Gary and Debbie Edwards have called Yelm home for the majority of their 55 years of marriage. Through their busy schedules, with Gary serving as Thurston County sheriff and later county commissioner and Debbie recently surpassing 40 years on the Yelm Community Schools Board of Directors, making their community better has been one of their shared principles.
For the City of Yelm’s centennial edition of its Christmas in the Park parade and activities, the Edwards’ decades of service will be highlighted as they were chosen as the “Masters of Merriment.”
The Edwards will lead the city’s festivities, Friday, Dec. 6, and Saturday, Dec. 7, by joining the official tree lighting, spreading cheer at community events and serving as grand marshals in the Christmas parade. They will also switch on the Christmas lights in the park to welcome the start of the holiday season.
Despite expressing their gratitude for the honor, both Gary and Debbie were never looking for the recognition of their efforts.
“It means a lot. This is a great community, and I was surprised and honored. We don’t need the recognition, but it’s very nice that they thought of us,” Debbie said. “We are honored to be a part of the community that is, as far as I’m concerned, the greatest community in Thurston County.”
While Debbie’s connection to the Yelm community is deep, few residents have stronger roots than Gary, who was born and raised in Yelm. Service to the small town is in his blood. His great-grandfather J.C. Conine was one of Yelm’s first teachers in the 1870s; his father served on the Yelm school board; and his father and uncles also participated in the community.
Gary said the honor this holiday season is a way to complete the family legacy in Yelm, or at least his chapter of it, as he will retire at the end of the year once he completes his second term as county commissioner.
“It kind of brings to conclusion our family history of working with the community to make things better over the years in different arenas,” he said. “It’s quite an honor to be recognized by the community that we’ve been participating in. It’s humbling.”
The Edwards were surprised to receive the call from Line Roy, Yelm’s communications and recreation coordinator, about the honor.
“I only heard that Gary had been chosen to be the Master of Merriment, and Gary happened to be at home and he had just gotten off of a Zoom meeting,” Debbie said. “I said, ‘He’s right here. I’ll ask him,’ and Line goes, ‘Debbie, we mean you and Gary.’ What are you gonna say? You’re not gonna turn it down. We were surprised.”
Since he first ran for Thurston County sheriff in 1986, he had a common saying that “kids are 30% of the population and 100% of our future,” a mantra that Debbie shared through her work in the Yelm school board. Despite all of the changes in the school district, particularly the recent hardships presented by the double levy failure and ensuing budget cuts, Debbie is still motivated to serve a community that defines their family’s legacy.
“There’s been challenges, and yet the community has always been there and supported the schools. It reinstates the fact that this is a great community because they do rally. They’ve got your back no matter what,” she said. “I still enjoy it. It’s seeing the kids in kindergarten and seeing them go out and then come back to the community.”
The tree-lighting ceremony will take place at 5 p.m. on Friday at Yelm City Park. After the event, free photos with Santa will be offered inside the Yelm Community Center. The next day offers a fun morning of activities for residents of all ages to enjoy. At 9 a.m., the annual Christmas in the Park Parade will be hosted by the Yelm Chamber of Commerce down Yelm Avenue. Following its conclusion, the City of Yelm and other local organizations will host Christmas in the Park activities at 10 a.m. at Yelm City Park.
