PORT ANGELES — Despite the state of national ties between the U.S. and Canada, the Victoria business community supports Port Angeles.
To show this support, a delegation of about 30 Canadians plans to march in the Port Angeles Fourth of July parade Friday, said Sam Grello, executive director of Port Angeles Waterfront District.
”We’ve been looking for different ways to celebrate the relationship between Port Angeles and Victoria,” Grello said. “This effort is kind of also being led by Black Ball and the marketing director Jessica Wiersma; they thought this was a really good opportunity to come down and show their support for Port Angeles.”
Black Ball Ferry Line is the parade grand marshal this year, so the owners will be leading the parade and about 10 to 15 employees will be marching behind them, Wiersma said, followed by 10 to 15 Victorians from the business community.
“I think for this year, the parade theme of Celebrating Connections Across Nations, Cultures and Coastlines is an important reflection of our relationship with Port Angeles,” Wiersma said. “We’re excited to celebrate our longstanding relationships and ties over there.”
The parade is another opportunity for the two communities to get together and celebrate each other, Grello said.
“After the parade happens, the Port Angeles business community is going to come together and eat some food with the Victoria delegation,” he added.
This is all part of an effort to mitigate the negative way Canada and the U.S. are interacting with each other.
“Speaking to some of these greater geopolitical talks, referring to Canada as the 51st state and discussing new tariffs has provoked some in Canada to want to boycott American products and not come down here to visit,” Grello said. “We’re not doing this to be like ‘we miss your money’ this is about missing the actual people in the community. We’re looking at non-business and non-financial transaction ways we can strengthen the bond between our communities.”
One way the relationship was celebrated was when the Port Angeles Lefties baseball team played the Victoria Harbourcats and a delegation of Port Angeles people traveled to Victoria for the game. Another way was when the Port Angeles Yacht Club hosted Hands Across the Water, an international regatta.
“We’re looking to do something in the fall as well, but we haven’t figured out what it is we’re going to be doing,” Grello said.
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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.
