Imagine Ocean Shores on the 4th of July. It’s a small town summer, in a big way and easily the busiest weekend of the summer for the community. The flags are still proudly waving from the Flag Day Parade. Storefronts are cleaned, decorated and brightened. Windows display a patriotic theme and the town is welcoming for visitors in a sea of red, white and blue. As you make your way along the beach approach, you may notice some cheerful folks waving bags to welcome you to the beach.
Between 20,000 – 50,000 visitors descend on usually quiet Ocean Shores beaches every 4th of July. And, many festive visitors leave behind garbage. Mounds of trash litter the beaches.
And then came along Lillian.
Lillian Broadbent and her husband Gordon settled in Ocean Shores in 1999 after needing a break from the fast paced world of Boeing corporate life. Ocean Shores was a perfect fit for the couple. The days in Ocean Shores happen on a slow gentle beach time. It was a great place for family to visit and enjoy each other in a beautiful setting. Although retired, Lillian didn’t slow down. She set promptly to work forming the “Citizens for Balanced Growth,” with the primary effort to preserve the Weatherwax property in Ocean Shores. That story has a happy ending as well.
Nine years ago, after spending several vacations and holidays in Ocean Shores, Lillian’s granddaughter Emily was upset at the amount of garbage left behind on the beaches. She also had an answer to the problem. “Hand out garbage bags to the people and they will do the right thing,” said the 8-year-old with faith in humanity.
Lillian began collecting bags year-round. She campaigned for donations, solicited allies and spoke to city leaders. She partnered with Washington CoastSavers two years ago and was grateful to receive a one-time fund from a program sponsored from Japan for refuse clean-up.
Lillian, Emily, family members and about 25 – 30 additional volunteers greeted tourists for years every Independence Day holiday.
In 2015, forces were coming together that would create the most garbage ever cleaned from Ocean Shores’ beaches. Wildfires had ravaged Eastern Washington making the Olympic National Park, Olympic National Forest and coastal beaches the vacation destination choice. Record temperatures were in the forecast for the holiday weekend along the Interstate 5 corridor. With a burn ban in effect, beach revelers had no choice for burning incidental garbage such as paper picnic plates. July 5, 2015 was the worst hangover Ocean Shores had ever had. Seventy-five tons of garbage was collected. With a small army of diligent volunteers, Washington CoastSavers and the City of Ocean Shores, the beaches were clean by lunch.
This year there was great improvement in the responsibility of the tourists and a decline in the amount of garbage cleaned up. Vehicles arrived just as every other year but there seemed to be a difference. Families were proud to show Emily and her volunteers they had brought their own bags and wanted to pitch in.
I asked Lillian how Emily felt about her idea after all these years, especially now that she was a teenager. Did she still enjoy her time in Ocean Shores handing out bags on the beach approach? “It’s just what our family does,” shared Lillian.
Lillian and Gordon Broadbent own and operate Gordons Antiques on the edge of town, directly across from North Beach High School. Stop in and say hello to them. Drop off some bags any time and thank Lillian and her family. You will see them again on the beach approach.
I asked Lillian what keeps her motivated and why she still serves as a champion for clean beaches in Ocean Shores. “Because it needs to be done,” she said simply. Watch for Lillian, who is now 73, her son Doug Broadbent, Emily and other family and friends. Take a bag and a smile.
Pack your garbage out with you and show Emily she was right.
