Packs of wild dogs appear on the Kern River bike path, a local fraternity at CSUB shows some class and the annual 'elf on a shelf" craze catches hold

 * ... HEADS UP: For those of you who use the bike path to run, walk or ride, be aware there is a

pack of eight to 10 dogs (a mixture of pit bulls and some smaller mutts) that are chasing cyclists and runners on the stretch between Beach Park and Manor Drive. These dogs appear vicious and in a pack, they are dangerous.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I’m pretty certain everyone waiting to board at this gate is praying they’re not sitting next to me on this flight. Also, this airport burrito is pretty spicy."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "I have a secret lock button like Matt Lauer’s except it locks my family in the dining room until they finish their food."

 * ... CHRISTMAS ELF: The annual "elf on a shelf" Christmas tradition is starting to show up in workplaces across town. I spotted the first one at a hair salon (it was a gay elf teamed with a shirtless boyfriend elf) and yet a second one appeared at a local Starbucks.

 * ... ARMY-NAVY: My old pal Gene Bonas, a proud Navy veteran who knows his way around submarines, dropped me this note about the upcoming Army-Navy football game. Said Bonas:
"As a Navy veteran, I'll be cheering for both teams. And, you can bet that no one will be taking a knee during the national anthem at this game. This is the only game where everyone playing is willing to die for everyone watching, including those pampered millionaires and their asinine owners.  I'll certainly say a prayer and drink a toast to both teams and to the nights I can't remember and the shipmates I'll never forget when I served four years on submarines."

* ... GOOD FORM: A reader named L. Houston was having trouble using her cell phone to hail an Uber ride when a young man intervened. Using his own cell phone, the stranger set up an Uber ride and said he would absorb the charges. "He would not accept reimbursement," she said. "I didn’t get a name but he sure has my heart felt thanks from a nice little old lady."

 * ... MORE GOOD FORM: And here is a special hats off to members of the Kappa Sigma fraternity at Cal State Bakersfield who donated their time to help the Assistance League during its Chez Noel Holiday Home Tour fund raiser. Said Dona Chertok: "We are so grateful to these fine gents."

 * ... FEEDBACK: George Russell wrote to respond to a piece about Rance Howard written by Nick Thomas in a recent edition of The Californian. "Writer Nick Thomas’ article about Rance Howard in Saturday’s paper brought to mind one of the last films Rance participated in. It was directed by Bakersfield transplant Tom Russell, writer, director and BYU film instructor. The movie 'Redemption' starred such notables as Margo Kidder, Ed Hermann, Rance Howard, and was produced by Firstlight Independent, with offices here in Bakersfield. Producers of the film included local support from Bill Nelson, Russell Judd and Mark Eddy. Great film based on a true Utah frontier story."

So much trouble in the oil patch that even lifting the ban on oil exports may not help, The Habit Burger opens to big crowds and some of my favorite local eateries

 * ... OIL PATCH: These a tough times in the oil patch, and with the price hovering around $36 a barrel, it won't get much better anytime soon. Here are some disturbing facts for a community so

closed tied to energy: the price of oil has sunk by two thirds since the summer of 2014, Iranian oil will soon hit the market and global production continues to flood the market. Locally, layoffs are almost a weekly occurrence and those who remain employed live in fear of the next round of cuts. All this comes as President Obama is expected to sign legislation to end the ban on U.S. oil exports, a law that was passed after the 1973 Arab oil embargo. Supporters say lifting the ban is long overdue, but they concede
it will have little immediate impact on the price of crude.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I like holding the door for people who are far away, you know so they have to run a little."

 * ... HABIT BURGER: In true Bakersfield style, the Habit Burger Grill officially opened on California Avenue this week and it was a scene of long lines and massive crowds. We love a new eatery, and most of the reviews for this burger joint were positive. If the past is any guide, wait a few months before you stop by the Habit to try their specialty burgers.

 * ... FOODIE: Forget fast food, the best food in town is at one of our locally owned restaurants where the owners are there to personally greet you and the kitchen takes pride in consistency and creativity. Take your pick, but some of my favorites include Uricchio's Trattoria, Cafe Med, KC Steakhouse, Steak and Grape, Muertos, Mexicali, Jin Suishi, Casa Munoz, Luigi's Delicatessen, The Padre Hotel, The Mark, virtually any Basque eatery (Woolgrower's, Noriega's, Pyrenees Cafe), just to name a few. Take your pick.

 * ... CHEZ NOEL: I touched based the other day with Donna Chertok over at the Assistance League, which just came off another successful Chez Noel Home Tour. She reminded me that all proceeds from the home tour benefit the League's philanthropic programs, including Operation School Bell. And it was particularly heartening to hear that the young men from CSUB's Kappa Sigma fraternity worked with the League to so some of the heavy lifting. Hats off to those young men.

 * ... LIBRARY: With all the concern about funding our public libraries, it was good to get this note from sixth-grade teacher Roberto de Leon. "Edison Middle School was recently awarded a $6,000 grant award from author James Patterson to support our school library!  In addition, Scholastic Reading Club is matching the dollar donation with bonus points for individual classroom libraries. Edison is going to use the funding to buy new books for students. We've put together a group of kids who love reading - or, at the very least, have incredibly discerning tastes about books - and they'll be our primary book buyers. Imagine going on a $6,000 shopping spree at age 11?  It's an incredible gesture from Mr. Patterson, and one that a tiny school like ours is grateful for."

More memories of Jack LaLanne, and a local attorney gives a tip of the hat to the lads of Kappa Sigma fraternity out at Cal State Bakersfield

 * ... TRASH: Normally the only reward people get from picking up litter along the side of the road is the satisfaction of knowing they've done a good deed for their city. Franklin "Woody" Allen of Bakersfield got that and more on a recent cleanup patrol with members of his Kiwanis club. The crew was tidying up an area near Calloway Drive and Hageman Road when Allen spotted a crumpled piece of green paper. Yep, a $100 bill. Nice volunteer work if you can get it.

 * ... KAPPA SIGMA: College fraternities earn their own negative attention sometimes, but they can also do a lot of good and provide kids with lasting memories and a full college experience. Local attorney Dan Clifford was a Greek (Chi Psi) himself at the University of Oregon, and he passed on this bit of good behavior involving the Kappa Sigma fraternity out at Cal State Bakersfield. Turns out Clifford and his wife Jennifer went to Deer Peak Park to hold a birthday party for their daughter, but learned the park had already been reserved by the Kappa Sigs. James Wilson, one of the fraternity brothers, responded by helping the Cliffords carry tables to another area so both groups could enjoy the park. "Jennifer and I could not have been more relieved and appreciative. Shortly thereafter the playground was filled with screaming kids and the party went off without a hitch. For the fraternity’s part, they looked like they were having fun and were complete gentlemen. Although my encounter with the guys was brief, it was an extremely positive one. It is refreshing to know that the Greek system continues to turn out well rounded, good natured adults.  Many thanks to James and the rest of the Kappa Sigs. "

 * ... RALPH: My earlier note on the late fitness guru Jack LaLanne drew yet another local connection, this one from KNZR radio host Ralph Bailey. Turns out Ralph went to high school with LaLanne's son, Jon Allen, in Sherman Oaks where they both played baseball, soccer and football.  "And we were coached by Gary Fowler, former Highland, Centennial and Golden Valley coach and athletic director. Gary recently retired from Golden Valley and Jon Allen is playing in a band and is a pool cleaner in Brentwood. His parents came to all of his games and one of my great thrills came after one of our football games in which I ran back a punt for a touchdown. Mr. LaLanne came up to me and said, 'That was a great run, Ralph.' Thought I was gonna die! I don't know what impressed me more: the fact that he admired my run or the fact that he actually knew my name!"

 * ... KUDOS: Hats off to local human resources consultant Holly Culhane for coming up with a creative and generous way to recognize her company's 25 years in business. Instead of holding an anniversary party, Culhane sent out small, pre-stamped post cards asking folks to choose from three charities who would receive a $25 donation in their name. The non-profits are Youth for Christ/USA, the Bakersfield Rescue Mission and the Houchin Blood Bank capital campaign. Kudos to Holly and her colleagues over at PAS Associates.

 * ... DUST BOWL: If you are a history buff you might consider taking in the annual "Dust Bowl Festival" at the Sunset School in Weedpatch this Saturday. It's always an interesting look back at our past and will feature the usual wealth of comfort food (biscuits, gravy, cornbread etc) and classic cars. It runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: This nugget comes compliments of longtime reader Linda Welch: You might be a Bakersfield old timer if you remember "when the freedom train came to town on Baker Street carrying the Constitution and Bill of Rights... Also the other train that carried Harry S. Truman when he was running for president. He came out on the landing of the last car. What a thrill those trains were to a very small child."

The Christmas spirit alive and well in Bakersfield, but what happened by my old black Crocs?

 * ... CHRISTMAS SPIRIT: If you are not in the Christmas spirit, you will be after reading this note from reader Janet Fishburn.  "I just learned that people in California and Michigan have started going into K-Mart stores to act as 'Layaway Angels'.....which means someone would pay off a stranger's layaway bill so that the children in that family would be sure to have the Christmas gifts their family intended for them. We went to the Wilson Road K-Mart yesterday and were able to pay off a bill for a single mother with three children. (the gifts were still in the shopping cart so we could see them, but were ready to go back onto the shelves, because she had missed some payments).  The store manager, Patrick, was most helpful in getting this set up, and it only took us 10 minutes in the store to take care of this and write her a quick Merry Christmas note. And then Patrick called her to inform her that a 'Layaway Angel' had taken care of her bill. Hopefully, she was very happy about this.....it certainly made us feel good!

 * ... THEFT: It's easy to get jaded about petty theft, but sometimes (like when a pair of old black Crocs was snatched off my porch) it just makes you shake your head and wonder. For Olivia Garcia, editor of BakersfieldLife magazine, her surprise came when her double jogging stroller disappeared from her front porch in a desirable northeast neighborhood. "It's a sad state when you have to worry about leaving a stroller out by your front door and risk it being stolen," she said. "Really. Who steals a stroller?" Well, someone does and it may just show up at some yard sale next to my tattered old black Crocs. And now that we're on it, this is a good reminder to be vigilant about UPS or FedEx deliveries. The thieves are out there in force.

 * ... KAPPA SIGMA: An earlier blog post mentioning the Kappa Sigma fraternity drew this response from Joseph Gianquinto: "Brother Beene, fortuitous as it may seem, when I provided the information regarding the return of my sons to Bakersfield to make their lives, I did not mention their fraternal memberships, nor mine for that matter.  I became acquainted with the Five Friends and Brothers .... in 1960 at the then Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, Beta Chi Chapter.  My older son took the walk at Northern Arizona University, and my younger at Colorado University.  We are all three proud Kappa Sigma brothers, and now we know you as a brother as well."

 * ... SPOTTED: A young mother with three very small children is spotted jaywalking amid afternoon rush hour traffic on Ming Avenue near Toys 'r Us.

 * ... DUSTIN'S DINER: If you are out seeing the Christmas lights of Bakersfield make sure you swing by Haggin Oaks to visit Dustin's Diner, the hot cocoa and cookie stand that has raised thousands of dollars for the homeless over the past decade. The original Dustin - Dustin Kilpatrick - is now long gone, having graduated from USC in engineering, but his cocoa stand remains staffed by energetic neighborhood kids. It will be open until Friday, December 23.


* ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You might be a Bakersfield old timer if you remember the "Chubby Steak at Tiny's on the Northeast corner of 18th and Chester, the 25-cent burgers at Burger Haven at 34th and Union, and Axelrod the Basset hound mascot of the old Flying A gas station on the same corner!" Thanks to Craig Holland for submitting this memory.