The Thurston County Chamber of Commerce and the Olympia Yacht Club celebrated their 54th annual Foofaraw last Friday, bestowing upon all present the right to say "foo" to their duties and responsibilities for one day. It's a very enticing offer, especially for the military personnel that the Foofaraw welcomes as its honored guests.

Yacht Club members donated their boats to ferry members of all branches of the military, each hand-picked by their commanding officers, to Island Home, the club's exclusive private island. I found passage on the MV Serenity, previously captained by Coast Guard veteran and long-time "Foofarite" Richard Erwin. Erwin unexpectedly passed away less than two weeks before this year's festivities, and his son Jim took over captaining duties in his father's stead.

And they’re off! Excited fans cheer for their favorite racers in the famous Foofaraw potato car races. Photo credit: Jared Lovrak
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At Island Home, the most amazing bouquet of delicious smells filled the air. Steamed clams, roasted salmon and, um, raw oysters. I found that last item a little off-putting, but in the name of journalistic integrity and with some prompting from supplier Taylor Shellfish, I swallowed my fears with a raw oyster chaser. You're missing out if you don't try one. (Or, in my case, five.)

The salmon, donated by the Chehalis Tribe, made me hope I come back as a bear in the next life. "This is our way of giving back to those who give so much for us (...) We're honored to be a part of it." Chehalis Tribal Chairman Don Secena told me while laboring over an alder wood fire pit, slow-roasting the salmon he's famous for, to perfection.

Guests that weren't too full to move busied themselves playing volleyball, horseshoes, tug-of-war or cheering on their favorite tuber-based contender in the Foofaraw's traditional potato car races. Each car, carved from a potato and fitted with wheels during the boat ride over, pitted itself against three more of its starchy brethren down a steep wooden ramp in a race for "spud-premacy."

This was Army specialist and Foofaraw flag guard member Anthony Cook's first time attending the Foofaraw. "There's a lot of people out having a good time; a lot of food; everyone seems really friendly. It's good to have community events that support the military; they're good things," Spc. Cook said.

Other military personnel I spoke to expressed similar sentiments, but many declined to comment, not wanting to appear boastful or elevate themselves above their fellow comrades in arms. This shared humility and grace, even as they were being honored - reminded me how often the people who deem themselves the least worthy tend to be the most deserving of our appreciation, even if other communities don't agree.

"They told me (...) they don't feel appreciated in many communities like they do here," said Lowell Gordon, the Foofaraw emcee for many years now. "We can't change what other communities do, but we can certainly continue to be grateful for what the military does for us here."

And they have, for over half a century now, with no signs of stopping. Here's to next year.