PORT ANGELES — Crowds are expected to gather this week to welcome the M.V. Coho back to Port Angeles.
The Welcome Back Coho event, hosted by the Port Angeles Waterfront District, is set to begin about 11:30 a.m. Thursday around the Black Ball Ferry terminal. The boat is expected to arrive from Victoria at noon.
“We’ll have funny signs, an Ask an American booth and live music,” Waterfront District Executive Director Sam Grello said. “We’ll have some specialty items delivered from Canada off the boat, like poutine, Tim Horton’s double doubles, etc.”
Attendees are asked to wear red-and-white tops.
The Welcome Back Coho event is in its third or fourth year, Grello said. This year’s event is expected to be bigger than last year’s, which brought out about 250 people.
“We’ve just found more reasons to celebrate the connection between our two communities,” Grello said.
To add pomp and circumstance, a section of the Port Angeles High School marching band will attend, and a red carpet will be laid down for ferry riders.
The Waterfront District is expecting dignitaries, including Port Angeles City Council members, Clallam County commissioners, Port of Port Angeles commissioners, a representative from Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office, a representative from U.S. Rep. Emily Randall’s office and the CEO of Washington State Tourism.
“This is a very feel-good event,” Grello said. “One of the reasons that we are doing this a little bit bigger is that, in some communities, the relationship between the United States and Canada has become a partisan issue, and our community really relies on the relationship with Canada for some of our economic vitality.”
In 2019, the Black Ball Ferry Line commissioned a study about the economic impact of the Coho on the community, Grello said. According to that study, the Black Ball Ferry Line brings in about $64 million and supports more than 600 people.
“We feel the numbers are still relevant,” Grello said. “As a community, we’ve been pivoting more toward tourism to bring in jobs. It is really important that we don’t just assume that the connection and the economic bond between our two communities will just be there if we leave it on autopilot.”
Thursday’s event is not meant to be a protest, Grello said, adding that protesters attending is a possibility but is not the vibe.
“This event is so folks up in Victoria know that we do care about our relationship,” Grello said. “We still really care about the folks up north, that community connection.”
________
Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.
