It was a simple idea.

Get Seahawk Tariq Woolen sitting on a board just over a dunk tank. If the people hit the target with a softball, Woolen’s seat gives out and he goes for a little swim.

It was $5 for three throws, or $20 to press the target and immediately drench Woolen. It was all to help Five Star Dealerships raise money for Summit Pacific Medical Center, in Elma. They raised $870 in about a couple hours.

One person, Five Star Ford General Manager Damon Gleason’s son Parker, did both. He threw and he paid the $20 to automatically dunk Woolen.

“That was so worth the $20,” Parker shouted towards Woolen.

Woolen was donning a black Nike shirt and what looked like the famed forest green, red and yellow SuperSonics shorts — the ones they wore when they lost to the Chicago Bulls in the 1996 NBA Finals. At Woolen’s height, he towered over everyone. But on Saturday, he was just one of the guys. And people loved it. Despite feeling the cold water every time someone hit the target, Woolen seemed to enjoy himself.

“Tariq loved the fair,” said Damon Gleason. “He loves and enjoys our community. It was his choice to come to help us raise money for Summit Pacific. ‘Riq’ said Grays Harbor is locked in for life with him.”

Even though this involved Woolen being put into an uncomfortable situation — not knowing when he’d get dunked into the pool, and where his only defense was his manager shooting a water gun into the faces of the competitors as they threw the softballs — Woolen’s constant smiling and good-natured ribbing made it all the more fun for everybody.

Gleason knows how to draw a crowd. And he knows how to promote. There was a constant showing and they weren’t all throwing the softballs. Many people were just filming their friends and family members as they tried to dunk the Seahawk. Some people showed unorthodox throwing motions, some showed solid throwing motions, and it wasn’t always the strongest person who hit the target. Sometimes, the strongest were way off the mark, probably because they were overpowering their tosses.

But even with all the misses, Woolen still got soaked plenty of times. And with each time, he wiped his face and smile.

Meet and greet

After the last competitor finished throwing, Gleason called it and Woolen went to an undisclosed area and changed into a blue hoodie and pants. It did get a little bit cooler, and for the wettest person at the fair, the native Texan looked awfully cold before he changed clothes.

Luckily for fans, from children to older fans who probably remember when the Seahawks became a team in 1976, Woolen stuck around, flashed that smile and signed autographs as he made their day even better.

Retha, who has a hand-built bar at her home that she shares with her husband Paul, was over the moon about Woolen’s appearance at the fair.

“It’s great,” Retha said. “I had never gotten to meet an actual Seahawks player before, so that was awesome. And two, with our little fair, it’s a great treat to have him here. I was excited.’

Retha said she thinks Woolen is “super nice” and a “gentleman.”

“I think the Seahawks are very lucky to get him,” Retha said. “And for him to come out here, it’s awesome. He seems like a super nice kid.”

One of the items Woolen signed for Retha was caricature drawing of her and her husband. Retha was grateful for that.

“He didn’t have to sign our, you know, cartoon picture but he did,” Retha said. “I think it’s just cool that he’s here in Elma.”

Retha was happy that Five Star Dealerships was able to get Woolen to the fair. She was also delighted by the fact that Woolen wore the SuperSonics shorts during the dunk tank part of the evening.

“We are getting (the SuperSonics back), so that’s awesome,” Retha said.

Retha spoke about the bar that she and Paul have made.

“During the pandemic we made part of our garage into a bar-workout area,” Retha said. “My husband built the bar around our well pump.”

Her husband, from Texas, is a Dallas Cowboys fan, while she’s a Seahawk fan. So it must be true love to have a garage divided.

“We divided up the walls,” Retha said. “We have curtains that say our last name. One panel is Cowboys (themed) and the other is Seahawks. And then, so he has his wall of Cowboys and I have my Seahawks.”

Paul showed the design, complete with floating shelves on the back and deer heads and “everything” on the wall next to it.

“(I’ve) got a dartboard and a TV in a corner,” Paul said. “That’s the Seahawks wall.”

The garage also has Seahawks and Cowboys chairs, a poker table and Retha’s treadmill. And soon, Retha’s going to include a Washington State Cougars poster that shows all of the WSU quarterbacks who went professional. And the poster is signed.

And to respect her mom, who just turned 93 and is a “Gonzaga Men’s Basketball fanatic,” Retha promised to hang that up as well. Retha said they’re “running out of room.”

Not leaving empty-handed

Gleason made sure Woolen left with something to remember the fair. He paid for a baker’s dozen of Fisher’s scones. The scones, filled with raspberry jam, were a sweet scent and quite popular amongst fair-goers. Despite the price, $30, people were not only buying them by the baker’s dozen. One couple ordered a lot more.

But, given the lengthy line, they must be worth it. And, according to Gleason, they impressed Woolen.

“(Woolen) loved them,” said Gleason, who had promised Woolen to snag him a scone before the NFL star’s departure. “Also he made us go get another refill on some special lemonade — strawberry-watermelon lemonade.”

Contact Reporter Matthew N. Wells at matthew.wells@thedailyworld.com.

Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Tariq spent a couple hours between a cold dunk tank and a meet and greet at Five Star Dealerships’ tent on Saturday evening at Grays Harbor County Fair. Retha, one of the many Seahawks fans in attendance, was so happy to meet Woolen and to get him to sign the caricature drawing of her and her husband Paul.

Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Parker Gleason has a blast throwing softballs at a target for a dunk tank that held Tariq Woolen, cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks. Gleason even paid the $20, which went to Summit Pacific Medical Center, in order to automatically dunk Woolen. Five Star Dealerships and Woolen teamed up Saturday to raise $870 for the hospital.