SEQUIM — Lynn Elliott and two friends will head out on a road trip next Thursday to greet 18,000 returning troops.
So now through Wednesday, they’re collecting goodies that say “Sequim.”
Elliott, administrative assistant at the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce, heard last week from the Washington State Tourism office, which is organizing a welcome for the wave of troops coming in to Joint Base Lewis-McChord this week.
A celebration for the troops and their families is set for Thursday in DuPont, a Tacoma suburb near the base.
Elliott will bring a basket full of gifts from Sequim area businesses, to present to a service member who signs up for and wins a random drawing.
Already a number of firms have donated coffee, lavender items and even a stay at a farmhouse.
“Anything is appreciated,” said Elliott. “We’re hoping our community will support the basket.”
Elliott needs to have the donations together by 5 p.m. Wednesday.
And if there’s anyone who can represent Sequim in Thursday’s event, it’s Joe Borden, a U.S. Army veteran and longtime resident of this town.
He’s also known as “Mr. Irrigation Festival,” having served as chairman of Sequim’s annual community party for the past six years.
Borden announced earlier this month that he’ll step down from his post to work behind the scenes on the Irrigation Parade float; another longtime volunteer, Deon Kapetan, will succeed him in July.
“I’m the token veteran,” Borden joked when asked about next Thursday’s welcome for the troops.
He served 22 years in the Army before retiring in 1986 as a first sergeant, and has since become one of Sequim’s many dedicated volunteers.
Also eager to welcome the troops is Elliott’s friend Trina Jerome, an officer at the Clallam Bay Correctional Center.
“We’re going as a thank you, for their service,” Elliott said. “We’re going to represent Sequim, and to invite them to come and see our community.”
Many returning service members have several weeks of leave, she added, so they and their families could choose some rest and recreation near the Olympic Mountains.
Though she wasn’t told how many troops were deployed in Afghanistan and how many are coming home from Iraq, Elliott feels the tranquillity of the Dungeness Valley is good medicine for the travel- and stress-weary.
Borden’s message to the veterans, meanwhile, is: “This is a great place to live and grow a family.”
He knows from experience, having moved here with his family after his military service.
This town is a haven of “quiet comfort,” Borden said.
With places such as the Dungeness River Audubon Center in Railroad Bridge Park, lavender farms and the rural feeling despite proximity to Puget Sound metropolitan area, he figures he has plenty to talk about with service members and families he’ll meet Thursday.
“As far as I’m concerned,” Borden added, “it’s an honor.”
To donate a gift, phone the chamber office at 360-683-6197, e-mail Lynn@sequimchamber.com or stop in at the chamber’s Visitor Information Center at 1192 E. Washington St.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.