BY PEPPER FISHER/AMANDA BACON
Port Angeles – Despite the cold, the mood was warm and festive Thursday afternoon at the Coho Ferry terminal where hundreds of people showed up with signs and banners welcoming the ferry and its Canadian passengers back to Port Angeles after the boat’s annual winter break.
The event was organized by the Director of the Waterfront District, Sam Grello, who told us there were more than Port Angeles residents in the crowd.
“Oh yeah, there’s a lot of Canadian press that is here today covering the event. We’ve got CHEK News, which is based out of Victoria. We also have CTV, and so they’re a national Canadian news outfit, and I’ll be here as well. Most Canadians that I’ve talked to have been really touched by this. They find it to be kind of a heart melting event.”
Sam’s words are borne out by our talk with Canadian visitor Stephanie Gibson.
“You’re going to bring me to tears, because sometimes we just don’t feel it right now. But we were so impressed to see all this support, with all these people here, and the bands, and especially the young kids. That really made my heart soar. So, I want to thank you and all these folks here, because Canada loves you! We really do. And I will go home, back to Victoria, and tell everyone that we are loved.”
The importance of this event each year seems to be growing in the minds of our elected officials, with representatives from the Governor’s office and US Representative Randall’s office in attendance, as well as folks from the Port of Seattle, county and city officials and more, all backed up by the Port Angeles High School Pep Band. Here’s Port Angeles City Manager Nathan West.
“Well, I think it’s really important to remember that for Port Angeles, our families also have family across the border. Our Tribes have family across the border. Everyone in the community really appreciates, and oftentimes a lives here, because of the opportunity to travel back and forth between British Columbia and Port Angeles. And equally important is how much of an economic driver the Coho is to our local community.”
We talked with a ferry employee who told us that Thursday’s noon boat carried 86 cars and 52 walk-ons, all of whom seemed thrilled by the welcome they received.
