While Bakersfield breaks out Old Glory to celebrate the Fourth of July vagrants and thugs have a field day vandalizing local businesses and the sad case of Bitwise that everyone just wants to forget

Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this community such a special place. The views expressed here are strictly my own and do not represent any other company or publication.

 * ... FOURTH OF JULY: Make no mistake: few communities top Bakersfield when it comes to Fourth of July celebrations. Virtually every neighborhood in town has one (Stockdale Estates, Riverlakes, La Cresta to name a few) and the queen of them all, the downtown Westchester parade celebrated its 34th

edition. The downtown parade was started three decades ago by former City Councilperson Sue Benham, a humble potluck for a few families around 20th Street. It's all grown up now, and some residents say the emphasis on "bigness" - the mayor kicks it off, other politicians are part of it, there is now a parade of Corvettes, multiple bands, floats for veterans, yard orchestras etc  - has robbed the Westchester event of its emphasis on kids and decorated bikes. But the public must disagree because it grows larger every year as Bakersfield turns out to celebrate the Fourth. (photos courtesy of Karen Goh)

* ... DOWNTOWN WOES: While you were enjoying your Fourth of July weekend, thieves and vagrants were having their way downtown, busting out windows at Luigi's Delicatessen and other establishments. Windows were smashed and merchandise stolen at a local antique store, and Blue Oak Coffee behind the post office saw its front entrance door window smashed for the umpteenth time. Business people are sharing a sign asking where their councilman is (Andrae Gonzales) but critics note he's busy running for the 35th Assembly District. Some downtown business people have turned on Gonzales, seeing him as more interested in advancing his political career than ruffling feathers on the council to fight crime. They are hoping if Gonzales moves on, the next Ward 2 representative will take downtown and east Bakersfield crime more seriously. Unfair? Perhaps, but when you are the incumbent and it happens on your watch, the buck stops with you. Will the checkered, crime-riddled reputation of downtown affect Gonzales' bid for the Assembly? We will see.

* ... JIM DAMIAN: Here's some good news coming out of the disastrous fall from grace of Bitwise, the once wunderkind of the local tech world that collapsed into a heap of lost dreams, broken promises and potential illegalities. Jim Damian, founder of the tech company Stria, has been named Kern County's new chief economic development officer effective the end of July. Stria, if you remember, was a solid high tech company based in Bakersfield until it was purchased last year by Bitwise. With the collapse of Bitwise, Damian and other investors likely will not be paid in full for the sale of Stria, but the new job gives him a shot at starting over.  “To be a model of excellence in managing our business and workforce, we must attract top talent to our organization and employ the very best,” said James Zervis, incoming Kern County Chief Administrative Officer. “We believe that is what we’re getting with Mr. Damian, who will be a key factor in the economic success of our entire region.”

 * ... RIP BITWISE: Speaking of Bitwise, city leaders in Fresno are furious and up in arms over the collapse of Bitwise and the loss of city investment. And yet meanwhile in Bakersfield, there is scarcely a peep from any elected leader about what happened, how it happened and how we can prevent it from happening again. And yes, Bitwise did receive public money (YOUR money) and we have yet to learn exactly how much in public assistance and contracts were lost in the deal. And while our political class moves on from an unpleasant topic, the moving vans pluck what they can from what remains of the Bitwise offices.

 * ... BEST SHOT: Take a look at this lovely picture of the Alabama Hills,  taken by Susan Walker Bell this year, and posted in the My Home Is California (MIHC) Facebook page.

 * ... OLD GLORY: Take a look at this beautiful shot by photographer Karen Unruh. God Bless America!

 * ... MEMORIES: And finally, the folks over at Kern County of Old bring us this terrific old picture of The Plunge on Union Avenue.

Another year of crazy (many illegal) fireworks is behind us, more mailbox thefts around town and readers remember the old bakeries across town

 * … PETS: With the annual obsession with fireworks over, how many dogs do you think broke free from their yards in a panic and were left roaming the streets? Nobody keeps track of this stuff, but

judging by social media posts on Facebook, the Nextdoor app and email threads, the number across the country is in the thousands. It's an annual ritual: in communities like ours where fireworks are legal, dogs cower and often break through fences in sheer terror, some of them eventually being reunited with their owners and others lost forever. When you toss in fireworks-related injuries and fires, it just seems hard to justify, but I will let Lois Henry carry the water on this one.

* … THEFT: Mailboxes are being broken into across town, which prompted this lament from reader Sunny Kapoor: "The proliferation of mailboxes being broken into has reached epic proportions. Our neighborhood mailbox is broken into every 2 to 3 days, with multiple pieces of mail being stolen, and this has been going on for months. On contacting the postal service about the problem, we are advised that they are working on it. It just seems like that they don’t care... I just wish that our local postmaster general would start to pay attention to this serious problem, especially with the Identity Theft Issue being front and center. Most of the residents in our neighborhood have resorted to a PO box at their expense, in order to protect their mail. I am hoping you will print this in your weekly spotlight, so that some attention will be garnered for this problem."

 * … SPOTTED ON TWITTER: You know you are white trash when there are more ankle monitors than Fitbits at the family barbecue.

 * … MORE TWITTER: "If you don't want me to show up to your wedding in pajamas then you might want to rethink using the words 'evening wear.'"

 * … RUNNERS: I when for a hot hike (emphasize the word HOT) in the hills overlooking Hart Park Saturday and was in awe as a well conditioned group of about 20 teenagers from a local cross country team passed me without hardly breaking a sweat. Judging from some of their T-shirts, these young athletes seems to be from Ridgeview High School.

 * … MEMORIES: From reader Bill Fong: "Bill Upshaw's memories of the old Golden Crust Bakery stirred up memories of the school bus trip that we got to take when in grade school. Besides being a great way to get away from school work, we received a free fresh slice of their raisin bread at the end of the tour. Also, I was wondering if anyone remembers if Golden Crust was on the north or south side of the railroad tracks? Many years ago as a 4 year old, we lived on L Street just south of the tracks, but the only structure that I remember was a big lumberyard next to the tracks. Thank you for stirring up my memories."

 * … MORE MEMORIES: And finally this from Greg Laskowski: "You may be an old timer if you remember the Helms Bakery truck coming through your neighborhood offering bread, hot dog and hamburger buns, and other goods. Those yellow and blue panel tucks with the pull out rays in the back were something to and the kids would flock around."