Letter To The Editor: Oskaloosa–Our Home, Present and Future

Editors Note: The views and opinions expressed in this editorial are not necessarily the views or opinions of Oskaloosa News.

In the summer of 2004, I moved to Oskaloosa after accepting a position at William Penn University. Just a year out of college, I figured my time in ‘Osky’ would be short-lived and just a stepping stone to bigger and possibly better things.

Then I met my future wife. While our initial interactions were not those of a fairy tale, we later became friends through a mutual friend and when she, a graduate of WPU, left her home state of Idaho to return to the land of rolling corn and soybean fields, she reluctantly accepted my date proposal. We are obviously having a blast together as the time has flown by and we are surprised to notice we have spent over a decade (Jodi over 13 years and me over 11 years) in this special community.

So much has been said over this past calendar year, both positively and negatively, about Oskaloosa. I just wanted to take the opportunity to say what I see as an ‘outsider’ who has no roots here. The Oskaloosa Branding Committee, with the help of Roger Brooks and his company, have developed an extensive, and dare I say, ‘brilliant’ plan to take the community to even greater heights, making it a wonderful place to visit, and more importantly, to live.

There are nearly 1,000 towns in this great Hawkeye/Cyclone State, but few are as special as Oskaloosa. This blue-collar community, on the same plane as the University on its north end, is diverse. While diversity can breed hostility and misunderstanding, it can also build bridges of love and acceptance. I never imagined that I could live in a small town in my home state, yet have friends who not only come from this region, but also from across America and around the world. I am thrilled that our children will have the opportunity to have friends of so many different races, ethnicities, and religious affiliations.

We have vocal leaders here in Osky, we have those who are able and willing to contribute financially, and we have those who, while they may not make their presence felt in the first two areas, show their support by simply coming to the bandstand on those gorgeous Thursday nights in the summer or wave cheerfully at the beautifully lit floats in early December. Whatever they do, those citizens are impacting this community in a positive way and their numbers are growing. We need Oskaloosans to jump in and take ownership of moving the community toward a bright future. There will be people who choose to stay on the sidelines or hold us back, but a positive push WILL happen and personally we can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Our children will be Oskaloosa Indians and possibly continue on to be William Penn Statesmen. They, like their parents, will be involved in making this community the best it can be. Through Boy Scouts or in the choir or on an athletics team, they will produce pride all by themselves and hopefully lead others to also make Oskaloosa a great place to live.

Is life perfect here? No, but we could not imagine being anywhere else. We have built so many incredible relationships and have said we may as well buy our burial plots! Oskaloosa is HOME and we are PROUD to be a part of this community. We look forward to seeing how the branding plans of Oskaloosa develop and we will be there every step of the way to help!

Sincerely,
Wade Steinlage