A young voice prays for tolerance and compassion as our nation struggles with race,some really bad form around town and more on those old bakeries

 * … KINDNESS: The tragic events besetting our country right now are almost behind my scope of understanding, so I will settle by sharing the words of a young woman from Nashville: "Rather than

pray for one specific race, one specific group, one specific country, or one specific community, pray for humanity. Pray for acceptance. Pray for compassion. Pray for tolerance." My thanks to reader Jerry Bowman for sharing this.

 * … NINA GRAE: Keep an eye on the rising talented singer Nina Grae, a Bakersfield product and the daughter of Claire Porter, owner of Uricchio's Trattoria downtown. I attended a private concert for Nina and her bad at Uricchio's this weekend and left believing I had been afforded a sneak peek at a rising star.

* … TRASH: Some days are worse than others, but last Saturday it seemed the entire town resembled a trash dump. On a three hour bike ride through town, I spotted three mattresses and three box springs (matched sets!) casually discarded off North Chester, the parking lane at the Panorama Bluffs park was littered with fast food cups, diapers and empty beer cans, and the Park at RiverWalk was awash in empty soda cups, soiled napkins and empty plastic water bottles.

 * … SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Want to see stupidity, watch how people are so easily confused boarding a plane."

 * … SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "I Just want to peacefully hang out with my friends, regardless of race while making fun of idiots, regardless of race."

 * … MEMORIES: A recent conversation thread about the Golden Crust Bakery stirred this memory from Barbara Kaiser Miner: "Bill Fong and Bill Upshaw's memories stirred up my memories of attending Emerson Jr. High School in 1938 and 1939. At that time I was a majorette with the Emerson Drum and Bugle Corps. Before school each morning we practiced marching to be ready for the parades. We would march south on 'L' street to the railroad tracks where we would practice our counter-march. The Golden Crust Bakery was on the south side of the railroad tracks. Since this was early morning, I also smelled the good smells that came as we approached the bakery. About 1940 the King Lumber Yard burned down."

 * … MORE MEMORIES: Mike Huckert weighed with this: "My dad drove a delivery truck for them and I can recall many trips to the bakery. The aroma of freshly backing breads is etched into my memory and there is nothing like the taste of a freshly baked sesame hamburger bun snatched off the cooling tray. At one time there was an observation deck on the north side of the bakery so people could watch twisting of the dough before it was placed in backing pans  As a young Cub Scout, we made several trips to see this and I can remember having to cross the tracks to get to the observation window and platform. I also remember certain kinds of premixed dough was delivered by rail in huge cardboard barrels and offloaded near this same area."

 * … HOME: If you don't think we live in a special place, consider this note from Ted Elder: "Yesterday I was in the Gift Shop at San Joaquin/Kaiser Hospital when a Corrections Officer offered me a beautiful custom handmade pen and thanked me for my service.  I must assume he did this because I was wearing my 'Special Forces Army Baseball Cap. My service was completed many years ago and.this recognition would never have happened where I came from - San Luis Obispo two years ago. Only in Bakersfield and thank you Bakersfield."

Another local business, Gregg's Pharmacy, sells out to Rite Aid, researching those old District Attorneys and remembering the Golden Crust Bakery

* … LOCAL HISTORY: The District Attorney's office is reaching out to the public for help in finding photos and information on some of the district attorneys who served Kern County since 1866.

The DA's office needs photos of A.C. Lawrence (1872-74), James W. Freeman (1874-79, 1883-88), Alvin Fay (1889-92, 1895-98), J.W. Ahern (1893-94, 1899-1903), and Barclay McCowan (1915-18). If you have information on these men, contact Christy King in the District Attorney's office at (661) 868-2716.

* … FAMILY BUSINESS: Every time a locally owned family business closes or sells out, we lose a little piece of the character of our community. And now I learned that Gregg's Pharmacy (owned by Gregg and Fran Gunner) has sold to Rite Aid, bringing an end to the Gunner family's long footprint in our community. Gregg Gunner (the only way to describe him is witty and joyful) bought the family pharmacy from his father Don in 1976. Prior to that Don Gunner owned and operated Gunner, Medical and San Dimas pharmacies. Gregg's father's sister's family also owned Yant's pharmacies locally during that time.

* … SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "The most important part of being on a gluten free diet is telling everyone about it."

 * … JACK: My pal Jack McGee over at Bakersfield Optical spoke for many of us when he left me this message: "It's terrible that we have two candidates running for mayor in Bako (Kyle Carter and Karen Goh) that have more character and integrity than the candidates running for president."

* … MEMORIES: Ann Cierly wrote to answer a reader's question about the old Golden Crust Bakery: "My 19 year-old father, W. R. Cierley, brought his new bride to Bakersfield in 1930 to go to work for his cousin, H.L.( Hub) Cierley, one of the owners of the bakery, which was on the north side of the railroad tracks on M Street. He worked there until his untimely death in 1946. I visited the bakery many times and remember fondly the great Labor Day employee picnics at what is now Hart Park, and the several Christmas programs in which he volunteered his very young daughter to recite The Night Before Christmas, ha! I know I'm among many old-timers who went to Emerson Jr. High when it was located on Truxtun across the street from the Baptist church. Many late Spring afternoons sitting upstairs in math class, with the windows wide open (no air conditioning then), we would sigh with pleasure as the smell of fresh baking bread wafted through the room."

 * … MORE MEMORIES: And Robert Ricou added this: "The Sanitary Golden Crust Bakery (full name) was located on the north side of the railroad tracks on M Street. My father drove the transport that delivered bread and Fontana Pies to Tehachapi, Mojave, Ridgecrest/China Lake until their closing in the late 1960s. While in high school and attending BC, my summer job was loading the China Lake and the Fresno transport which both left at midnight. Also, I unloaded sacks of flour from railroad boxcars on the tracks adjacent to the bakery. "

 * … FIREWORKS: And finally, former city councilman Mark Salvaggio reacted to my lament about fireworks this way: "Perhaps these dog owners who lose their pets on Independence Day ought to show some self-responsibility and keep their dogs inside on this night.  Better yet, they should keep their dogs inside every night during triple digit temperature days. Maybe you and Lois Henry ought to live back east where there are plenty of Big Brother liberals who also spout taking the joy out of this American pastime. You could do an exhaustive study on which are more noisy:  illegal fireworks or safe and sane legal fireworks."