I wanted to take an opportunity to share with you what I have seen in my time in San Saba. My name is Keith Owen and I am the proud superintendent of San Saba ISD. My wife, Rebecca, and I have been here since 2023, and we continue to be more and more proud to call San Saba our home and serve alongside the great folks of San Saba ISD. Since coming to the Pecan Capital of the World, I have seen that this is a community that grows on you the longer you stay. I have worked in small towns in Texas most of my career and have seen many others. It is sad to say that many of those towns are slowly dying on the vine. That is not a shot at any of those communities, it is just hard on rural Texas these days. Rebecca and I have talked many times about a few themes we see here in San Saba that are preventing that situation from happening here.
First, folks in San Saba are intentional about keeping the economy going. Farmers, ranchers, business owners, and community servants continue to invest in San Saba’s economy and growth. Groups like the Chamber of Commerce, Young Farmers, The Community Foundation, Rotary Club, and Mayor-City Manager-City Council actively seek ways to invest and bring business to town. Small business here is active and crucial to San Saba’s name getting “out there”. Many places I have been have the small businesses that are fine, but they lack vibrance and outside attraction. The small businesses here, on the other hand, are intentional when it comes to growing and maintaining relevance and drawing from outside our community. I travel to conferences and when people hear I am from San Saba, they comment on our pecan shops, Harry’s and other downtown shops, our restaurants, or our golf course. That does not happen by accident. We have individuals, business leaders, and organizations that are forward thinking and driven to build this place. When you travel Texas, I can assure you, San Saba stands out as a place where folks are actively investing in home.
Secondly, the community continues to “be a community”. The events this small town hosts are so well planned, organized, and attended. Not only do activities like the Sip and Stroll, Fall Festival, Sheep Dog Trials, Wild Game Dinner, Chamber of Commerce Spring Music Festival, Catkins, and downtown concerts bring visitors to town for great exposure, but our hometown folks show up! Rebecca and I love getting to these when we can and seeing the community come out and fellowship together. San Saba-ites of all ages still enjoy building the community identity through these great opportunities. We welcome visitors and, while I am very new to town, I will say “we” welcome visitors and enjoy showing off our downtown, our shops, our history, and bragging about our town. I have had multiple friends and family visit and each one of them have said something along the lines of, “this place just feels alive”.
Finally, folks “come home” to San Saba. Each new person I talk to that tells me about their journey shares how they went off to college, or work some other place, but chose to come back home. I have seen places where people feel stuck in their home town. It creates a huge difference when people “choose” to live and raise a family in their home town. At our beginning of the school year convocation, I asked everyone who had a prior tie to San Saba to stand up, and I assure you it was at least 75% of our staff that stood. That is powerful that so many want to invest in their hometown, and pour into the future of this great place. Even my sons, who were already gone to college when we moved here, say this is a place that feels like home.
It is the kind of place that grows on you. Of course, we have work to do. I have work to do in my development as a superintendent, that is for sure. But in this season of thankfulness I reflect on how great it is to work with folks that are tackling “big work”, and grinding through tough situations, while being supported by such a strong foundation of a community. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the noise of the work (trees) and miss the abundant blessings of the forest. I wanted to take this opportunity to express gratitude and shine some perspective from a newcomer on the quiet greatness of San Saba. One late night I was headed back from seeing family out of town, and as I saw the city limit sign, it hit me that this place, San Saba, is a “Great Place to Come Home To.”