Where Have All Good Neighbors Gone?

Each day, we open the mailbox.

Watching. Hoping. Wishing.

We wait for your Good Neighbor contest nominations, thinking, “If we advertise it, they will come.”

But it’s looking pretty grim, folks. It appears that there simply AREN’T any good neighbors left in Spokane.

Maybe it’s the weather. Perhaps the rainy spring and early summer days didn’t beckon you to hang out with those people across the street. Maybe you’re cooped up inside your home, increasingly suspicious of any contact with that couple next-door and their four children.

Maybe it’s a change in attitude.

These days, who really wants a good neighbor, anyway?

Those do-gooders who always mow your lawn and feed your pets while you’re on vacation, or bring you chocolate chip cookies when you’re under the weather can be sooooo annoying.

Maybe good neighbors are just a thing of the past - a vague remembrance of those sappy days when people actually cared about and helped each other.

Perhaps what we SHOULD do is sponsor a new contest.

We could call it the “Bad Neighbor” contest. Instead of honoring those nice folks who make life better, we could recognize the people you can’t stand. That guy who blares rock music at 2 a.m. The woman with 450 cats who all do their business in your yard. The kids who ride their BMX bikes through your garden.

Well, OK, maybe not.

But seriously, folks, we need some help. Last year the Good Neighbor contest drew more than 80 letters of nomination. This year, nominations are way, way down.

Despite the odds, we simply refuse to give up hope. We KNOW that there are good neighbors out there.

That’s why we’re extending the deadline of the 1997 Good neighbor contest. Now, letters of nomination must be postmarked by Aug. 11.

Letters of nomination should be no more than 250 words, and should tell us about a person who makes a difference in your life, and the lives of others in your neighborhood.

It’s a chance to spotlight that neighbor who gives tirelessly and joyfully.

Perhaps you’ve written to us in past years to nominate someone, but your favorite neighbor wasn’t selected. Try again. This could be the year your neighbor wins.

When you write, tell us exactly why your good neighbor is tops. Give specific examples describing his or her contributions to your neighborhood. The winner of the Good Neighbor contest will be featured in the Valley Voice on August 28 and will get a beautiful award plaque.

And remember that there’s something in this for you and the rest of your neighbors, too.

We’ll throw a delicious, fully catered dinner party for your entire block. That’s right. Invite everyone. We’re picking up the tab.

So get out your pens, notepad and typewriters, and write about your good neighbor today.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Nominate your neighbor Send your letters of nomination to: Good Neighbor contest, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210-2160. The contest deadline has been extended to Aug. 11.