PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County is lacking in youth activities and that damages the social and economic structure of the county, according to the four young women who are seeking to serve as this year’s Rhododendron Festival royalty.
“There are two common complaints about Jefferson County,” said Sam Smith, 17, who attends Port Townsend High School.
“The first is there aren’t enough people shopping locally, and the second is that during the summer when young adults and teenagers are loitering on the streets, it discourages tourism and they need to find somewhere else to be.”
Smith said both problems could be solved if there were more activities oriented toward families and youth.
Smith and the other candidates — Morgan Chaffee, 17, Deidra Morris, 16, and Lillian Kelly, 17 — spoke to about 50 people at the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce’s weekly meeting Monday.
They had been assigned to discuss what type of business is missing from the county.
A queen and two princesses for the Port Townsend Rhododendron Festival, a week of festivities culminating in a grand parade May 16, will be crowned at a ceremony that will begin at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Chimacum High School auditorium at 91 West Valley Road.
Admission is $5.
Smith said that when she and her friends go to Silverdale for bowling, something that is not available locally, her mother spends time shopping in stores like Walmart and Costco for household goods.
“She does all of her shopping in Kitsap County because I had to leave Jefferson County to go bowling,” Smith said.
“Can you imagine the increase in the economy if the youth had somewhere else to go, if they didn’t have to leave the county for something to do?”
Said Kelly, also a Port Townsend High School student: “Living in Port Townsend is considered a fantasy land because it’s so much different than any other place in the world.
“But it’s not picture perfect, what we need is a place where youth can be together on their own and hang out.
She said that when her parents grew up in Port Townsend,the town had a bowling alley, a skating rink and arcades.
“And yes, we do have two great movie theaters but they rarely play movies that we want to watch,” Kelly said.
Kelly said that one business needed in Port Townsend would be one where teenagers could interact with their peers, play games and have a good time.
Taking the theme a step further, Morris, who attends Chimacum High School, described a scenario where several teenagers who had nothing to do on a cold winter night go to a party, drive under the influence and are injured in a wreck.
“If we had a place where youth could go and have activities to do on the weekend, there would not be so much drinking and driving because they would have something to do other than drink,” she said.
“If there was an activity center in Jefferson County there cold ne dances for kids, and give the youth a place to go and have safe fun.”
Chaffee, a Port Townsend High School student, took a different tack, favoring the establishment of new industry in town that would create family-wage jobs.
“Port Townsend is a hard place to make a living, where many people have to work two or three part time jobs in order to make ends meet,” she said.
“This causes more people to leave our area, which leaves Port Townsend lacking important services that every city needs.
“We need to encourage businesses that offer living wages to come to our area.”
The best kind of business, she said, would be an alternative energy company that hires many different types of employees.
The chamber appearance was the final in a series of community presentations for the candidates.
Along with a grand parade, Rhody Week in May will include the Dude Looks Like a Lady fundraiser, a pet parade, a kiddie parade, bed races and a cake picnic.
A new event this year will be a kick-off dinner at 6 p.m. March 28 at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.
Six candidates were originally selected but two, Krissy Schmucker and Paula Sexton, left the competition.
For more information go to www.rhodyfestival.org.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
