PORT ANGELES — Eleven cards of condolence and counting.
Expressions of sympathy for residents of Chattanooga were spilling onto a 12th banner this afternoon as members of Revitalize Port Angeles circulated the sheets at locations that included:
■ Olympic Medical Center, 939 Caroline St.
■ Clallam County Family YMCA, 302 S. Francis St.
■ Port Angeles Senior and Community Center, 328 E. Seventh St.
Copies will be available at these places through Sunday.
They also will be available Saturday at the Port Angeles Farmers Market in The Gateway transit center, 123 E. Front St.
Backers also hope to take them to sprint boat races at the Extreme Sports Park, 2917 W. Edgewood Drive, on Saturday.
Originally, Revitalize Port Angeles members planned to mail the banners to Chattanooga today but decided to widen the signing window “because the response has been so overwhelming,” said Lesley Robertson, the group’s founder.
“We want to give people every opportunity to sign.”
Robertson said city of Port Angeles officials were considering delivering the condolences in person to Chattanooga officials next week.
If money can’t be found for airfare to Tennessee and overnight accommodations, the messages will go into the mail on Monday.
Chattanooga was where four U.S. Marines and a sailor were shot down July 16 by a shooter who later died from police gunfire.
The Tennessee River city and Port Angeles were finalists for last month’s Best Town Ever online contest that Chattanooga won, but not before Port Angeles had beaten larger cities that included Santa Barbara, Calif.; Bainbridge Island; Glenwood Springs, Colo.; Flagstaff, Ariz.; and Bar Harbor, Maine,
The weeklong final runoff forged a friendship between the competing communities besides boosting Port Angeles’ self-esteem and its profile as a portal to outdoor splendors. The contest was held by Outside magazine.
Revitalize Port Angeles members posted the first sympathy banner Tuesday at Port Angeles City Hall.
Since then, copies have appeared at Wednesday’s Concert on the Pier and the Port Angeles Fire Department.
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Reporter James Casey can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jcasey@peninsuladailynews.com.
