Some vision could turn Oakley into a storybook townSome vision could turn Oakley into a storybook townOctober 10, 2003
I love reading fiction. All kinds. Whether it is suspense, horror or -- all right, Randy Leong --romance. I returned last week from a trip to Seattle. Before I left I purchased a series of fiction novels that by chance happen to take place just outside the Seattle area. I had to laugh when I picked up one of the books one night on the trip and realized that I had just visited the town that afternoon.
The author, Debbie Macomber, wrote a letter in the front of the book explaining that she was writing about her home town and although the characters were pure fiction, anyone who drove through the town would realize that her Cedar Grove was really Port Orchard, Wash. While I read through Macomber's flowery description of her town I had to think about what it would say if the story took place in Oakley, Calif.
Listen to how one of her characters describes the story's setting: "I see you've got a view of the marina from here...We're proud of our waterfront. During the summer there's a wonderful little festival, and of course the farmers market fills the parking lot next to the library on Saturdays.... This is a small town... not quite 5,000 people... we're big on sports in Cedar Grove. Friday nights, in the fall, half the town shows up for the high school football games. This time of year, it's basketball... We're only a ferry ride from Seattle, but we're a rural community... plenty of folks have chickens and horses. Of course, that's outside of the city limits... This is a lovely little town. You're going to love it here."
In a way it is kind of sad when you think about it because, when I read about the town of "Cedar Grove," I thought a lot about Oakley. She went on in the book to describe the downtown area, local parks and even the seagull-calling contest held each winter -- all of which are staples of life in the author's real home town.
It begs the question of when Oakley was last described like this and how can reach the point that the people of our community would be so proud of their home town that they spend time describing Oakley in such high regard?
When I passed the area of Port Orchard, Wash. I can say that at first sight it wasn't anything different from Oakley to the outsider. There was a small downtown area similar to Oakley with businesses very much the same, right down to the Albertsons grocery store where my family stopped to get sandwiches for a picnic to have off of the water. There was a state park on the bay where people could stop and have a picnic and enjoy the sunshine. It wasn't anything great and to be honest, the waterside looks much the same as Oakley.
The difference seemed to be that people visited the Port Orchard area because it had the mountainous trees and access to the bay where people could enjoy the view, fish a little and have a family barbecue.
There were dozens of towns just like it on our trip as we drove to Seattle, especially coming back on U.S. 101 along the coastal area. One such town was Raymond, Wash. If Oakley is looking to create an identity that would get attention they should think about Raymond. The town itself isn't anything different from Oakley; as a matter of fact it is much smaller, but the downtown area is clean and delightfully decorated with a series of steel sculptures. The series is part of the Wildlife-Heritage Sculpture Corridor.
It was a really fantastic showcase of sculptures of wildlife and people that livened up the Raymond scenery along U.S. 101, State Route 6 and throughout downtown Raymond. Incorporated into the Raymond landscape in 1993, the sculptures were designed by local artists to reflect the heritage of the area. Many of the sculptures reflect loggers, Native Americans, elk, and bear. If it weren't for these sculptures Raymond would look just like one of the other river and coastal towns one passes on the drive.
Now that Oakley has a hotel wouldn't it be nice to have something that makes our city stand out in the crowd? Something to make people stop and use the hotel, stay a while, bring in some needed tax dollars?
We are just another town like Raymond and Port Orchard, Wash., but with some pride in our community and some local cultural improvements we can make a change for the better. If you have any ideas, don't be shy. Attend a City Council meeting on the second and fourth Mondays of any given month at Delta Vista Middle School and bring them to the council's attention. Remember, Oakley is your home town and to make the best of it, it takes us all working together.
Roni Gehlke's column on life in Oakley appears each week in the Brentwood News.
Distributed by the Contra Costa Times