The real story behind the "retirement" of longtime symphony conductor John Farrer has yet to be told. And Uricchio's, Luigi's and Tahoe Joe's are big winners in a reader's poll

 * ... SYMPHONY: There is a lot more to the story behind the ouster of longtime symphony conductor John Farrer than is being said in public. The fact that neither Farrer, one of our community's more decent citizens, nor symphony executives are saying much tells me that lawyers are involved, and when that happens everybody shuts down. Farrer has been the face of the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra for 38 years, but he is now being pushed out for no clearly defined reason. (Farrer flatly
says he is not ready for retirement and the symphony board is trying to put a positive spin on it). Farrer's supporters say he is being blamed for classical music's lack of following here, particularly among young people, but that's like blaming Mick Jagger for the fact that his fan base grew older. It is, after all, a genre of music that appeals to an older, more sophisticated audience, and bringing in a new maestro is not going to change that. If the new symphony CEO Bryan Burrow and board chair Jim Bell want to reach a younger audience, how about hiring Jay-Z to put his spin on some Verdi?

* ... BEST EATS: Our recent issue of BakersfieldLife magazine featured a list of restaurants and businesses that were voted best in their class by Kern County readers. We mistakenly omitted 10 top restaurants, including some of my favorites, including: Best Italian, Uricchio's Trattoria; Best Lunch, Luigi's; Best Thai Food, Chef's Choice Noodle Bar; Best Happy Hour, Tahoe Joe's; Best Steak, Tahoe Joe's; Best Barbecue, Famous Dave's; Best Catering, Jake's Original Tex-Mex; Best Bar, The Padre Hotel; Best Wings, Buffalo Wild Wings; Best Restaurant for Kids, John's Incredible Pizza Co. My apologies to these businesses, which will be highlighted in the next issue of BakersfieldLife.

 * ... GOOD FORM: Ron Rowlinson is a CSUB graduate who moved to the coast, but when he returns he regularly spots an "attractive retired woman" who does her best to keep her neighborhood clean.  "She not only daily works both sides of the streets to pick up trash, but also has rescued several stray dogs left to die. She takes them home to offer food and water while they wait for a pick up. When animals have been killed in the road, she has also contacted the SPCA to get the messy remains cleaned up," he said. "She told me she hoped that when folks drive by and witnessed her efforts, that they would be more inclined to help solve the problem and less inclined to dump their trash. She told me today that she sees a tiny bit of progress each week."

 * ... GIRLS' FUND: The Women' and Girls' Fund, part of the Kern Community Foundation, is doling out another $25,000 in grants to local non-profit organizations that focus on education and training. In addition, two deserving young women were honored for their philanthropic leadership: Shafter resident Winnie Bartel and Kern Valley High School senior Jessica Yasin. As "Women Defining Philantrhopy," Bartel and Yasin selected the Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault and the Junior Diabetes Research Foundation to receive $500 grants in their honor.

 * ... ACHIEVER: I am always happy to pass along some good news about local kids doing well. This one comes from Arizona State University where Lebec native Nikki Oxford will graduate this month, the first in her family to do so. While in Tempe, she worked on programs to end homelessness and will soon start a job related to ending domestic violence in Maricopa County. She earned an impressive 4.0 GPA at ASU and plans on attending graduate school. Her goal: to become a high school psychologist.

 * ... REMODEL: The remodeling of the Smart and Final supermarket on F Street is under way, a welcome upgrade to a fine store located in an undesirable shopping center. Employees there say the whole project should take about two months.

BakersfieldLife magazine puts spotlight on CASA fund raiser

 The latest edition of BakersfieldLife magazine comes out Saturday (March 26) and focuses on an upcoming fund raiser for the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). This "Wine, Women and Shoes" event will be held in early May and should be a well attended event. Wonderful cover shot by photographer Holly Carlyle.

BakersfieldLife July issue: look for it this Saturday

 Make sure you check out this month's BakersfieldLife magazine. The July issue features "summer sips" with the best local drinks around town for a Bako summer. There's also the local faces and personalities of the "Red Couch" and "Guys on the Green." Available this Saturday.

BakersfieldLife magazine features 11 inspiring women from Kern County

 Make sure to check out this weekend's BakersfieldLife magazine, which will feature some of the amazing women role models in our community. Among those being featured are former mayor Mary K. Shell (that's her on the cover), Sheryl Barbich, Judi McCarthy, Barbara Smith, Sheryl Chalupa, Diane Hopkins, Cathy Abernathy, Mikie Hay, Rosa Corona, Mary Christenson and Ginger Moorhouse. The magazine comes out Saturday inside the home-delivered Californian.

 

Bako Bits: graduation season, celebrating high achievers and fretting about the lost generation

Coming off another splendid weekend in Bakersfield, which lived up to its nickname "Bako" on Sunday when my car told me it was 106 degrees outside. Hot as it was, the skies were blue and everyone was out: working in their yards, washing cars, on the bike trail early, enjoying the coming of our "warm season." I spent the weekend at a skeet tournament in west Kern where I came across a number of youngsters, most of them high school seniors eager to call it a day and move on to college. I admire these kids who manage to stay focused to the end, particularly one who sat on a sofa studying for her final Advanced Placement exam and another who was celebrating a scholarship to a small college in Missouri. But let's be honest: Kern County has a dismal high school dropout rate (above 20 percent) and only 7 percent of our seniors have what it takes to get into a "UC" like UCLA, Berkeley, UC Davis etc. So it's worth celebrating those that do:



* ... BEST AND BRIGHTEST: The magazine BakersfieldLife is once again devoting its cover story (check it out above) to some of our high achieving kids. I'm always impressed with these kids and their stories. This year we've got one going to MIT in Cambridge, a bunch headed to UCLA and one bound for Georgetown. (Hint to the uninformed: you have to have better than a mere 4.0 GPA to get into UCLA and Georgetown) I challenge anyone to read this and not be impressed. Local writer Dana Martin wrote the story and did a terrific job capturing the spirit of these kids. Look for BakersfieldLife in the Saturday home delivered edition of The Californian on May 30.
* ... MICHELLE OBAMA: Hats off to First Lady Michelle Obama who gave the first commencement address at the new UC Merced campus. Reports said her 22-minute speech was truly uplifting, a nice valentine to this new California campus.
* .... AND WHAT ABOUT THE OTHERS?: I made the mistake of dropping by the Marketplace shopping center early Friday evening. I was greeted by literally hundreds of young teens and they didn't exactly inspire me or give me confidence for the future. Many of these kids looked liked a classic "lost generation" of underachievers who might one day be part of those kids who never make it through high school. Judgmental yes, but take a look for yourself.

A picture that tells a thousand words .... sort of

The folks over at BakersfieldLife magazine do their best to reflect our community in a positive light, and part of that is featuring folks who make a difference. Each month the editors interview prominent women in a feature called the "Red Couch," shot at The Californian's downtown photography studios. For the March edition, they showcased women doing their best to control the pet explosion in town. So why not feature them with a cute puppy ready for adoption? That was all fine and well until one of the dogs, sitting on the lap of SPCA director Sandy Dralle, decided to hurl its breakfast. Photographer Felix Adamo captured the moment and also ALPHA Canine Sanctuary Marilyn Stewart's surprise. Also pictured (from left) are Denise Haynes, Kern Animal Shelter chief, and Sue Bennett, Kern Humane Society Spay-Neuter Director. Click on the photo to get a larger and more graphic image.