We know we said that win or lose the All-America City title, the experience was the most important thing. But we sort of didn’t really mean it. Hey, we wanted Everett to win.
It feels OK to confess that now, since Everett claimed the coveted award Saturday night in Kansas City, Mo.
Forty-nine people (plus the others who helped out behind the scenes) did all the work, but Everett residents will reap the benefits for years to come. And there should be plenty of benefits. Wiggums Hollow, Cocoon House and Everett Station are all fascinating projects, but as participants learned, Everett has plenty of people doing many wonderful things for others. The application and preparation process that the city went through for this competition should stir up pride and interest in many other projects, some already under way and some that still need some innovative thinkers to create and see to fruition.
Sometimes, a little affirmation and encouragement is all it takes to keep people going or to get them started. There will always be that small group that gets involved in everything going on. Hopefully, the prestige of being an All-America City will spur to action that second group of people comprised of those who always think about getting involved but never do.
As the 49 members of team Everett will likely tell you, you don’t have to be popular or powerful to be involved in such influential programs.
"All we did was tell (the judges) the stories of what’s happening in our community," said Dale Preboski, Everett city spokeswoman. "We just had an impressive group of people. That’s what made us most proud."
That impressive group included city council members, Navy officials, a school principal and several students accompanied by excited parents. To all of those people, we offer a hearty thank you.
Everett might not be the major port our founding fathers envisioned so many years ago, but we can finally say we have not let them down.
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