, news from Iraq - Marine Corps Times

Corps outlines inaugural Marine Week event

The Marine Corps outlined details Monday for its inaugural Marine Week, saying that nearly 2,000 Marines will participate in a week-long series of demonstrations, concerts and outreach efforts in Chicago beginning May 11.

The event will begin with a dedication ceremony at Daley Plaza and conclude May 17 with activities at Navy Pier, the 3,300-foot-long tourist attraction on Lake Michigan that is surrounded by restaurants, sculptures and a 150-foot Ferris wheel.

“Established to recognize the contributions of local Marine heroes, their families, and the cities from which they came, Marine Week also showcases the rich history and traditions of our beloved Corps,” Commandant Gen. James Conway said in a statement. “This is the first of many celebrations honoring country and Corps in cities across the nation.”

Marine officials first disclosed plans for Marine Week to Marine Corps Times in February, after numerous Marine officers from the Washington, D.C., area traveled to Chicago to brainstorm with city officials.

Maj. David Romley, the Corps’ director of community relations, said in February that the event is similar to Fleet Week, a Navy-led outreach effort that also involves the Corps and Coast Guard. Fleet Week events are held annually in cities across the U.S., particularly in New York City, where it was romanticized in the television show “Sex in the City.”

The event is designed to give the Corps a stronger presence in the Midwest and Chicago, where there aren’t as many Marines.

“We’ve got relationships in places like California and North Carolina, but we don’t have a lot of great relationships in a lot of other places in the country beyond our inspector-instructor staff,” Romley said. “We don’t get to a lot of other places in the country, and I think we feel a responsibility to try and get to those places.”

A schedule of events released Monday includes the following:

Monday, May 11

• Marines volunteer to restore Levin Park (8 a.m.)

• Marine Week Dedication Ceremony at Daley Plaza, headed by Brig Gen. Melvin Spiese, who is a Chicago native and commander of Quantico, Va.-based Training and Education Command (10 a.m.)

Tuesday, May 12

• Marines volunteer to restore Riis Park (8 a.m.)

• Performances by the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon, “The Commandant’s Own” Marine Drum and Bugle Corps at Oak Park and River Forest High School Stadium (6 p.m.)

Wednesday, May 13

• Marines volunteer at Cornerstone Community Outreach Center (8 a.m.)

• Performances by the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon, “The Commandant’s Own” Marine Drum and Bugle Corps at Soldier Field (3 p.m. and 7 p.m.)

Thursday, May 14

• Marines volunteer with Habitat for Humanity

Friday, May 15

• Marines appear at Navy Pier all day, with robotics, technology and vehicle displays, Martial Corps Martial Arts Program demonstrations and a performance by the Marine band from the Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, Calif.

• Marines appear at Arlington Park racetrack all day, with aviation, technology and vehicle displays

Saturday, May 16

• Marine Band Concert at Navy Pier, Skyline Stage (8 p.m.)

• Marines at Navy Pier all day, with many of the same displays and events featured Friday

• Marines at Arlington Park racetrack all day, with many of the same displays shown Friday

Sunday, May 17

• Marines at Navy Pier all day, with many of the same displays and events featured Friday and Saturday

• The Twentynine Palms Marine Band performs from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at Skyline Stage

• Marines at Arlington Park racetrack all day, with aircraft demonstrations, technology and vehicle displays and performances by the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon and “The Commandant’s Own” Marine Drum and Bugle Corps (shows and demonstrations from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.)

Related reading

• Corps announces Fleet Week