Lunch with the First Lady, home invasions, the new Ford and dogs at the museum

A few short takes around town, starting with a few locals having lunch today with First Lady Michelle Obama.
* FIRST LADY LUNCH: The annual First Lady's Luncheon will be held today at the Washington Hilton and four McCarthys from Bakersfield will be there. The wife of Congressman Kevin McCarthy, Judy, and daughter Meghan will be there, along with their guests Judi McCarthy and daughter Katie. Though not related the connections here are deep, so bear with me: the second Judi McCarthy is the chair of the Kern Community Foundation and founder of the Women and Girl's Fund, which I wrote about yesterday. Just so happens her son, USC grad Rob, works for the congressman in D.C. Daughter Katie is a grad of Loyola Marymount and works as a magazine editor in Los Angeles.
* HOME INVASIONS: Not sure about you, but the piece in today's Californian about home invasion robberies doesn't exactly make me feel any better. The story says most are not totally random, and that there always is some kind of connection - like a kid down the street who grew up to be a thug or someone who worked on your car or a former contractor. I'm not sure how this is supposed to calm any fears unless you have gone through life in total solitude. And it won't stop folks from arming themselves to the teeth to protect their castle. So the next time someone barges into your house and puts a 9mm Glock to your wife's head, think: "I should know this guy!:
* INCREDIBLE GAS MILEAGE: I wrote earlier (see post here) about a team from Ford setting out to get 1,000 miles out of a single tank of gas with the new Ford Fusion hybrid. Well, sales manager Chad Manning over at Jim Burke Ford tells me they did it. Actually, the team managed to get 1,445 miles (or 81 miles per gallon) out of the Fusion hybrid. This is one of Ford's hottest new models and every time they get one over at Burke Ford, it doesn't last.

* DOGS GONE WILD: I heard from Beth Pandol over at the Bakerfield Museum of Art that the museum is holding a "Doggone Morning" next Wednesday May 6. Folks can bring their dogs over for classes on training, obedience, behavior and breed characteristics. Wouldn't it be terrific if this led to some kind of "Big Dog" parade like they have in Santa Barbara every year? The event runs from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Contact David Gordon at 661-323-7219 for details.

1,000 miles on one tank of gas? Meet Ford Motor Company's new green Fusion hybrid

Sounds impossible, doesn't it? Hybrid or not, how can any car get 1,000 miles on one tank of gas? Apparently the folks over at Ford Motor Co. have figured it out, and they are out to prove it with the 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid now selling locally over at Jim Burke Ford. I've sung the praises of the Fusion before (read previous post here) and now comes a story saying a team at Ford plans on driving the Fusion one thousand miles on a single tank (read full story here), all to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. To reach their goal, they have to average at least 57 miles per gallon. I talked with Chad Manning, general sales manager over at Burke Ford, and he had this to say:

"We have received four and sold them all within 24 hours of hitting the showroom! Yes, the customers love them and the feedback is wonderful. They really enjoy playing the 'fuel economy game.' The LCD instrument cluster has a real time fuel economy gauge so that the driver can monitor their economy based on their driving habits. The better driver you are (greater fuel economy) the more green leaves you are awarded for your tree on the display, signifying eco-friendly driving. It is really a kick. We have two more 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrids due to arrive the early part on May."

It's the ultimate irony that just at a time when folks are having trouble getting credit, and when domestic automakers are struggling, Ford comes out with a product just perfect for our times.

Ford gets some love from consumers while the first Fusion hybrid sells at Jim Burke Ford

Ford got some good news today when CNBC reported that consumers are increasingly seeing Ford as the car maker of choice as GM and Chrysler continue to struggle. (When asked what brand they might purchase, Ford was up 12 percent while GM was down 12 percent and Chrysler down 38 percent) Why? Consumers love the fact that Ford rejected any government bailout money and they like the path Ford is on in bringing out hybrid cars. Dan Hay, owner over at Jim Burke Ford, told me sales have inched up in the past week. Said Dan:

"We had one of our PUBLIC NOTICE used car sales. It did as well as ever (and) the new vehicle business was good over the weekend, which is unusual on a used car promotion weekend. I don't think the (upcoming increase in the) sales tax has had that much effect. Ford is really going in the right direction and the company and the people are very focused on the execution of their One Ford plan."

Dan went on to say that the dealership received its first 2010 Fusion hybrid (pictured) on Friday and sold it on Sunday. And, Dan added, the buyer had been comparing it with a Camry, Toyota's juggernaut best seller. None of this means we are out of the woods yet, but there seems to be some stirrings that the economy wants to recover. If home sales bottom and cars start to move, we will be on our way.