Monday's Bako Bits: A resident warns of a security scam, the Kern County Nut Festival is coming up this Saturday and Tim Lemucchi remembers St. Joseph's School

 * … SCAM: Heads up on a new scam going around town. The other evening Janice Rivera, who lives out near Jenkins Road, said a man showed up at her door saying he was there to upgrade her security panel. Her husband let him in, but Janice was wise enough to ask for his identification. "I

looked at the man and said 'You have a Vivant employee badge on.'  He told me that Vivant bought out Monitronics. I said, 'No they didn't, I would've received an email.' I told him no thanks and goodbye. He then left without saying another word. A few minutes later, I remembered that I did receive an email from Monitronics, quite a few months ago, warning of this happening…. Beware and be alert!"

 * … MOVE: I spent the last week moving into a new home, and I could not have done it without some superior customer service from a few local companies. Jesus and Ryan of Hansen's Moving and Storage were quietly efficient and friendly, and Rich Johnson of Johnson's Painting squeezed me into his schedule to spruce the place up. Also kudos to local Realtors Dutch Toews and Gary Gibson who made the process seamless. These are times when you welcome those local connections in a town like Bakersfield.

 * … BELMONT: This is the week of the Belmont Stakes when California Chrome will be going for the coveted Triple Crown. The California-bred colt is the darling of the nation, and all eyes will be on the New York race park when he races at 3:30 p.m. PST on Saturday. Steven Mayer, the Californian's senior writer, will be at the Belmont covering the story.

 * … SPOTTED: I spotted this bit of humor on Twitter: "Twitter is like the fridge. If you're bored, you keep opening it."

 * … MEMORIES: Ronal Reynier shared this memory" "I was reading BakersfieldLife (magazine) and memories of my youth came launching back to me. There on page 142 was a photo of
someone named Richard Lemucchi, a real gentleman." Reynier said he was not sure if it was the same man, but he recalled working for Richard Lemucchi and his family during his junior and senior years in high school at the Tejon Theater. "I remember Richard not only as one of the finest athletics to come out of Bakersfield but also as one of the classicist  dressers in town at the time and all the girls that worked for him, fell in love with him. He had a big problem at the time with pigeons. They would roost and break the neon lighting. The city would not let you spray a chemical that would burn their little feet and then they would fly away to roost somewhere else. So Richard and I on some nights, during the last show, would go up on the roof and shoot them. We would drop them into a dumpster in the alley from the roof. I think that he may have helped me attain expert marksman when I entered the Army."

 * … LEMUCCHI: And speaking of the Lemucchis, Tim Lemucchi wrote to say he is among the proud alumni of St. Joseph's School. "All the Catholic kids who lived in East Bakersfield went there. We assembled by class in line each morning in the yard in front of school. Sister Mary Imelda, the principal, would lead the flag salute and morning prayer and then we would march to our classrooms. If you were an unruly student, which I was occasionally, the sisters of Mercy who ran the school would provide little mercy. A good rap across the knuckles with a ruler would usually end problems immediately. Mrs. Wonderly, my fourth grade geography teacher instilled in me a love and fascination for geography that I retain today."

 * … NUT FESTIVAL: An update on the upcoming Nut Festival set for this Saturday at the Kern County Museum from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. One of the features will be folks sharing the Nuttiest Thing That Ever Happened to Me, a live story-telling event where people can tell a true, family-friendly story about something nutty that happened to them.  Among those sharing stories will be Californian executive editor Bob Price, radio talk show hosts Scott Cox and Ralph Bailey and Californian heath reporter Courtenay Edlehart. Too bad this is scheduled right when California Chrome will be running in the Belmont Stakes.

Campus activism at UCLA puts the state of Israel in its cross hairs, and who wins the bragging rights for the amazing 3-year-old colt California Chrome?

* … ISRAEL: Did you hear about the latest incident of political correctness at UCLA? The Westwood campus is embroiled in a controversy over student government elections in which

candidates were pressured to promise that they would not visit Israel on sponsored visits. This kind of anti-Israeli sentiment is common on university campuses and it is sad that some try to quash a civil conversation about a very complex and important topic. One UCLA student, who refused to sign the pledge, lost by 31 votes. According to the Los Angeles Times, Chancellor Gene Block said he was disturbed by what happened and is calling for more tolerance on the campus. Other universities, including UC Santa Barbara and the University of Michigan, have seen undergraduates demand the school cut ties with companies that do business with Israel.

 * … BULLYING: And speaking of political correctness, you have to admire Porterville Mayor Cameron Hamilton's chutzpah even if you don't agree with his message. Hamilton is under attack for saying that bullying victims should toughen up and defend themselves and not blame the world's problems on bullying. In what can only be described as an unusual display of frankness, he said some folks should "grow a pair" and learn to "just stick up for them damned selves." You can imagine the ruckus that followed in the small community of 55,000 people. At issue was a student program proposing safe zones around town with signs directing children to places where they could seek refuge from bullies.

* … CHROME: It looks like there is a battle for bragging rights over California Chrome, the 3-year-old colt who will try to become the first horse in 36 years to win the Triple Crown. Folks in Bakersfield love the horse because co-owner Steve Coburn used to call Kern County home, but he now lives in Reno so the Nevada city also claims the horse. And up in Coalinga, where California Chrome was trained at Harris Ranch, there are bragging rights as well. It looks like the thoroughbred really has become "America's horse."

* … EXHIBIT: If you have a smart phone, and you use Instagram, here's your chance to enter a photography contest. The idea came from Don Martin, owner of the Metro Galleries on 19th Street, for a June exhibit. It will be called INSTAexhibition, a collection of Instagram only photography. Martin said this will be a unique show exploring not only the use of the app but also hashtags for marketing purposes. He already has entries from Europe, Canada and throughout the United States. For info on this exhibit log on to www.TheMetroGalleries.com or email Martin directly at Don@theMetroGalleries.com . (photo by Don Martin)

 * … MUSIC: And speaking of Metro Galleries, Don Martin is hosting a terrific Americana folk singer this Thursday, kicking off his summer concert series. The songstress is Kat Devlin from Santa Barbara, and I can personally vouch for her talent. A portion of the proceeds from the event (tickets are just $10) will go to support the Arts Council of Kern,. Doors open at 6 p.m. and Kat sings at 7 p.m.

 * … NUT FESTIVAL: Organizers are gearing up for the second annual Kern County Nut Festival out at the Kern County Museum. The inaugural event last year was a huge success but was not without its hiccups. This year they promise it will be bigger and better. It is set for Saturday, June 7, over at the museum. Pick up your tickets at the museum.