The lawyers descend on those injured from flying shrapnel from the explosion that went awry, and Andy Vidak appears at Bear Mountain Sports to savor his victory

 * ... EXPLOSION: The planned implosion of an old power plant in Bakersfield that went awry is tragic beyond words. One man lost a leg when shrapnel flew hundreds of feet into the parking lot at a nearby Lowe's, and at least four others were injured. Given the dozens of videos posted on YouTube, it is surprising that even more people were not injured. It likely will be some time before we learn what went wrong, but by the time the lawyers are done with this, PG and E and the demotion experts will likely pay a high price for the mistake.

 * ... PARKWAY: Social media was abuzz with positive reviews of the new Westside Parkway, which opened Friday. It will be a particular boon to folks who live in the extreme Southwest and Northwest, allowing commuters to avoid the dreaded Rosedale Highway and the always clogged Truxtun Extension. I do worry about what will become of the minimalist bark landscaping after the first big rain or windstorm. Only time will tell.

 * ... VIDAK: A relaxed Andy Vidak made an appearance at Bear Mountain Sports this weekend to thank Kern County voters for helping him win the 16th state Senate runoff against Leticia Perez. Bear Mountain Sports owner Gene Thome always puts on a good show for his annual dove season sale, and Vidak was at center stage along with music by the Bakersfield Rhythm Boys and the raffle of a rifle. Vidak, a Hanford cherry farmer, takes office later this month. (photo courtesy of Gene Thome)

 * ... JINGLE: Here's a question that Stephen A. Montgomery has been wrestling with. Let me know if you can help. "Back in the late 1950s and early 1960s on KAFY, then the radio station of choice for young people, there was an ad with the voice of a speaker using a mock cartoonish hillbilly accent advertising some business on Wible Road; '...Waa-aable Road!' as he said it. Friends and family remember the ad but none of us can remember what it was promoting. Since then there have been a couple of changes on Wible Road, such as SR 99 on one or the other side of it and a lot of construction post dating that time, but we are trying to remember what long ago business sponsored that ad."

 * .... MEMORIES: Another memory from long time ago compliments of reader Elinor Grant. "Does anyone remember the oriental auction house? It was on Eye Street across the alley from the old Newberry store in the 1930s. I purchased a small coin purse made in China. Just recently I passed it on to a friend who intends to pass it on to his daughter. Still in mint condition! (the coin purse that is)."

Andy Vidak to appear at Bear Mountain Sports this Saturday, and introducing the new Witch Fingers grapes from the Pandol family in Bakersfield

 * ... PANDOL GRAPES: How many of you have seen the new Witch Fingers grapes developed in Bakersfield by the Pandol family? They do look amazingly like pointed fingers, and they were recently featured in the New York Times. Said the Times: "Here’s a showstopper on the table: elongated, seedless, maroon grapes, called Witch Fingers, that were developed by crossbreeding native American grapes from the East with Mediterranean varieties. They are grown by the Grapery, a specialist in Bakersfield, Calif., and are available until the end of August. Only about an inch long, the grapes have a flavor that almost suggests plums. Serve them with cheese, in a salad with ricotta salata and rosemary, or arrange them on custard tartlets."  (photo courtesy of The New York Times)

* ... VIDAK: Andy Vidak will be making an appearance this Saturday at Bear Mountain Sports to thank Kern County voters for helping him defeat Leticia Perez in the recent state Senate runoff. Gene Thome, the owner of the gun shop, told me the Hanford cherry farmer be at the Weedpatch Highway showroom at 10:30 p.m. Vidak's appearance comes while The Bear is holding its annual deer and dove sale, an annual event that includes music and a raffle for an AR-15 rifle.

 * ... MARK'S STORY: The latest installment from my friend Mark James, who I reconnected with after a 35 year absence. I share it only because I find it so compelling and relevant in how we all approach our lives and the regrets that live within all of us. Mark was extremely successful in financial terms, but privately lived in hell. He was gay and never came out. Said Mark: "I was a university student, president of my class, and worked for the Georgia Senate Majority Leader in 1975 and 1976 during the legislative sessions. Again, even deeper into the closet. I kept myself working so hard I left no time for a social life. The loneliness was palpable but I believed I had no choice so I persevered. After getting my degree I served in the US Navy, stationed at the Pentagon as an editor in the Office of Special Correspondence, Congressional Liaison and Naval Ombudsman, reporting to two admirals and the Secretary of the Navy. This was great work and that is where I came to fully appreciate the power of helping others in meaningful, life-changing ways. I had never met as many gay men as I met at the Pentagon in the Naval Service. Many more Marines than Sailors. All living closeted, paranoid lives. We all compensated by being regarded as the highest performing, most dedicated, most trusted, most educated. Still, we were, effectively, strait-jacketed; always aware that our high security clearances made us susceptible to frequent background checks. I lived in the barracks with a man m  age, in the same room, for two years. Only years later did we learn each of us was gay.  As I look back I wonder why I lacked the courage to come out. In fact, this recent correspondence with you is the most I have outed myself in my life. I guess because I have nothing to lose now, and am finding writing about it to be healing."

 * ... PARKWAY: With the opening of the Westside Parkway, Cathleenn Colbert submits this thought on its design. "Let's save some resources and hardscape the Westside Highway. Cover the slopes with concrete and then take advantage of our local artists to create murals and sculptures. Let's create a drive-thru art museum!"

 * ... MORE PARKWAY: And then there was this from Brad Rios. "My wife Katy and I live near the new Westside Parkway. When you look at the new parkway it's a far cry from the proposed lush one shown to the community three years ago. It takes the term 'hard scape' to a whole new level. As we were driving by the parkway the other day my wife said, 'Westside Parkway? More like Westside Barkway!' So, until it looks closer to the proposed development we believe the Westside Barkway is a more fitting title."

Did high negative ratings sink the state Senate candidacy of Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez? Or was Andy Vidak simply more appealing to middle of the road Democrats?

 * ... PEREZ: One person who predicted the defeat of Leticia Perez in the state Senate race is Bill Thomas, the former chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and a longtime Republican insider and strategist. The last time I talked to Thomas, I asked him how a

Republican like Andy Vidak might defeat Perez in such a heavily Democratic district. His answer: Perez had failed to connect with voters on an emotional level and her campaign was perceived as highly negative. If Vidak could capture enough middle of the road Democrats, and apparently he did, he could win. Turns out Bill Thomas was right. Vidak will have to run again next year in a newly apportioned state Senate district. Perez, meanwhile, will fill out her Supervisor role wondering how she was unable to defeat a Republican in such a lopsidedly Democratic district.




 * ... LIFE LESSONS: I returned from lunch this week to find a heart breaking message on my voice mail. It was from a woman whose husband was dying of an undisclosed illness and whose friends and families have all but disappeared. She called to say she was moved by the story of Mark James, an old friend of mine who also is dying. Mark's lesson: live your life like every day is your last. Reach out to others and remember than in the end, it is the love of friends and family, not your bank account, that matters. "Like Mark the family and friends were there for my husband in the beginning," she said. "But they have disappeared too. People need to know that is matters to people when you are around."

 * ... PARKWAY: Earlier this week I suggested the idea that the public should be allowed a sneak peek of the Westside Parkway before it opens to cars and trucks. Susan Hamilton loved the idea and added this: "The suggested entry donation could be a plant or tree on the city's wish list!"

 * ... GOOD FORM: Spotted on a friend's Facebook wall: "I left my purse sitting in a basket in the Costco parking lot, wallet, phone and all. The person who took my space behind me was kind enough to turn it in instead of keeping it!"

 * ... BAD FORM: Shame on whoever was driving the Park Ranger white sedan that buzzed a bicyclist in front of Ethel's Corral last Sunday. "He must of been going 65 miles per hour on that curve and almost took me out," the cyclist told me. "The more I think about it the madder I get."

 * ... KARPE: Congratulations to Ray Karpe, the former president of Karpe Real Estate who is now director of operations at Stockdale Property Management. Ray told me the company manages 55 commercial properties with some 500 tenants that occupy two million square feet of space. Ray is a CSUB graduate who has been a longtime contributor to community causes.

* ... WATER SLIDES:  Here's a good thought considering the heat this summer. From Betsy Gosling: "I recently returned from British Columbia and noticed several water slides at various locations, mostly small towns. We really need a water slide in Bakersfield. Surely there is a private person and/or company who is willing to build one or two, nothing large, just a place for everyone, especially kids, to cool off in this weather. It is a win-win situation and would certainly be profitable.  Don't you know someone?"

The Westside Parkway gets ready to open, but what is with the moonscape landscaping? Or is there landscaping at all? And finally we will see an end to the state Senate 16th District race

 * ... PARKWAY: The good news is that the long awaited Westside Parkway will open August 2,  a welcome relief for all those folks who have battle traffic along Rosedale Highway and Truxtun to get

home. The bad news: what is up with the Iraqi-style landscaping, or seeming lack thereof? Let's hope the parkway landscaping doesn't end up looking like the dismal state of affairs along Highways 99 and 58.

 * ... MARK: My earlier posts from a friend who shared his inner most thoughts while battling cancer seem to have touched a lot of people. Barry Rosenfeld, a friend and fellow Rotarian, shared what he said while speaking to a Boys and Girls Club dinner. It is worth hearing. "When I visit clients and friends who are in the final stages of their life, whether in a hospital or at home with Hospice, not once has anyone asked me to bring them a picture of their boat or motor home or ski condo. You know what they say? They tell me they want their family close and they also say they wish that they had given back more. They wish they had given more money to their church or synagogue or to the homeless or to youth groups. But I know those of you in this room will not say those things when your time comes because you have given back. But tonight the one thing I do ask of you is to pay it forward by getting other people involved. Ask another person to volunteer their time or donate money.  I ask you to do this because we want them to know how good it feels to give back."

 * ... SPOTTED: A local car is spotted with a bumper sticker reading: "Honk if you love Jesus... Text while driving if you want to meet in person."

 * ... SENATE: Keep your eye on the special election Tuesday in the 16th state Senate District, a particularly nasty runoff between Supervisor Leticia Perez and Hanford cherry farmer Andy Vidak.  Republicans see it as a chance to reestablish themselves in a state where Democrats hold a strong majority, and money and flowed into both campaigns.

 * ... DIRICO'S: More on the old DiRico's eatery, compliments of Glen Stoller: "Thanks to Vickie Burke Shallock, Darlene Stewart and Jerry Beckwith for writing in about DiRico’s Italian Restaurant. It was my favorite spot in Bakersfield. My first experience with pizza was in 1956 when I was at Cal Poly. After a Mustang-Bulldog football game in Fresno, we went to a restaurant called DiChicos. I had my first pizza and fell in love with it. Shortly after that I discovered DiRico's in Bakersfield; oh the joy! Pizza is still my love and making it is a hobby of mine with a wood burning oven in my front yard."

 * ... MEMORIES: Joan Stain is one person in town who remembers the old days of the Bakersfield Bowling Academy. She moved here in 1963 and filled in for a friend who worked the desk, and never left. "I was hired permanently and not only worked the desk but also acted as league coordinator. That occurred in 1979 and I retired from Southwest Lanes in 1996 as the manager. Seeing the names of David Rangel, Mike Hicks, Jack Moore etc. brought back loads of memories for me," she said. "How I loved those days at the old BBA with Sarge at the help. He was truly special in my eyes."

Former Congressman Bill Thomas rips into the Leticia Perez campaign, saying it is built on lies and distortions. Will going negative backfire on the Perez camp?

 * ... PEREZ: Former House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas pulled no punches recently in giving his view of Leticia Perez, who is locked in a pitched battle for the 16th Senate District race against  Hanford cherry farmer Andy Vidak. Thomas characterized the Perez campaign as a shameful attempt to smear Vidak through half truths and distortions, and he called the July 23 16th Senate runoff one of the most important of the year. It may have been wishful thinking, but Thomas speculated that Perez's focus on character assassination could backfire because the relentless negative campaigning is turning off some Democrats and more middle of the road voters. Thomas made his remarks on First Look with Scott Cox. Perez campaign manager Trent Hager responded by saying "the thirsty Los Angeles-based real estate special interests are the ones who started the runoff with nasty, negative and personal campaign attacks against Leticia. The only reason these special interest players would be spending upwards of $1 million in a negative campaign trying to tear Leticia down is because they are after one thing, the Valley's water. And they know, based on Andy's prior track record of never voting to deliver water to the Valley, he is just their guy." The gloves are clearly off in this campaign.

 * ... IMMIGRATION: And speaking of former congressman Thomas, he was complimentary of the comprehensive immigration reform passed in the Senate, noting that four of the five Central Valley congressmen (Reps. Jeff Denham, Jim Costa, David Valadao and Devin Nunes) have spoken in favor of reform. The one who is coldest to the Senate plan seems to be Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House Majority Whip. Instead, McCarthy has been adhering to the Republican line that the House will come up with its own package. As Thomas said: the best way to kill legislation is to say the Senate reform bill simply isn't good enough.

 * ... HEAT: If you think it is hot here when the temperature hits 109, remember that it was 127 in Death Valley and 113 in Las Vegas this week.

 * ... FREEDOM: Thanks to my regular contributor Gene Bonas for this thought in honor of July Fourth: "Depending on which source is used, World War II veterans are dying at a rate of a thousand to fifteen hundred each day.... (including)  submarine veterans, who gave everything for the freedoms we enjoy today. The month of June during Word War II was a bad month for sub losses. Seven submarines and 402 men were lost. The month of July was not as bad: Three submarines and 204 men were lost. It's interesting to note that from 1900 to the present day, a total of 65 United States Navy submarines have been lost.  Of those 65, 52 subs and a total of 3,889 men were lost during World War II. "

 * ... ACHIEVER: Kudos to Julianne Toler-Schmidt, a local girl who is headed to the University of Georgia as an assistant professor. Julianne went to Bakersfield Christian High and later to Point Loma University. After that she earned her master's and doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Said her proud father, retired Bakersfield city battalion chief Larry Toler,  "She's going from being a 'Tar Heel' to being a "Bulldog" or in my mind a Georgia Peach." Her mother, Marilyn, is a retired reading specialist with the Norris School District.

The Bakersfield Racquet Club struggles to survive and will Andy Vidak agree to an on air debate with Leticia Perez in the 16th State Senate District runoff?

 * ... THE BUZZ: It looks like the Bakersfield Racquet Club may be in financial trouble again. Members are telling me that money is so tight a purge of the staff is under way and members are being urged to sign up 100 new members to save the club. The storied tennis center, located on Pine Street off Truxtun, has been suffering from declining membership for years. Over a year ago a move by some
board members to revamp the club to widen its appeal was rejected by a core group of older members, leading to a lot of bad blood among long-time members and supporters. The issue: how does a club built around tennis (unfortunately not a growth sport) stay relevant and expand its audience? Stay tuned.

 * ... STATE SENATE: Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez says she is ready to debate Republican Andy Vidak in their runoff for the 16th State Senate District. No word yet if Vidak will take Perez up on her offer to appear together on First Look with Scott Cox. Vidak narrowly missed winning the seat outright and the two are now headed for a July runoff. Perez, a Democrat, is positioning herself as a centrist who can work with the Democratic majority to get things done.

* ... BAD FORM: "How this for bad form?" wrote reader Car Nicita. "Yesterday my wife Beverly and I were taking our dogs for a walk in Challenger Park when we found someone had dumped an old dried up full size Christmas tree along Harris Road. The tree still had a stand attached! Wonder where they were keeping it until they decided June was the time to dispose of their tree?"

* ... ACHIEVER: Hats off to Ashley Langeliers, a Liberty High School graduate who went on to earn a degree from CSUB. On May 31, she received her PhD in clinical psychology from Alliant International University in Fresno. She currently works as the clinical manager at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders in Fresno. Her parents are Marcy and Joel Brust.

 * ... CHAMBER: Congratulations to all the people and organizations who were recognized in this past weekend's Beautiful Bakersfield awards sponsored by the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce. The awards are an excellent way to recognize people who contribute to the betterment of our community, even if the annual banquet is a televised snooze fest in dire need of a makeover.

 * ... BLACKBOARD: I received a call from Helen McCutheon, a loyal reader, who wondered where the original Blackboard honky tonk was located. The Blackboard, of course, was home to the birth of the Bakersfield Sound and enjoyed its hey day in the early 1950s. Its Chester Avenue location was razed in 2001 to make room for the expansion of the Kern County Museum. McCutcheon was a youngster but remembers when the blackboard may have been located farther south on Chester Avenue near a series of 35 to 40 small cabins, the original location before it was moved near the museum. Can anyone pinpoint where the original Blackboard stood? (historic photo of The Blackboard)

Race for the open 16th District state Senate District heats up with heated barbs between frontrunners Leticia Perez and Andy Vidak, and a reunion is set for the old Kern County Union High School

 * ... PEREZ: With just a week to go the campaign for the 16th District state Senate race is growing predictably nasty. Frontrunners Leticia Perez and Andy Vidak have taken the gloves off, both airing scathing TV ads attacking the other. And now comes word that Perez had to apologize for using the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe in a campaign flier distributed in Fresno. Perez called it an "image of inspiration" but apologized after a complaint was filed with the Fresno Archdiocese. Perez also was not amused by a popular video produced by the Kern Citizens for Sustainable Government promoting more fiscally sound policies. And finally, Perez abruptly canceled a scheduled appearance on KERN's First Look with Scott Cox video simulcast after The Californian endorsed Vidak. If Perez and Vidak end up in a runoff, as is widely expected, we'll all have two more months of this to entertain us. (file photos of Perez, Vidak)

* ... GRANTS: The Bakersfeld Californian (family) Foundation has awarded $225,413 in grants to Kern County nonprofits involved in community enrichment projects throughout Kern County, including beautification efforts, small scope historical preservation projects and general community improvement. Among the recipients were The Bakersfield Museum of Art, Golden Empire Gleaners, Saint Vincent de Paul Center, Fox Theater Foundation, Covenant Community Service, the Gay and Lesbian Center of Bakersfield, The Cross Family Center and the Kern River Parkway Foundation, among others.

 * ... REUNION: There is a very special reunion planned this Saturday: the 75th anniversary of the 1938 class of Kern County Union High School. At this point, organizer Ada Davis says 38 classmates have been located and about half of them will be attending with friends and family. The first reunion of the class was held back in 1958 when 376 members of the graduating class of 630 attended. Many of these folks are among the "who's who" of Bakersfield, and it will surely be a memorable event. The event is planned for 11 a.m. at Marie Callender's.

 * ... TENNIS: If you are out and about this (Wednesday) evening, you might want to run over to Seven Oaks Country Club for a special (and free) tennis exhibition. It's being sponsored by a local company that provides fracking monitoring services for safe and effective oil field development and is called "Hit the Target," as in in both fracking and tennis. Ellen Bartling, a former standout tennis player at Stockdale High School and now a graduate of UC Santa Barbara working in the oil industry, is helping in promoting the event. The matches start from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

 * ... MEMORIAL DAY: Greenlawn Funeral Home is holding a special Memorial Day celebration at its Southwest location on Panama Lane. It will include an honor guard, Tehachapi police pipes and drums, the Blue Star Moms, speakers and even a Marine vocalist. There will be food and activities for children following the 11 a.m. event. A more traditional service will be held at the River Boulevard location in the Northeast.

 * ... CORRECTION: Dominic's Dugout, one of the Relay for Life teams, raised $45,000 for cancer research over a three year period and not all in the recently completed Relay event.

Bako Bits: Chipman Jr. High heads to the national History Day finals, remembering Jim Ryun's run at Memorial Stadium and Andrae Gonzales lines up to possibly serve as a county supervisor

 * ... ANDRAE: If Leticia Perez wins the battle to succeed Michael Rubio in the 16th State Senate district, Gov. Jerry Brown will appoint someone to fill our her unexpired term on the Kern County Board of Supervisors. One name that comes up is Andrae Gonzales, a rising star in the Democratic

party and a member of the Bakersfield City School District board. Of course, Perez must first best the five-person field in the State Senate race, where her primary opponent is Republican Andy Vidak. Stay tuned.

 * ... CHIPMAN: Kudos to the kids over at Chipman Jr. High who just won the History Day competition in Sacramento and are heading to Maryland for the national finals next month. The group's performance will be on World War II and the atomic bomb. The team includes Sadie Armijo, Stevie McNabb, Dylan Pearson, Jake Beardsley and Miguel Vargas, all seventh graders at Chipman by way of Juliet Thorner Elementary where they all participated in History Day last year. If you'd like to help send these deserving kids to Maryland, contact history teacher Mike Hutson at (661) 631-5210. The team is also available for "pass the hat" presentations to help offset the expenses of the upcoming trip.

 * ... JIM RYUN: A story in The Californian about Jim Ryun's famous appearance at Memorial Stadium triggered this note from Coral Poole-Clark. "My late husband, Jim Poole, and I were at Memorial Stadium, when Jim Ryun made that momentous mile run... BC had one of the first tartan tracks installed, which drew nation-wide events. We also went to every West Coast Relays in Fresno, until they were no longer held...We attended our first Summer Olympics games in Mexico City in 1968, where we were practically in the pit for the famous Fosbury Flip (later Flop). Then we made all of the Summer Olympic Games through 1992, with the exception of Moscow, when the US boycotted...  Jim passed away in 1993, so I canceled our tickets to Atlanta in 1996.  But I still have the many great memories of those Olympic travels, the athletes and the friends we made on the tours."

 * ... OVERHEARD: A young woman is telling a friend about a flirtation in the middle of traffic. "So this guy is in a truck next to me with his hand out the window and I notice his wedding ring. He sees me, smiles, and the next time he put his hand out the window he has taken his wedding ring off. Really?"

 * ... EATS: I finally made it out to the Steak and Grape restaurant, Shai Gordon's relatively new place over on Coffee Road near Hageman. One thing is certain: this town is hungry for upscale new eateries and Steak and Grape does not disappoint. It is now a destination place for those who live in the Southwest and Northwest.

 * ... CATERING: And speaking a restaurants, a new restaurant and catering firm is opening up near the Moorea Banquet Centre in the Southwest. The ribbon cutting for Coseree's Restaurant and Catering will be held this Thursday at 8700 Swigert Court. 

* ... DMV: Another testimony of the wisdom of making an online appointment with the DMV when renewing a license. From a coworker: "Just went to the DMV to renew my license. The line was out the door (on F street) I had a 2:50 p.m. appointment, arrived at 2:47 p.m., was served at 3:02 p.m. and out the door at 3:25 p.m.  Much better than my doctor's office! The place was packed. I highly encourage people to make an appointment. Probably 90 percent of the folks there did not make an appointment."

A little post-election analysis, a First Friday and more reports of bad manners over Halloween

* .. ELECTION NOTES: Ever wonder what good could have come if Meg Whitman had used that $140 million she spent on her failed campaign for governor to instead fund charities? ... Now that Michael Rubio is heading to Sacramento and the State Senate, all eyes will be on who Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will appoint to fill Rubio's county supervisor seat. Former assemblywoman Nicole Parra is in the mix, as is Garden Pathways director Karen Goh. And a source told me not to rule out Wendy Wayne, the former First Five Commission chairwoman who would be a popular pick. ... The race between Rep. Jim Costa and Republican challenger Andy Vidak in the 20th Congressional district is too close to call, but it's curious how many  farmers turned on Costa so vehemently this year. Several told me it wasn't about water - Costa has long fought for valley water rights - but rather the perception that Costa had sold out to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Obama agenda.

 * ... OLD BAKERSFIELD: Received a thoughtful note from reader Gene Bonas who recalled growing up in a Bakersfield that was a much more simple place years ago. "I was born and raised in Bakersfield and, with the exception of the six years I spent serving our country in the United States Navy, I've lived here all my life. At that time it was an exciting excursion to shop downtown at Brock's, Vest Drugs, Kress, or Sears Roebuck and Company. To eat at the counter in Woolworth's or the 'elegant' dining on the second floor of Brock's was pure heaven. Sometimes, if we chose not to walk, we rode the bus to attend The Californian or Nile Theatres. Most of the time, though, we spent our 16 cents to watch the Saturday matinee at the Granada Theatre. This was at a time when east Bakersfield was a thriving community. What made it such a treat was going into Mother's Bakery and buying a dozen glazed donuts (George always gave me a baker's dozen), buying a milkshake at Hall's Drive-In, having lunch at the Knotty Pine Cafe and playing the juke box from your table, or Snider's to see and drool over the latest in bicycles. Saba's was and continues to be the place for quality clothing.  I honestly believe I grew up in the best of times."

 * ... FIRST FRIDAY: Time for another First Friday and it looks like the weather will cooperate. A lot of downtown businesses will remain open through the early evening, including Ellie Jay's Children's Boutique, Kuka's Folk Art, Dagny's Coffee, Art Express, the Bakersfield Art Association Art Center, the Spotlight Cafe and of course the Fox Theater. Over at Metro Galleries on 19th Street,  former Disney animator Mike Tracy's intriguing work (the show is called Monsters and Gods) continues to be displayed. At the Padre Hotel you can take in hand painted pottery by local artists and celebrities.And don't forget our downtown eateries that always need our support: Uricchio's Trattoria, Mexicali and Mama Roomba, among others.

 
* ... ADULT LITERACY: Another example of the generosity of our community comes from Donna Hylton, head of the Kern Adult Literacy Council. She reported that the Read to Succeed Brunch raised over $20,000 for the council. "It really is a miracle in this economy," she said. "All proceeds go to the 3,500 students at 56 sites around Kern County. If everyone gives a little bit it really makes a big difference."

 * ... BAD FORM: More reports of bad form on Halloween. This comes from Evan Jones: "A group of pre-teen boys came to my door Halloween night and got a little rowdy. I heard 'BAM, BAM, BAM! DING-DONG! DING-DONG! GIVE US YOUR CANDY!' Whatever happened to 'trick or treat?"

 * ... TASTE OF HOME: Never too early to get tickets to the annual "Taste of Home" cooking show that will be held Tuesday, November 16, at Rabobank Theater. This is a popular event that sold out last year. Tickets are $13 each and doors open at 3 p.m. Call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're from Bakersfield if "you grew up in a family that dined at a Basque restaurant every Saturday during your childhood."

 

New poll shows Costa trailing Vidak in 20th Congressional District and Cal State looks at security

  

* ... COSTA POLL: Read with interest a new poll that has Rep. Jim Costa trailing Republican challenger Andy Vidak by a healthy 10 points. The poll was conducted by SurveyUSA for a Fresno ABC affiliate and reflects a sharp move to Vidak in the last several weeks. Costa challenged the poll and said it didn't reflect his strength in the valley, but in this election season, almost anything goes. Several farmers who have supported Costa in the past have contacted me to say they are now supporting Vidak, upset with Costa's support of what they see as extreme leftist Democratic policies and Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Costa's 20th Congressional District includes parts of Kern and Fresno counties and all of Kings County.

 * ... CSUB: Cal State Bakersfield is doing the right thing in reviewing its security procedures following the shooting death of 18-year-old Bianca Jackson at a late-night party. But one hopes President Horace Mitchell and his team are able to look beyond the fact that the campus has been relatively safe over the years and get aggressive about dealing with security. Some have questioned whether there are enough campus security officers, but the real question is not the number of officers the school has on the payroll, but rather how and when they are deployed. If the university is going to allow parties of 100 more young people on its campus late at night (and let's not be surprised if alcohol is present), seems to me you need more than one sworn officer on duty in case things get out of hand. Either that, or face the inevitable lawsuit that always seems to accompany these tragedies.

 * ... THE BUZZ: Looks like the retailer Home Goods may be coming to Bakersfield after all. The rumor has been all over town and now it appears they will open an outlet on Stockdale Highway, possibly in the old Long's Drug Store building, in 2011. At least that is what a manager of the Valencia outlet told a reader, who passed it along to me. Home Goods is owned by the parent company of TJ Maxx and Marshalls.

 * ... ANOTHER AIRSTRIP: Reader Les Cofer wrote in with his own Bakersfieldism, recalling Joe Gottlieb's air strip at the northeast corner of Nord Road and Amy Avenue "and him taking off in his plane and landing behind his house to the dismay of his neighbors... Incidentally, the air strip is still there and still on aviation maps listed as an air strip."

 * ... MOVING UP: Heard the other day that two long-time Bakersfield supporters and Rabobank executives are moving into new positions with the bank. Vice president Dana Fabbri is moving into human resource training and Michele McClure is moving to Napa to work in a bank recently acquired by Rabobank. Best of luck to these two.

 * ... RED CROSS: Lots of positive energy at the local chapter of the Red Cross, which does so much good in our community. The Kern chapter held its "Tee for Charity" golf tournament at Seven Oaks Country Club recently and raised more than $18,000, not bad in the middle of the worst recession since the Great Depression. Red Cross CEO Holly Arnold singled out Dr. Vipul Dev, named a Red Cross Real Hero, and his wife Jodi who she said were "so instrumental since the inception of the event."
 
 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader Linda L. Welch: "You know you're from Oildale if you remember the River Theater. Cost five cents to get in. Good old Roy and Gene every Saturday morning."