There’s a certain look catching a foul ball at a major league game can bring to a kid’s face, but when that kid has a chance to meet a professional athlete face to face, well, that’s just one experience that can’t be beat.

From June 15-20, the NFL is coming to town for the fifth annual Pro’s Week (formally Pro’s Weekend), a rain or shine event organized by former Pam Pack, East Carolina and NFL receiver Terrance Copper and the Washington Police Department and Fire Services that gives the public an accessible and more personal way to connect with the athletes. This year, the event is expanded from two to six days.

“The decision towards extending the weekend was really to turn the Pro’s Weekend into something very special in Washington, something to have everybody excited about,” Copper said. “At first, it was just something we wanted to do for the kids on the weekend, but the more we got to thinking about it, we decided to have a week full of festivities leading up to the camp to get kids excited.”

From 5 to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, local youth are invited to “Kidz Night Out,” where they can meet former and current NFL stars, including C.J. Wilson, Vonta Leach, Jamar Newsome, Marvin Townes, Donald Whitehead, Steven Baker, Jason Horton and Barry Richardson. “Kidz Night Out” will be at different restaurant locations each day — Pizza Inn on Monday, Zaxby’s on Tuesday, Hwy 55 on Wednesday and East Coast Wings on Thursday. The first 100 kids each night will eat for free.

On Friday, a community cookout will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. at Festival Park on the waterfront in downtown Washington, where adults and kids alike can enjoy great food and mingle with players. Music will be provided by D.J. Heavy Hitters and “Let’s Move by Tiana.” And that action doesn’t end there.

Following the cookout from 7 to 9 p.m., the Washington Police Department and Fire Services will take on the Pro’s Team.

“Bringing the police department on board and doing it together, it’s big because it shows the community that the department is behind them 100 percent,” Copper said. “The police department sometimes gets bad rap because some people only see the negative side of it, but this police department is like no other. I’ve been to a lot of different states and towns and what our department does here in Washington, it’s not common, not common at all. They’re behind the community that they serve and want to see that community strive to do great things.”

On Saturday, players will take to the field at Washington High School for the annual football camp, kicking off at 8 a.m. Kids will have the opportunity to play alongside professional athletes and learn from the best. Following the football camp, John Lampkins, Ralph Biggs, Tony Boston and retired NBA player Kenny Satterfield will hold the basketball camp, which is in its second year. There, kids will have an opportunity to participate in basketball drills and learn from the professionals.

“The focus for the camp is to really hone in on the fundamentals of football. One thing I learned about the NFL was that when I got there, I was blown away by the little things I didn’t know, just about the fundamentals,” Copper said.

“It’s something the kids really need to know, really need to understand and really need to be taught. That’s one thing about the camp we’re really harping on — how to run a slant route, the fundamentals of catching, the fundamentals of throwing.”

Applications and waiver forms for the camps are available at the Washington Police Department and at all the “Kidz Night Out” gatherings. The deadline for both forms is June 19. For additional information, contact Kimberly Grimes at 252-943-1715.

Other sponsors for the event not formally mentioned are the City of Washington, Lee Chevrolet, PotashCorp, Beaufort County Police Activities League (PAL), the Boys & Girls Club, The Rich Company, The Bank Bistro & Bar, MOS and the Beaufort County Pirate Club.