Our Seahawks Finally Banish the Ghost of Yesterday By Dispatching the Pats (Parade Wednesday), History Heroes Feature Icons Like Akio Suyematsu

If you’re a long-suffering Seahawks fan like me, then Sunday’s pasting of the New England Patriots was retribution for a devasting loss to the Pats a decade or so ago in the Big Game.

If you recall, the boys in blue and green were on the Patriots one-yard line, with time running out and a chance to win the Super Bowl. All they had to do is hand the ball off to Marshawn Lynch, the Hawks’ “Beast Mode” of a running back and let him plow into the end zone. Instead, then coach Pete Carroll and his offensive brain trust, decided to try a trick play in hopes of confusing the Patriots goal-line defense.

What happened next was a play that has been sorely etched in Seahawks lore ever sense. Former quarterback Russell Wilson flipped a pass to a reserve wide receiver that was intercepted by New England, sealing yet another Super Bowl victory for the legendary Tom Brady and his coach Bill Belichick. Ouch. That play has eaten away at Seahawks fans for 12 long years until yesterday when we finally got the monkey off our collective backs.

The 29-13 victory was a dominant performance that set in motion – potentially – a new era of high-quality Seahawks football. We watched it with friends at a couple of fun Super Bowl gatherings and enjoyed the camaraderie, the halftime entertainment by Bad Bunny (and a cameo by Lady Gaga), and, of course, the commercials that promoted everything from AI to Donkin’ Donuts and cars and trucks.

Following the game, we could hear fireworks going off all around the island, and on TV, we witnessed the masses – mostly young people – celebrating the victory outside of Lumen Field and in the Pioneer Square area. 

What’s next? How about a Parade? Per the Seattle Times, the Seahawks’ parade will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 11. The exact time apparently is still up in the air. According to the Seattle Times, the tentative route of the Parade will follow Fourth Avenue, starting at South Washington Street near Lumen Field, ending near the Space Needle at Cedar Street.

The last Seahawks parade in 2014 started near the Space Needle then ran directly through the city. Wednesday’s weather will be cool but clear. No rain in the forecast! Go celebrate!

Island History Heroes Win the Day at Bainbridge History Museum’s Annual Meeting 

Was it Winston Churchill, or some other quotable sage, who once uttered, “History is Biography.” We’re not sure, but that phrase was never truer than at this past Saturday’s Bainbridge History Museum’s Annual Meeting that honored three deserving Island History Heroes.

Some of these folks may not be he household names like Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp, but they deserve just as much respect for what they’ve done for our little island community. Ashley Riley took it upon herself to begin cleaning up the gravestones of a nearly abandoned cemetery, way up on a hill behind some storage facilities on Miller Road. The cemetery, which was overgrown with weeds, grass and bushes, has grave markers of islanders going back more than a hundred years, including a World War I soldier, and includes a number of religious denominations: Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, etc.

BHM honored the legacy of Akio Suyematsu and the succeeding Suyematsu Farms Legacy Alliance as another history hero. A number of people supporting the alliance were among the 90-plus folks in attendance on Saturday. For those of you who may not know, Aiko took ownership of a 40-acre farm on Day Road East when he was just eight years old in 1928. His parents, who were Japanese natives, could not own the property back then. He farmed the land off and on for the next 84 years, in spite of being incarcerated in Manzanar with his family during World War II and serving for two years in the military. He was known as “the last Japanese farmer on the island.”

Last, but not least, BHM honored life-long island resident Charlie Averill. Charlie’s family owned the Bainbridge Review for decades after his family bought it in 1962. A former journalist and active member of the Bainbridge Island Rotary Club, he remembers being awakened by his parents when he was nine years old and the couple rushed out of the house to cover the fire that consumed part of Bainbridge High School.

He, and his family covered many signature events on the island, including the still unsolved murders of three young people near Fort Ward in late 1980s, as well as the more mundane, everyday stuff like City Council meetings, school board activities, kids and high school sports, births and deaths, and the like. Averell was also a City Councilor for two terms and previously sat on the board of BHM.

Keynote speaker Jonathan Evison, an island author and another life-long islander, entertained the gathering with funny stories of growing up on Bainbridge, including a number of parallels to his 10 published novels. His latest, “The Heart of Winter,” features tales of Bainbridge and his mother, who is 90 years old and still lives with he, his wife, and three kids in the house he was brought up in on the island.

Aiko photo courtesy of Karen Selvar.

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