Float Update and Parade Reminder

On Saturday, June 22, a work party of Kerry Ryan, Deb and Mike Drake, and Ric Hedman met at Al Smiths house to clean up the Seattle Base float.

Seattle Base float ready for another parade season

It was perfect weather for painting. First the float had its first bath in years. The whole hull of the submarine was washed, roughed up with sandpaper, and then washed again. The sail was painted first using a brush and all the edges were painted likewise before rollers were used for painting the main body of the sub. The same technique was used for painting the bottom.

Al fixed lunch for the group, (tuna sandwiches, Yum!) and then it was back to work.

They painted about 80% of the float. All that was left to do is the gray decking, which Ric will paint once his back recovers.

Parade Reminder

Seattle Base and the Silent Service Motorcycle Club will be participating in the Kirkland parade on Thursday, July 4. Seattle Base member and World War II veteran Ralph Sterley will be the Grand Marshal for this year’s parade.

To get to the assembly area from I-405, you take Exit 18 off of 405, head west toward Kirkland. This road turns into Central Way. Follow Central until you reach Market and turn right to find parking at Heritage Park. You’ll pass Heritage Hall while looking for parking. Parking is available north of Heritage Hall in the boat ramp parking area and at Waverly Park.

You can start arriving around 9:00 AM. The city will start closing down streets near the parade route around 9:30. If you are arriving after that time it is best to plan to get to the parking areas from the north heading south down Market Street.

We will meet near Heritage Hall, the large white two-story building on the north side of the corner of Central Way and Market Street. The Seattle Base float will be in place in the assembly area around 9:30 and all submarine veterans and motorcycles can meet near the float. We will be near the start of the parade.

Refreshments will be served around 11:00 and we will gather for a veterans group photo shortly after that. The main parade starts at noon.

We hope to see you there!

June 2019 Meeting Notes

We started off the June meeting with Tolling the Boats lost in June, followed by birthday wishes for our members, introductions, and then the officer reports.

2019 Holland Club Induction
This year we inducted Rich L. into the Holland Club. Rich qualifies on USS Alexander Hamilton (SSBN-617). Congratulations Rich.

Base Commander Ric presenting Rich his Holland Club certificate

Old and New Business

Base Float Refit - We planned a working party for Saturday June 22 to get the base float into shape for upcoming events and parades. We’ll get a report on how it turned out shortly.

Independence Day Parade – Seattle Base will be participating in the Kirkland parade on the 4th of July. Seattle Base member and World War II veteran Ralph Sterley will be the Grand Marshal for this year's parade.

Plans for the 2019 parade are like previous years. We will meet near Kirkland’s Heritage Hall in the morning. The Kirkland Police will block the roads near the parade route at 9:30, so you will need to be there early or come in from the north. Parking is available to our group exclusively, to the north of Heritage Hall and along Waverly Park. Lunch will be served around 11:00, the we'll take a few photos, and the parade will start at Noon. Remember to check the blog and newsletter for more details. We hope to see you there.

Here is a map of the parade staging area, parking and the parade route.

Kirkland Parade Information

Smokey Point – Seattle Base members will be manning the coffee booth at the south-bound Smokey Point rest stop on July 12 – 15. There are still a few more spots to fill and we can always use donations of cookies for the event. Please contact Steve or one of the other Seattle Base officers if you can help with this important fund-raising event.

VFW BBQ and Open House – VFW Post 2995 has invited us to attend their upcoming Open House and BBQ on August 17.

Seattle Base Summer Picnic - We are looking into having a Base Picnic later this summer. Let us know if you are interested in this too. 

Good of the Order
- Sr. Vice Commander Larry let us know that he and several other base members will be helping out with the Eagle Scout Court of Honor on June 30. If you would like to help out or attend, please contact Larry for more information.

- Seattle Base received 3 submarine pictures to use to raise funds for the Base. We are asking members for a donation of $40 - $60 for each picture. Photos and descriptions of the pictures are included below. If you are interested in one or more of the pictures, speak with Base Commander Ric.

Aerial photo of a Sturgeon (637) class fast attack submarine ($60)

A signed and numbered print drawing of USS Skate at the North Pole ($60)

Cutaway line drawing of USS Torsk ($40)

June 2019 Meeting Reminder

The next Seattle Base meeting is this coming Wednesday, June 19, 2019. We will meet at VFW Post #2995 (4330 148th Ave N.E., Redmond WA 98052). Social hour starts at 6PM with business meeting at 7PM.

Holland Club patch

Here is a preview of the meeting agenda for June:
- 2019 Holland Club Inductions
- Seattle Base float refit
- Kirkland 4th of July parade
- Smoky Point Rest Stop coffee weekend
- Tolling the Boats Ceremony

These are just the high points. We hope to see you at the meeting

Upcoming Event Reminders

Here are reminders of some upcoming events for early July.

Kirkland Independence Day Parade

Ready to go at last year's Kirkland Parade

Seattle Base will be participating in the Kirkland parade on the 4th of July. Seattle Base member and World War II veteran Ralph Sterley will be the Grand Marshall for this year's parade.

Plans for the 2019 parade are similar to previous years. We will meet near Kirkland’s Heritage Hall in the morning. The Kirkland Police will block the roads near the parade route at 9:30, so you will need to be there early or come in from the north. Parking is available to our group exclusively, to the north of Heritage Hall and along Waverly Park. Lunch will be served around 11:00, the we'll take a few photos, and the parade will start at Noon. We will talk about the parade at the June meeting, but also remember to check the blog and newsletter for more details. We hope to see you there.

Smokey Point Event
Seattle Base members will be manning the coffee booth at the south-bound Smokey Point rest stop on July 12 – 15. Steve will have the sign-up sheet at the June meeting. Be sure to mark your calendar and sign-up to help out with this important fund-raising event. Be sure to bring any questions to the June meeting.

Western Region District Commander Elections
It is election time for Western Region District Commanders. Seattle Base is part of Western District 4 and our current District Commander, Jim DeMott, is running for re-election.

WD4 Commander Jim DeMott at a recent Seattle Base meeting

Voting is open from June 15, 2019 until close of business on July 15, 2019. Emailed ballots must be received by close of business on July 15th and mailed ballots must be postmarked no later than July 15th to be counted.

You can download a PDF or Word version of the ballot. The ballot has instructions for returning it by email or regular mail.

You can read the District Commander duties and requirements for office in this Word document.