Concrete Heroes, Pioneer Spirit Award recipients, are solid citizens

Heroes, by definition, are those admired for outstanding achievements and noble qualities.

Seven Upper Skagit Valley community leaders, termed "Concrete Heroes" by the Skagit County Pioneer Association, will be honored in La Conner Aug. 1 during the 120th Pioneer Picnic.

They are recipients of the Pioneer Spirit Award, recognized for putting life in Concrete on a solid foundation. The awardees are:

Jason Miller, publisher and editor of the monthly Concrete Herald, is a Tacoma native with an extensive background in journalism dating to his work in Minnesota's Twin Cities in publishing, public relations, marketing and advertising.

He arrived in Concrete as a freelance writer in 2005 and four years later revived the Concrete Herald, which had a rich history and journalistic tradition, including the long tenure of late pioneer editor Charles Dwelley.

"I discovered when I got started here," Miller reflects in this month's Concrete Herald, "that I have a seething desire to publish facts. I work hard to make sure theConcrete Herald remains an invaluable asset to our citizens, businesses and visitors."

Miller's interests and devotion to community engagement – he served 15 years on the Concrete town council and as mayor – have allowed the paper to thrive in its eastern Skagit County coverage area.

"The paper helps people understand what other communities are doing," said Miller. "Even though they're only just miles away from each other, there's often a disconnect and social media doesn't always fill that gap. Indeed, some social media platforms are designed to capitalize on our disagreements and anger, serving to divide us further."

Marty and Adrienne Smith have provided yeoman service at the Concrete Food Bank for nearly 40 years. Their devotion to helping others can be traced to their shared pioneer roots and sense of community spirit.

Neighbors helping neighbors is far more than a slogan to the Smiths, octogenarians showing no signs of slowing down.

Where does that seemingly endless supply of energy come from?

"Knowing that when you go to bed at night, some children and adults won't go to bed hungry," Adrienne Smith told the Concrete Herald. "Because we've been there. It gives me a good feeling."

The Smiths faced financial hurdles while raising their children, which influenced their calling to run the food bank.

"We thought (that) there are other people out there struggling," Adrienne Smith said, "and that was a good way to help them. That was our reasoning. We knew how much help a person really needs when you're raising a family and something goes wrong."

Their efforts haven't gone unnoticed. Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates funded the food bank's building purchase at public auction and wrote a check for $5,000 to jumpstart fundraising for structural repairs in 2017.

This food bank serves about 1,000 people monthly.

"The people who are coming in are family people who just need food," Adrienne Smith told the Herald. "Everything is so high right now."

The Smiths and food bank board are aided by a corps of 20 loyal volunteers.

"They're excellent," Adrienne Smith said, "and some of them are older than we are!"

"Marty and Adrienne's hearts are full of love for the people who really need a helping hand and who might otherwise go hungry," food bank board president Gladys Silrus said in the Herald story. "No one is turned away. More people should have the love and respect that Marty and Adrienne do."

John and Gail Boggs share a love of history and the Concrete community, devoting time and energy to the Concrete Heritage Museum in the historic downtown.

"I've always had a love of history," Gail Boggs said when interviewed by the Herald for a July 1 feature story. "Whenever we go on vacation, we like to go to museums and places of historical interest. It's been an interest to us both for a long, long time."

In the mid-1990s he joined the museum association. He and Gail served stints as secretary, setting in motion their ongoing public service.

John Boggs, the Herald notes, chairs the town's Historic Preservation and Landmarks Commission, which works to maintain local historic authenticity and integrity.

"They are attempts to honor the people and accomplishments of the past," said Boggs, "without attempting to roll back the clock and live in the past."

The museum association slates events each summer and fall, including the popular Ghost Walk tours in conjunction with the local Chamber of Commerce, Concrete Theatre and Concrete Herald. The Ghost Walk is set in the early 1900s, recalling a rough-and-tumble village of miners, loggers, millhands and cement plant workers.

John Boggs said the community's service organizations embrace the pioneer spirit and band together to support Concrete.

"We're bound together," said Boggs, "not by blood, but by community." He finds the museum highlights community efforts to sustain Concrete as an attractive place to live and visit.

Valerie Stafford and Fred West co-own Skagit County's oldest theater. They purchased the century-old Concrete Theatre 15 years ago, re-opening it in 2010 after extensive restoration and refurbishment.

The Concrete Herald cites the theater as a "haven of history, art, culture and – as of 2021 – ice cream, in its neighboring building."

The Concrete Theatre has been a virtual community and cultural center, hosting movies, live entertainment shows, children's and outdoor recreation programs and political and public forums.

"The times I've been most proud of our work," Stafford told the Herald, "is when we've brought together groups of people to learn, celebrate and engage with one another."

Stafford and West view the theater more as a public service than a business.

"It isn't easy running a profitable business in a tiny rural town," said Stafford, chair of the Concrete Chamber of Commerce. "We knew that from the beginning, so we chose to view this as a community service. I believe this is the best volunteer job I've ever had."

The theater, the Herald reports, is rebounding from its closure during the COVID-19 pandemic, which halted film production nationally and was followed by Hollywood labor strikes, resulting in movies bypassing theaters for streaming releases.

Stafford and West tapped into the pioneer spirit to overcome pandemic-related obstacles.

"Bumps in the road don't slow us down too much," Stafford shared with the Herald.

The theater has won a grant award from the Washington state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation that will fund upgrading the building's heating, stage lighting and audio systems.

Their theatre thus melds time-honored traditions and values with modern technology, including a 24/Movieline.

"Whether it's a movie that makes us think, a holiday gala, an art gallery opening or a dinner and dessert," Stafford stressed in the Herald story, "being able to create meaningful experiences has been the most rewarding for us."

At the Pioneer Picnic the Wesen family, owners of a centennial organic dairy in Bow-Edison, are being honored as the Pioneer Family of the Year. The "Good Girls" will prepare a salmon luncheon served by the La Conner Civic Garden Club.

The public is invited to attend the event at Pioneer Park, starting at 11 a.m.

The lunch costs $20, with proceeds benefitting the Skagit County Historical Museum.