Gov. Gregoire celebrates Pike Place Market 101st Birthday

August 17, 2008

*AS WRITTEN*

Good Afternoon and thank you Carol (Binder) for the kind introduction.

It�s nothing short of amazing to think that 101 years ago today, there were Seattleites here at this very place � buying fresh and nutritious food for their families�

The same kind of food their great-great grandchildren are buying here today.

Happy 101st Birthday to the Pike Place Market!

Local people depend on this market to feed their families, but that�s not all that this unique market offers.

People from all over the Northwest and all over the world � an estimated nine million a year -- come here to enjoy the market � the crafts, the energy, the flying fish, and the beauty.

Lucky for all of us that this beautiful Market has survived so much in the past century � from the hard times of the Great Depression to attempts to wipe out the market in the name of progress.

The first day the Market opened more than 100 years ago, the top headline in the evening Seattle Times read: �Public Market is Popular.�

And so it is today.

And -- I�m confident -- so it will be 100 years from now.

Happy Birthday to the Pike Place Market.

And congratulations Seattle for preserving and continuously improving this Northwest jewel.