NEAH BAY — A new sign welcoming visitors and providing information about town services in Neah Bay is the most visible result of a $76,100 U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Business Enterprise grant awarded to the Neah Bay Chamber of Commerce.
The new sign features places to eat and drink; places to stay; places to shop; places to visit; Wi-Fi and ATM locations and other services available in Neah Bay, center of the Makah tribal reservation.
“The day that the sign was installed, local businesses were fielding phone calls from visitors requesting information — the benefits were realized immediately,” said Meredith Parker, president of the Neah Bay chamber.
“Our community was in need of additional ways to inform and educate our visitors, and the USDA grant provided the means for the chamber to achieve its goals.”
The chamber worked with OlySigns of Port Angeles to create the sign on the state Highway 112 extension.
The grant also helped pay for the creation of a media outreach plan by Deborah Black of Anastasi Black Public Relations.
This included coordinated media releases and ads in Puget Sound publications and radio stations plus brochures created by Lora Messinger and distributed by the Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau.
The grant also provided for a complete revamp of the chamber’s website, www.neahbaywa.com.
The website was completed by Laurel Black of Laurel Black Design and developed by John Gussman of Double-click Productions.
Content for the website was produced by Parker.
The creation of the new sign was done in a way unique to Neah Bay.
The base color of the sign and brochures was inspired by the color of cedar bark used by Makah weavers in making baskets, hats and clothing.
The website emphasizes red and black, colors that have been used by the Makah for eons — in artwork as old as that excavated from the Ozette archaeological site (those artists used red ochre and charcoal) and seen in the traditional regalia worn during the annual Makah Days celebrations and at tribal potlatches.
Greg Colfax, a master woodcarver, owner of the Apocalypto Motel and Linda’s Wood-fired Kitchen and a member of the Neah Bay chamber, provided the outline for the canoe that tops the welcome sign.
“This signifies that our Neah Bay and surrounding areas of businesses, entrepreneurs, tribal government and locals are all pulling in the same canoe to attain the community’s collective success,” Parker said.
Janine Bowechop, director of the Makah Cultural and Research Center, added:
“Our tribe has always been known for how we treat our visitors, and this project is in keeping with that tradition.”
The chamber collaborated with the center to ensure that the sign’s design elements and imagery were in keeping with Makah style.
Parker said the chamber’s membership includes 71 percent of all businesses in Neah Bay and the surrounding area and includes home-based businesses and supportive individuals.
“Since its inception, the Neah Bay Chamber of Commerce has hit the ground running,” said Diane Schostack, executive director of the Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau.
“They have joined with the Olympic Peninsula Tourism Bureau, secured grants for marketing and visitor services and have united and focused the business community in Neah Bay in new and dynamic ways.”