CoronaCoaster Video Series • Edmonds Historical Museum

Covid 19 Pandemic

The CoronaCoaster Video Series was a community-based video project to record and preserve what it was like to live through the COVID-19 pandemic.

The project was sponsored by a partnership between the Edmonds Historical Museum, the Edmonds Waterfront Center, Edmonds Rotary, Edmonds Diversity Commission and My Neighborhood News Network.

Gary Haakenson, former Edmonds Mayor and current Board Chair of the Edmonds Waterfront Center, and Jacob Sawyer, a high school senior and Co-Chair of the Edmonds Youth Commission, discuss the COVID-19 pandemic when it first started to feel ‘real’ in March 2020.

International college student, Osas Airuoyo and Program Coordinator Janey McCaulley discuss “The Year We Stayed Home – Bittersweet Confinement”; the pros and cons of switching to virtual classes and working from home, the missing energy of in-person interaction, and the important role of reconnecting with friends and family.

High school student Maxine, and long-time Edmonds resident, Donna, discuss a variety of changes the COVID-19 pandemic has brought. They share how they keep in contact with family members, their experience of changes in Downtown Edmonds, plans for 2020 Thanksgiving holiday, and thoughts about the post-pandemic future.

Aaron, a local high school student and local artist Norma, discuss new activities they have experienced since the pandemic hit – from remote art groups, gardening and cooking, to learning sign language. They also discuss what they are looking forward to post-pandemic.

Longtime Edmonds resident, Maureen “Mo” Galbreath and high school junior, Preston Yao, discuss their personal experiences and thoughts of the pandemic and its broad impact on each of their personal lives and the world.

U of WA – Bothell Professor, Arnie Lund, and U of WA – Bothell student, Chase Keffeler, exchange different perspectives on the sudden transition from in-person classes to online teaching and learning. They explore the early challenges of implementing new tools, finding the right workload balance for virtual learning, along with the important role of personal connection – whether in-person or online.

Michelle Hutchinson, a diagnostic laboratory assistant, and high school student Brook Roberts, are both highly active in the Edmonds community. They discuss their involvement; Michelle as a volunteer chaplain helping with COVID testing, and being an emergency response worker; Brook as an advocate for the underserved, serving on the Edmonds Youth Commission, and serving as the student representative on the Edmonds City Council.

Kaveh, an avid movie fan and a high school senior when the pandemic started, shares the experience of being part of the graduating class of “lost seniors” – missing plays, prom and other high school senior activities. Marlene, a retired nurse and long-time member of a choral singing group, discusses the pros and cons of how the pandemic impacted her work with LGTBQ advocacy as well as how much she looks forward to returning to travel and in-person singing.