Five Guys tops In-N-Out as the nation's most popular burger, the Bynum family breathes new life into an industrial area and Bill Thomas masters the art of a short speech

 * ... BLVD: You have to hand it to local developer Greg Bynum and his sons - Don and David - for spearheading the re-development of an area of town that could have fallen into disrepair. The area off

Buck Owens Boulevard was once home to Costco, Home Base and other big box retailers, but after being purchased by the elder Bynum it is now home to a bustling and growing entertainment complex. It now consists of Don Bynum's Temblor Brewing Co., Rush Sports (one of David's projects), Bakersfield Karting, the DMV court and soon BLVD, the new entertainment center (coordinated by David Bynum,) that will feature a restaurant, three bars, a bowling alley, laser tag, billiards and bocce ball, a ropes course and meeting center.

 * ... STERLING SILVER: The Bakersfield College Foundation held a dinner this week to celebrate the passage of Measure J, which will provide the college with some $500 million in capital improvements. The Sterling Silver dinner honored former House Ways and Means Committee chairman Bill Thomas, former Mayor Harvey Hall and others who worked to win passage of the measure, which won a remarkable 65 percent of the vote. My take away from the dinner: both Thomas and Hall are masters at giving short, concise and thoughtful remarks. Through the years, they have learned no one is disappointed in a short speech.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Nothing is better when 'the one that got away' becomes "whew so glad I dodged that bullet!'"

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "If I cancel Comcast, I’ll have enough money to retire in five months."

 * ... WALKING TOUR: If you are a history buff, you might want to join a walking tour of historic downtown Bakersfield this Saturday. The tour is free and will be led by Bakersfield High teacher Ken Hooper, starting at the Woolworth's building at 10 a.m. and ending around 12:30 p.m.

 * ... TRASH: I read in the Californian the story about the annual "Community Appearance Survey" in which Mayor Karen Goh, Cathy Butler and others drove around town and rated areas on the appearance of trash. On a scale of one to four, with one being "no litter" four being "extremely littered," they gave Bakersfield a rating of 1.6. Really? What kind of blinders were the mayor and Cathy Butler wearing that prevented them from seeing the litter the rest of us see?

 * ... CSUB: Congratulations to the nearly 2,000 undergraduates and 450 master's degree candidates who will be graduating from CSUB this year. This is the largest graduating class in the history of the local university.

 * ... BURGER WARS: Has our beloved In-N-Out burger lost its crown as the world's best hamburger? That is the word from a recent Harris Poll that found, for the first time ever, In-N-Out has been toppled in a poll of the country's best burger. The new winner? The signature burger from Five Guys, a Virginia based company that is making inroads in the West. Five Guys has outlets in Valencia and Visalia and is planning on opening its first Bakersfield location on Calloway Drive.

 * ... MEMORIES: According to the Kern County of Old Facebook page, the building housing downtown's Tiki-Ko cocktail bar was originally built to house the Windsor Hotel.

California Radio will focus on spending and the future of the Golden State, and what's with the Bakersfield police littering our streets?

 * ... GOLDEN STATE: What is your view of the future of California? Are we on track to become the next Greece? Will unbridled spending and public pensions spell the end of the promise of the California dream? Join me on Californian Radio KERN 1180 Monday when I will be chatting with David Bynum, an attorney at LeBeau-Thelen, about unfunded pension liabilities and their affect on the state and local governments. I also will be talking with Dr. Raj Patel, a partner in Preferred Family Physicians, about seasonal allergies and what we can all to do deal with them.

 * ... GRADUATES: This is the time of year when our children walk across the stages of high schools and colleges in graduation ceremonies that make us all swell with pride. So congratulations to all these graduates and the families that stood behind them in their quests. And special kudos to my own Hannah Beene, who graduated this past week at the University of Michigan, and all those teachers at McAuliffe Elementary, Tevis Junior High and Stockdale High School who guided her along the way.

 * ... FAN CLUB?: I wrote earlier about trash piling up on the bike trail following the Great American Cleanup, and it triggered this response from reader Kash Berry. "Go pick up the trash yourself you bum...  Don't complain about bags being left out..  complain about the shame that is your excuse for a newspaper and city. And when the Amgen (cycling) tour hits Bakersfield, all that the participants and spectators from out of town will notice is the worst city in California that stinks of bad air and idiotic people. Let the river flow! It might cover up the trash left out." Thanks Kash, but next time try to be more direct.

 * ... SPOTTED: Larry A. Fredeen describes himself as a "law and order" guy who has always supported the Bakersfield Police Department. But last week he witnessed some behavior he wanted to share. He was driving south on M Street and fell behind a Bakersfield police unit. At a red light, the officer rolled down the window and dumped a handful of peanut shells out his window, and then repeated it at the next two lights. "I spend hours (as do other good Bakersfield citizens) keeping the area around my home, street and a nearby 'city-owned' alley cleaned up.  (Just ask Harold Hansen, he's aware of my cleaning.)  I keep a trash bag in my vehicles, I never throw anything from them, and empty the debris in a proper trash can.  I have helped out on city clean up days, and the Great American Cleanup etc. I was appalled to view one of Bakersfield's finest littering our downtown streets."

 * ... BAKO: Local farmer Dick Porter and wife Becky were in Cincinnati recently when they came upon a downtown restaurant named 'Bakersfield.' Porter described it as "music saloon" which featured Bakersfield landmarks on the walls and a band that plays "outlaw country music." Painted on one wall is the Bakersfield arch and on another wall is the Fox Theater.

* ... NFL: Debby Schipper dropped me a note to add a few more names to the already long list of local athletes who played in the National Football League. "I wanted to remind you of John and Melvin Tarver who played for the Patriots and Broncos respectively. I went to Arvin High School with both of them and wanted to remind you of their achievments in the NFL! Carrying on their tradition, I have heard via Facebook that one of their nephews, Justin Cheadle, just signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. (Cheadle when to Bakersfield High School) What  fabulous family contributions Arvin has made to the NFL!"

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: Spotted on Facebook was this: You know you're from Bakersfield when the best burger in town comes from a car wash (34th Street Car Wash) and the best bloody Mary is from a bowling alley (Westchester Bowl).

Bakersfield soldier is honored for bravery in Afghanistan and the SPCA needs our help

 * ... BRAVERY: Staff Sgt. Travis Brown, a Bakersfield native, was among 14 U.S. service members who received Germany's Gold Cross Medal for their bravery in rescuing wounded German soldiers from a fire fight in northeast Afghanistan. It was the first time the award had been given to troops from another nation. The German soldiers had been ambushed by more than 200 Taliban fighters during a patrol on April 2. U.S. Black Hawk helicopters extracted 11 German soldiers, three of whom later died of their wounds. Travis is the son of Dennis and Debbie Brown of Bakersfield.

* ... MISS SMILE: John Ritter, former assistant principal at Garces Memorial High School, dropped me a note to correct a recent post on former Garces teacher Miss Smile. "While I do not believe that this slight editorial change warrants publication, I do believe that this ''ism' might suggest a different meaning given that many Garces students informed me that was really said was that "you were sent to the F row" by Miss Smile. "After all these years I still remember Miss Smile's classroom seating arrangement." And don't forget the annual Garces Fall Barbeque set for October 7. I omitted to include the date on a previous post.

 * ... BAD FORM: One of my regular contributors, who asked to remain anonymous, sent me this missive about yet another example of bad behavior in our town. "Only in Bakersfield would you go to a community concert and see a guy in the third row adorned in a baseball cap with the camouflage motif. He had hair peeking out around the edges so I don't think he was a recent radiation therapy or chemo patient. And only in Bakersfield would you see dozens of people chomping on gum as they enjoyed the concert. And I am talking chomping. Good manners are a thing of the past".

* ... HABITAT: David Bynum, a lawyer at LeBeau-Thelen, dropped me a note to tell me about a fund raiser for Habitat for Humanity, Golden Empire. Turns out private organizations are sponsoring or building custom play houses that will be auctioned off for Habitat's benefit. Six houses are being built at the Kern County Fair and another is being built and displayed by Lennar Homes on Stockdale Highway across from CSUB. There will be a live auction on Sunday, October 10, at the offices of Modern Office Environments at 830 21st Street. The auction starts at 2 p.m.

 * ... SPCA: The SPCA has always held a special place in my heart and I try to support it whenever I can. Next week, in the parking lot of KGET TV downtown, the SPCA will be taking donations to continue its good work in our community. Said the SPCA's Chuck Nordstrom: "So people can see how we use their money we highlight some of our services right there in the parking lot, including a low cost microchip clinic, low cost male cat neuter and of course dogs and cats looking for new forever homes. These services would not be available if the community did not support our efforts. This will be next Wednesday, October 6, from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From a "real" East Bakerfield old-timer, Charles Duran: You know you're an East Bakersfield old-timer if "you shopped at Tony and Gino's deli on Kentucky Street just off Haley Street."