As more and more people seem to be walking these days, it has been brought to my attention that motorists really appreciate those walkers who walk in the streets of Kalona who are wearing light colored clothing.

It is even more appreciated by motorists when people wear reflective clothing and/or blinking lights. These people are more easily seen, reducing the possibility of being accidentally hit by a car or truck.

We see many of those who drive E-bikes are wearing reflective vests. It would be good if those people walking in streets also had those vests.

Of course, it is always best to walk on sidewalks. But I can understand why people don’t walk on sidewalks. With my wife visiting her cousin this past week, I have been doing more walking. With the condition of many of the sidewalks in Kalona, I can understand why people walk in the streets.

Even the sidewalks along B Avenue and C Avenue west of 4th Street are in poor condition. I walked over to JW’s Foods this week and I would not want to be walking on any of those sidewalks after dark. They are in extremely poor shape, and I would be fearful of twisting my ankle or falling.

The way I usually walk to and from work, sidewalks along 6th Street, H Avenue and 10th Street are in good shape at least on one side.

Hopefully the city’s sidewalk improvement program will continue and will include sidewalks on B and C Avenues.

If you do have to walk in the street, please follow the example of those walkers who wear reflective clothing or some type of reflectors or light clothing. Motorist do not want to hit anyone, so please do yourself a favor by making yourself visible to motorists.

Recognizing veterans

This edition of The News features photos of 404 area veterans.

The News staff wants to thank everyone who submitted photos for this section and for their service. We also want to thank the advertisers who are running ads in this special section to make it possible for The News to publish all the photos of the veterans and to pay tribute to each of the veterans in this section and many others of whom we don’t yet have a photo.

Veterans and families of veterans, if you haven’t yet submitted your photo or that of a family member or friend, please do so for next year’s edition of this special section. They can either be mailed to The News, PO Box 430, Kalona, IA 52247, brought in to The News office at 419 B Avenue so we can scan them, or email the photo and information to Colette Yoder at admin@thenews-ia.com.

I personally did not serve in the armed forces, but I had a number of relatives who have. My uncle Carl Wilford Peterson was killed in action during World War II and is buried in the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery near Rome, Italy.

Over 370 Kalona homeowners also do a great job of recognizing veterans by display the American flags in their yards six times a year including on Veterans Day. The Optimists are going to give the residents living in the Southtown subdivision an opportunity to fly the American flag six times a year for $45/year starting next spring on Memorial Day.

Reserve your Christmas Greeting ads soon

The Christmas shopping and greeting season will soon be here.

The News will be publishing a Holiday Celebration Guide on Nov. 30. The deadline for that section in Nov. 15. Contact Ron or Morgan at the News office, 419 B Avenue or 319-656-2273 to reserve space in that popular section.

It isn’t too early to reserve your Christmas Greeting/Business Thank You ad in The News’ Christmas Greeting section. The deadline to place a Christmas Greeting ad is Dec. 8. Contact Ron, Morgan or Colette at The News office to reserve ad space now.