About this time of year, mainly appearing during the national and religious holidays in which most Americans participate to one degree or another, are the recognized blessings and statements of thanks we express to voice our appreciations for where we are and what’s happening with us in our lives.
In the spirit of that tradition, a few statements are due about the city of Keizer and the people who make this small city their home. The first has to do with the look of this place for residences and businesses. During the 21 years my wife and I have lived here, there has been a steady increase in the sprucing up of most everything and the making of the community that much more livable. One of the most prominent displays of civic pride is the new city hall and police station to which my wife and I hand-carry our latest water bill payment just to enjoy the ambiance of the building and its pleasing-to-the-eye interior.
We patronize the stores, businesses and professional offices in Keizer close to 100 percent of the time, thereby satisfying our needs while we go elsewhere only when it’s imperative to do so. This practice of ours in buying local includes those locations along River Road as well as those at Keizer Station. We view Keizer Station as an Oregon landmark that encourages persons living-anywhere-near-close to patronize all that’s there. A couple of added pluses about the Station include the fact that we must never need search for a parking spot and that the grounds throughout are kept clean and free of trash.
A person in complimentary mode would not want to overlook the people who live here and those who are employees of the respective businesses. We have never been treated by any employee with a job here other than with respect and consideration. In fact, to those shops and sundry others we go on a regular basis, citing Bed, Bath and Beyond, Lowe’s, Michael’s and Staple’s as merely four examples, it’s not uncommon for the workers to address us by name and even recall why we were there on past occasions. This level of caring and friendliness regularly cause us to purr “We’re sure glad we live here.”
Kudos also to Lyndon Zaitz and his team who we view as providing the community with a Keizertimes newspaper that employs the work of professional journalists, reporting events and happenings in our Mid-Willamette Valley area of Oregon. They do outstandingly well at keeping the local folks informed and up-to-date on matters important for all to know and be aware of. It is our hope that persons who recognize excellence in small city newspapers know how well our reporters do at their trade and honor the Keizertimes accordingly.
Although this list is not all inclusive by any stretch of the subject, one final accolade here about Keizer derives naturally from its location by lay-of-the-land. Except for the occasional Friday afternoon bumper-to-bumper traffic slowdowns and instances when it seems everyone left for work at the same hour, it is totally easy to get around Keizer for business or pleasure. Even when adverse weather makes driving a challenge, the mostly flat geography in our neck-of-the-woods provides travelers a huge advantage over another small Oregon city where I grew up —and the many others like it in our state—hilly Astoria.
Best wishes to one and all with a prediction for more of the same in 2020.