Norfolk’s Nauticus is getting a makeover as it nears $21.5 million fundraising goal By Sandra J. Pennecke Inside Business Feb 14, 2023 at 1:14 pm NORFOLK — Nauticus is getting a makeover — the first significant investment in its exhibits and educational programming since it opened in 1994. The maritime-themed science center and museum on Waterside Drive in downtown Norfolk began its Reimagine Nauticus campaign in January 2020 with a $21.5 million capital fundraising goal to finance its redesign. With close to 80% of its goal met, the campaign is now in its public phase. Stephen Kirkland, Nauticus president and CEO, said in a news release that the transformation will include the entire exhibit space and visitor areas. “We’re developing an interactive maritime discovery center like no other,” Kirkland said. The Ohio-based exhibit design firm, Roto, will work in conjunction…
Hampton Roads military plays a big part in Chinese balloon take-down A Langley AFB F-22 fires the missile while three Hampton Roads-based Navy ships are leading the effort to recover the wreckage. Author: Mike Gooding NORFOLK, Va. — Members of the Hampton Roads military played key roles in the takedown and recovery of the suspected Chinese spy balloon. The Pentagon said the device was carrying sensors and surveillance equipment, was maneuverable, and showed it could change course. The United States shot the orb down over the weekend after it made its way off the coast of South Carolina and six miles out over the Atlantic Ocean. A posting on the Department of Defense website said an F-22 Raptor fighter from the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base fired one AIM-9X Sidewinder missile at the balloon. The DOD release…
Naval Station Norfolk welcomes 1st Black female commanding officer By Caitlyn Burchett The Virginian-Pilot Capt. Janet Days will become the 51st commanding officer of Naval Station Norfolk, making her the first Black female to hold the position in the installation’s 106-year history. A change of command ceremony will be held Friday morning. Days will relieve Capt. David Dees, who will assume duties as the Chief of Staff for Commander of Navy Region Mid-Atlantic. Days graduated from Old Dominion University in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in business. She earned a master’s degree in business administration from the Naval Postgraduate School and the Naval War College command and staff diploma. She also is a graduate of Joint and Combined Warfighting School at Joint Forces Staff College and is a qualified joint specialty officer. Days has been awarded the Defense Meritorious Service…
ARE YOU READY TO LEVEL UP? NAUTICUS TO EXPLORE THE ART & SCIENCE OF VIDEO GAMES January 11, 2023 Visitors will test their skills and explore over 120 of the most influential video games. Norfolk, VA.– On Saturday, January 28, Nauticus’ 6500 square foot exhibit gallery will be transformed into a one-of-a-kind video game arcade with the opening of the international exhibit, Game Changers. Developed and produced by subject experts from Ingenium – Canada’s Science and Technology Museum, and managed by Science North, Game Changers takes visitors on a fascinating journey to discover how innovation has shaped the video game industry while exploring 120 of the most influential games. “This exhibit has a universal appeal,” said Stephen Kirkland, Nauticus’ CEO & President “I’m pumped up to play Pac Man, my eleven-year-old daughter can’t wait to learn more about Sonic, and video game afficionados will love the more in-depth tech…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Norfolk Festevents Announces 2023 Season of Events Tickets on sale now at Festevents.org Release Date: Monday, January 9, 2023 Tickets: bit.ly/FesteventsTix Norfolk, VA – Norfolk Festevents has officially unveiled its 2023 Season of Events, marking the organization’s 41st season of dynamic waterfront festivals, events, and celebrations. The action-packed slate begins in early May with the 15th Annual Spring Town Point Virginia Wine Festival (May 6 & 7), followed by the 33rd Annual Bayou Boogaloo Cajun Music & Food Festival (May 19-21). Tickets for both festivals, as well as for additional ticketed events, are on sale now at bit.ly/FesteventsTix. The 47th Annual Norfolk Harborfest: Music, Food & Maritime Festival (June 9-11), the nation’s longest-running, free maritime festival, takes over the Downtown Norfolk Waterfront in early June with the Parade of Sail, live music, a fireworks show, family programming,…
Media Contact: Jordan Lett Email: [email protected] Phone: 757-441-2345 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Celebrate Juneteenth in the Park on Saturday, June 18 at Town Point Park Date: Monday, June 13, 2022 Website: bit.ly/JuneteenthPark2022 Norfolk, VA – The 2nd Annual Juneteenth in the Park Celebration will be held Saturday, June 18, from noon to 5pm at Town Point Park along the Downtown Norfolk Waterfront. The event is free & open to the public and will feature on-site job interviews, health & financial wellness & career education, complimentary lunch, music, presentations, thousands of dollars in prizes, and much more. Visit bit.ly/JuneteenthPark2022 for more information. “The best way to celebrate this American holiday is to provide resources that can lead to economic empowerment,” said event organizer and Bibbs Firm CEO Mary Bibbs. “This year we chose to add a…
Media Contact: Jordan Lett Email: [email protected] Phone: 757-441-2345 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Norfolk Harborfest Makes Grand Return to Downtown Norfolk Waterfront June 10-12 Date: Thursday, June 2, 2022 Website: bit.ly/Harborfest2022 Norfolk, VA – The 46th Annual Norfolk Harborfest: Music, Food & Maritime Festival makes its grand return to Town Point Park along the Downtown Norfolk Waterfront Friday-Sunday, June 10-12, 2022. America’s largest, longest-running, free maritime festival, Harborfest celebrates & encapsulates all of the unique elements that make Norfolk & Hampton Roads a historic maritime & Naval community. On both land and sea, thrilling activities and live music take center stage at Harborfest, including the annual Parade of Sail featuring tall ships, one of the largest fireworks shows on the East Coast, a mesmerizing drone show, interactive family games & activities, Navy exhibits and demonstrations, artisan foods…
PRESS RELEASE Release date: May 24, 2022 For more information: Allie Wood, Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Nauticus (757) 664-1046 [email protected] Iconic Racing Vessel Docks at Nauticus Memorial Day Weekend Meet the crew and tour the record-breaking Maiden. Norfolk, Va. (May 24, 2022) — The world-famous British yacht Maiden will arrive at Nauticus’ pier on May 27, 2022, as part of her world tour raising awareness for girls’ education in STEM fields. Maiden’s crew was the first all-female team to participate in the Whitbread Round the World Race and today are global ambassadors for the empowerment of women and girls in education. Throughout the weekend, Maiden will be available for tours. On May 27 and 28, Nauticus will screen the Maiden documentary in the Living Sea Landing Theater at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The award-winning documentary follows the original crew as…
MEDIA RELEASE Release date: May 12, 2022 For more information: Rehn West, Development Director, Nauticus (757) 228-2796 [email protected] Largest Cruise Ship to Sail from Norfolk Arrives Sunday Carnival resumes operations with 4,000-passenger vessel Norfolk, Va. (May 12, 2022) — Mid-Atlantic cruisers will have their first chance to sail from Norfolk since 2019 as the 4,000-passenger Carnival Magic arrives at Nauticus on Sunday, May 15, 2022. This marks the first embarkation from the mermaid city since the COVID-19 pandemic began; the Carnival Magic is the largest cruise ship ever to sail from Virginia. “We’re ready to welcome back our partners at Carnival and roll out the red carpet for these passengers,” said Nauticus’ executive director, Stephen E. Kirkland. “This particular ship is just massive, and the downtown skyline will look dramatically different when it arrives.” Carnival Cruise Line officials will join the Nauticus…
Subject: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Celebrate the Battleship Wisconsin’s 78th on April 16 at Nauticus One Waterside Drive, Norfolk, VA 23510 | www.nauticus.org | (757) 664-1000 PRESS RELEASE Release date: April 4, 2022 For more information: Allie Wood, Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Nauticus 757) 664-1046 (O) (757) 284-5529 (C) [email protected] MEDIA RELEASE: Celebrate the Battleship Wisconsin’s 78th on April 16 Norfolk, Va. (April 14, 2022) — Join Nauticus for the Battleship Wisconsin’s 78th birthday! On April 16, 2022, enjoy live entertainment and performances, meet Wisconsin veterans and tour newly interpreted spaces, like Senior Officer’s Country! Additionally, guided tours such as Life in the Engine Room are now available for the first time since 2020. Visitors can grab a snack or treat in our front loop with Cast Iron Catering and Rita’s Italian Ice food trucks. Battleship Birthday Programming Includes: Newly interpreted interior spaces,…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: USCGC EAGLE Returns to Norfolk for First Tall Ship Visit of 2022 Date: Monday, March 7, 2022 Website: Festevents.org/events/2022/eagle/ Norfolk, VA – The 295-foot USCGC EAGLE, the flagship of the U.S. Coast Guard, has announced its grand return to the Downtown Norfolk Waterfront from Friday, March 18, 2022, to Monday, March 21, 2022, marking the first tall ship visit to the Mermaid City of 2022. The USCGC EAGLE is a three-masted barque used as a training vessel for future officers of the United States Coast Guard. Known as “America’s Tall Ship,” the majestic EAGLE is the largest tall ship flying the Stars and Stripes and the only active square-rigger in U.S. government service, and one of only two commissioned sailing vessels, along with the USS Constitution. The EAGLE will arrive in Norfolk at approximately 10am on Friday,…
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower returns from deployment Sunday By DAVE RESS DAILY PRESS | JUL 16, 2021 AT 9:30 AM The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower is set to arrive back home in Norfolk on Sunday after its second deployment in a year — an unusually quick return to sea and one that saw the carrier play a central role in winding down two decades of war in Afghanistan. It was a deployment that started with a focus on exercising with allied and friendly navies in and around the maritime chokepoints of Europe and the Middle East, operating with ships from Morocco, Greece, Italy, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. The cruisers and destroyers of the Eisenhower’s strike ranged even farther afield, joining Romanian-led exercises in the Black Sea. Three months in, the Eisenhower got its first major change in direction…