The Downtown Everett Association has chartered a new street festival downtown and named it Salty Sea Days. Why?

It’s not Salty Sea Days — not even close. Salty Sea Days was a carnival located at the Everett waterfront, complete with a fireworks show and a parade. It drew thousands from all over the Pacific Northwest.

I have fond memories of Salty Sea Days. I marched in the parade while attending Everett High School. In the late 1980s, I could see it had changed from a modest local carnival to a world of crime after dark.

Eventually, it became known for crime and the city made the unfortunate but appropriate decision to cancel it.

Why call the new tradition Salty Sea Days? It isn’t and it never will be. It confuses people and it erodes the city’s history.

Use the creative drive that brought this new event to life downtown and create a fresh, unique name for it that distinguishes itself for what it is.

Stephanie Galgano

Everett