I opened my email today and saw that "the Chamber Awards Are Back"...."Please take a moment to nominate your favorite business or person that helps make the Yakima Valley great. Finalists must be current Chamber Members".  I guess the awards ceremony is on September 9th at State Fair Park.

I also note the Yakima Herald-Republic (YHR) and the Business Times (BT) are both calling for reader input on soliciting nominations for their  "Best of Yakima" lists.

As they say at the Oscars. "it's an honor just being nominated" and in this case it really is.  To have someone in your own community suggests that they have noticed you are doing a good job at your job, well, it really does feel great.

KIT has had the "honor of being nominated" many times for various awards over the years and we have even won a few and when we have, it's always been a mixture of cool and awkward at the same time for me.

I grew up on a farm. Early to bed, early to rise, a full day's work, nose to the grindstone...all the catchphrases and poster sayings applied to my farm life.  My Dad was an excellent farmer.  He loved the land, the very soil itself, the livestock, and the freedom that farm life allowed. I would like to say he worked hard and he played hard but that's not quite true.  He worked extremely hard, so much so that there really wasn't any time for play...and I guess that's what made him an excellent farmer. He took care of his machinery, fields, and herd yet never once was he nominated for an award.  No "straightest furrow plowed", no "healthiest calf raised" or "largest eggs laid" for him.  He didn't need it and he didn't expect it.  Virtue, hard work, and doing everything the right way were their own rewards.  It's how I was raised and as a result, I know when I have done a good job and when I have bombed out!

Recognition is nice but I don't imagine most of the past winners set out to win awards. In KIT's case, we just do what we love to do.  Should that merit some kind of community recognition?  Not really.  Lance, Jack, and I love information, we are curious & creative, we want to be informed and we want to inform and entertain others.

In other words, as they might say in a paraphrased Blazing Saddles, "we don't need no stinking awards" but some people probably could use one, especially after coming through more than a year of life in the pandemic.

So if given the chance to weigh in and cast a vote, do it.  Let your neighbors know you notice them, let the people who serve you know you appreciate the service that goes above and beyond the expected.  Maybe it's just to recognize simple consistency, the work required to hold to a standard, to always be good, over time, regardless of the challenges faced.  Whatever the opportunity, take advantage of it to give a pat on the back for the people who work hard in your community.  It will make their day and these days we need more positive gestures and moments.

After the powers that be report the results of their particular awards, Lance, Jack and I will be happy to share them with YOU,  the awesome audience of great and generous KIT listeners. (yup...that was a pat for you)

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