By Karen Robes Meeks
Today marks the start of Fleet Week in Los Angeles.
Sailors from various military ships will descend on the Port of Los Angeles for the second annual event, giving tours aboard vessels such as the amphibious transport dock ship USS Anchorage, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey and the Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Scout.
The public will be able to tour the ships and meet sailors from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. September 1-4 at the Port of Los Angeles next to the USS Iowa Museum. Reservations are suggested through www.lafleetweek.com.
The San Pedro Historic Business District will be welcoming service members with a free Hollywood-themed party that’s open to the public at 6 p.m. on August 30.
Ariza Elevated Game Awards will present a rivalry basketball tournament between the city of Los Angeles and U.S. Military on September 2-3, while on Labor Day, celebrity chefs Robert Irvine, Mei Lin, and Steve Samson will judge a ‘Galley Wars’ cooking contest among cooks representing the US Navy, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps and Royal Canadian NavyBoth events are free and open to the public.
The Labor Day weekend will include performances from headliners such as Quiet Riot, Los Lobos, Vince Neil, lead vocalist of Mötley Crüe, and country musicians Shannon Rae and Brent Payne.
“This year’s LA Fleet Week has something for everyone to enjoy,” said Jonathan Williams, executive director of the LA Fleet Week Foundation. “We’ve also added many new attractions on the Labor Day holiday so that families can come to the LA Waterfront and make a full day of it.”
Last year’s inaugural event attracted more than 200,000 people.