The Keizer Chamber of Commerce is again hosting its annual banquet celebrating those who have made significant impact to the Keizer community.
“Celebrate Keizer” will be held on Saturday, Jan.17, at the Keizer Event Center at 930 Chemawa Rd. N. The event starts at 5:30 p.m.
Five community members will be recognized with awards including First Citizen, Merchant of the Year, President’s Choice, Service to Education and Dennis Koho Future First Citizen.
Chamber president Jeremy Turner said the future First Citizen scholarship is named for a previous Keizer mayor and honors the community service of a high school student living in Keizer. The student will receive a $1,500 scholarship.
While the event was previously known as the Keizer First Citizen’s Banquet, Turner and Jill Gust, chamber administrative assistant and events coordinator, said this year it was renamed in an effort to focus on celebrating Keizer as a whole.
“We’ve done our best to make this a celebration. That’s why we’ve changed the name to Celebrate Keizer – so it reflects all of the things that we’re doing in Keizer, not just the First Citizens banquet.” Turner said. “What we hope to do is to bring in more of the community to learn about all of the great things, and then to have just a good time.”
Tickets can be purchased on the chamber’s website, and are available to the public. Chamber members are able to buy tickets for $75 each, and non-members can purchase tickets for $85 each.
Entertainers will include “dueling pianos,” which Turner said involves two piano players who riff back and forth, taking audience song requests or playing a series of covers.
“From what I’m seeing, (they) make it fun,” Gust said.
Last year, Marlene Parsons won First Citizen, Lincoln Isom won Future First Citizen, John Illingworth won President’s Choice, SMI Property Management President Gabe Johansen won Merchant of the Year, Dan Borresen won Service to Eduation and The Rec won Nonprofit of the Year.
“We want the entire community to join us,” Turner said. “It’s not just a chamber activity, it’s not just a city of Keizer, elected officials and staff member thing, it’s for the entire community.”
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