The Place: Keizer, population 36,278 (2010 Census) is a Marion County city located immediately north of Oregon's capital, Salem. It was a part of Salem until voters approved forming their own city in 1982.
Keizer's most popular event is the Iris Festival, founded by Shreiner's Iris Gardens and held each spring since 1987. The event features a beer garden, a run, vintage car show, parade and food vendors. Another notable event is the Christmas light display on houses in the Gubser neighborhood. Donation opportunities allow visitor to the even to donate canned foods to the Marion County Food Bank.
The city is host to the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, a Class A minor league baseball team that plays in the Northwest League. Keizer's High School, McNary High School, has had a strong football program, winning state "big school" championships in 1997 and 2001.
Near the center of town, there is a monument to Keizer's location on the 45th parallel.
The Person: Keizer is named for Thomas Dove Keizur an Oregon pioneer who arrived in 1843 with the Applegate wagon train and settled a donation land claims in the area. At some point, Keizur's name was misspelled Keizer in official records, which led to the spelling of the city's name. The Keizur family held some 2,400 acres of land in the early days. A statue of Thomas Keizur is located on the grounds of the city hall, near the coordinates for this waymark.
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