Rosedale Highway Lions Club launches blood drive to honor the late county supervisor Trice Harvey, the search for the missing Trout's sign continues and Jeep chooses Kern County for a national commercial

 * ... BLOOD DRIVE: Former county supervisor and Assemblyman Trice Harvey died in January but his legacy of wit and love for our community lives on. On Saturday the Rosedale Highway Lions Club, where Harvey was a member for 43 years, is sponsoring a blood drive in his honor at the

Houchin Blood Bank on Bolthouse Drive. If Saturday doesn't work, the Lions club said anyone can donate blood in Harvey's name at any of the blood bank locations during the month of July. The club is trying to match Harvey's lifetime donation of 26 gallons.

 * ... LOCAL CRIME: Mike Huston sounded a familiar lament about crime when he dropped me this note: "Living in the gated Bellagio community, across from Centennial High School, you'd think it's safe. This past weekend, someone broke into my friend's car and stole her gym bag and her dad's ashes! Yes, her dad's ashes. If you are the person, or know of those responsible, it would be a nice gesture to atone, by returning, at the very least, the ashes. It's the proper thing to do.":

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Scientists predict hipsters' man buns to fully evolve into beehive hairdos by mid 2017."

 * ... TROUT'S: Ken Barnes weighed in on the missing, iconic neon sign at Trout's with this missive: "Like everyone else, I am wondering where the Trout's fish sign might be. Back in the early 1970s after I sold my tire shop on the Garces Circle, the 'Big Indian' I had in front of the store went missing. One night in the late 1980s I received a call from my son Mike about one in the morning. At the time he was a Kern County deputy, and he said, 'Dad... you won't believe what I am looking at in the back yard of someone's house here in an alley in Oildale. It's the Big Indian. It was later restored and now stands proudly at Ethyl's Cafe on the way to Hart Park. So I would like to think there is still hope for the Trout's fish."

 * ... ASSISTANCE LEAGUE: The Assistance League of Bakersfield has awarded a new round of college scholarships to seven graduating high school seniors. Among those awarded $1,000 each were Yesenia Aguilar of Arvin High; Belen Bravo of Ridgeview High; Luisa Guzman Gomez of East High; Rosa Linda Lopez of McFarland High, Edgar Sanchez Jr. of North High; Ashleen Kaur Sodhi of Ridgeview High and Amy Tinoco of McFarland High.

 *... MOVING UP: Congratulations to a couple of young Bakersfield professionals on the move. Matt Munoz has been hired as the membership service and marketing coodinator for the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Meanwhile, Miranda Whitworth is leaving her job at Kern Federal Credit Union to take a position as manager of communications for Kern Medical.

 * ... SCENIC ROADS: Next time you are watching television pay attention to a new Jeep commercial that features a familiar stretch of road. The spot focuses in on the intersection of the Bena-Caliente Bodfish loop just off Highway 58, a favorite venue for local cyclists.

Bakersfield man suffers traumatic neck injury while zip lining in Mexico; family establishes fund raising to bring him back to the United States

 * … TRAGEDY: Horrible news out of Cabo San Lucas where a Bakersfield man was severely injured in a zip lining accident. Brian Hodges and his wife Shimeaka were in Cabo celebrating a year of marriage when Brian broke his neck when he slammed into the side of a mountain while

zip lining. He is currently in a medically induced coma in a Mexican hospital. The family is trying to raise money to have Brian flown back to California where his insurance will kick in and he can be treated. Shimeaka works at OMNI Healthcare and Brian is a truck driver for KSI. A friend established the Brian and Shimeaka Hodges Fund at gofundme.com under their name. The family is trying to recoup the $50,000 it had to pay the Mexican hospital for Brian to be treated.

 * … BAD FORM: This example of some really bad form (and that is being generous) comes from reader Darla McCallum. "This is to the person who hit a dog on July 19th on Enos lane south of Rosedale Highway. (you know who you are). Did you even slow down or stop to see how the dog was? My guess is no! Shame on you. My husband and I did along with four other kind hearted people. He was severly injured and scared. How could you just leave him on the side of the road to die? You could have called for help. We could not afford to take him to the emergency vet. We comforted him as best we could until Animal Control got there. I say THANK YOU to the four people that stopped to help. My husband and I and a young women from Taft stayed with him for almost three hours, and by the way he had to be put down his internal injuries were too bad to save him. Again I say where is the compassion for living, breathing beings?"

 * … GOOD FORM: Hats off to two Garces High graduates who rescued a dog in the ocean off the Ventura coast. It turns out a dog had chased a sea gull into the ocean and went out too far, getting stranded while its owner was frantic on the beach. The two Bakersfield men, David Etcheverry and Cruise Adams, grabbed a kayak and a surfboard and paddled out to save the dog. Said Jeff Adams, Cruise's uncle: "David and Cruise paddled back to shore to a standing ovation by about 50 onlookers. It was a good thing David had been out kayaking every morning and Cruise had been surfing every morning to give them the ability to save another families love one."

 * … FOUNDATION: The Bakersfield Californian (family) Foundation is holding two separate grant cycles with awards of $100,000 and $50,000. The Foundation is looking to make a large impact with these two awards that will go to deserving non-profits. Letters of inquiry are due Friday, August 29. There is no "theme" for the work being done to win these awards. Go to the Foundation website (www.bakersfieldcalifornianfoundation.org) for more information.

 * … KUDOS: Kudos to Rachol West, a 2013 Garces High graduate who has been recognized by the Mountain West Conference for academic excellence in maintaining at least a 3.5 GPA through her freshman year as a student athlete (women's basketball) at San Jose State University.

 * … MEMORIES: Meanwhile local Realtor Ken Barnes remembers visiting his longtime friend Robert Stack in Los Angeles about 12 years ago. "We decided to go to lunch at the Bel-Air country club near his house. When we entered the bar-lunch area overlooking the putting green Bob said 'Let's join these guys over here by the window.' As we sat down he introduced me to Richard Crenna, Greg Kinnear, Dick Martin, and James Garner. He told me later he thought Kinnear was being interviewed for a membership in the club. You would never had known any of these guys were famous just sitting over lunch for an hour or so and talking about nothing special.  Garner was especially funny with many of his remarks.  Sad to say, I lost Bob the following year to a heart attack. Great memories."

Burglars hit homes for sale in the La Cresta area, life imitates art at a local theater and an honest panhandler on our streets

 * … THEFTS: The La Cresta area has been hit with rash of thefts in homes that are up for sale. According to a neighborhood watch email alert, three homes were broken into within a week. These are homes listed for sale but vacant, and speculation is the thieves may be viewing the homes as prospective buyers, checking out the appliances and then returning at night to steal the stoves, range tops and refrigerators.

 * … BAD FORM? I not sure if this is bad form, bad luck or stupidity. But here goes, compliments of my friend Peter Wonderly: "A work colleague was among a small audience at the Maya Theater last night seeing The Other Woman. At some point, a woman walked in, looked up to search for someone, found the desired someone, and shouted, 'You come HERE!' The lad indicated sheepishly complied, leaving the 'other woman' he had sneaked-off with - unsuccessfully, as it turned out. Talk about life imitating art."

 * … PANHANDLERS: Bryan Kelly provided my laugh of the day with this message: "My favorite panhandler is back… eastbound off ramp at Mount Vernon and Highwaty 178. The sign reads 'WHY LIE?  I NEED SOME MONEY FOR BEER.'  I was the third car in line. The first car gave him some cash. The car in front of me was full of young people, probably headed to BC and they gave him a rather odd looking cigarette, twisted at both ends and no filter. Then they gave him a book of matches. And the truth shall set you free!"

* … PANHANDLING: Speaking of panhandling Gail Villallovos moved to Wichita, Kansas, two years ago and still owns a home in East Bakersfield, where she returns often. Her observations: "Each time I return, I notice how bad the panhandling is at the places mentioned by Jayne Hotchkiss. It is particularly unnerving when you’re approached in a drive-thru line, and can’t escape. Although she questioned what is going on in other parts of the state of California, I can tell you I’ve only seen one panhandler since I’ve been here, standing next to an off ramp on the freeway, and that was months ago. I’ve never been approached by a panhandler here, in other parts of Kansas, or in Kansas City, Missouri, where I have to admit to being an active shopper. I really miss my home and family in Bakersfield, and plan to return after retirement.  However, I have not missed dodging the panhandlers."

 * … FRANKLIN: Franklin School is turning 100 years old this year and is looking for old photos and memorabilia to celebrate the occasion. If you have anything to share, drop them off at the school (all items will be returned). The event will be Friday, May 16, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the school.

 * … OLPH: The numbers are in from the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Spring BBQ, and they are impressive. The always organized and effervescent Deborah Leary told me they served more than 1,000 people (the menu featured Gary Icardo grilled steaks and chicken) and netted some $40,000. Not bad for a simple barbecue.

 * … MEMORIES: Hall of Fame skeet shooter Ken Barnes sent this note about where he was during the 1952 earthquake "You have posted a lot of interesting information about the intersection of 18th and Chester Avenue lately, and I have a very distinct memory of that area of downtown Bakersfield.  I was 13 years old on the afternoon of the August, 1952, earthquake that struck the city. I was sitting on the aisle of the California theatre just off the northeast corner of the intersection. A friend from Oklahoma was with me at the time and when the shaking started I knew exactly what was happening after experiencing the Tehachapi quake a few weeks earlier. I grabbed my friend's hand and screamed and ran. We tore up the aisle and right out into the center of Chester Avenue  All around us the old fronts of brick buildings were falling into the street and dust was  thick as fog. I believe a woman was killed just to the north in Lerner's Dress Shop when the roof collapsed. It was early evening before we were able to catch a bus back to Oildale and were greeted by my parents who were sure we had been buried under the rubble downtown. Scariest day of my life…. bar none."

Here's one for the books: Who remembers the Great Kern County Mouse War of 1926? And another oil town in Texas has the lowest unemployment rate in the country

* … MOUSE WAR: John Pryor sent me a note tipping me off to the great Kern County "mouse war" of 1926. It's such an odd story I simply must share it. Turns out Kern County had experienced several years of drought and by 1926 the Buena Vista Lake was dry. Two men then planted 11,000 acres of barley and maize in the dry lake bed, which proved to be an ideal breeding ground for mice. Then, it began to rain and the water level started rising, sending mice scurrying for higher ground. Pryor said more than 50,000 mice were killed in one day by the use of poisoned barley. On Taft

Highway, thousands of mice were ground to deal under car wheels. A man was then hired to poison the mice and - according to legend - some 44 million mice were killed. Sea gulls, ravens and hawks then moved in and the "war" was over. And that, as they say, is the rest of the story.

* … OIL TOWNS: I read with interest a story the other day saying that the U.S. metro area with the lowest unemployment rate is a shale oil boomtown: Midland, Texas. Midland's jobless rate is just 2.9 percent and the city is one of the fastest growing metro areas in the nation thanks to Permian Basin Shale. Kern County, of course, is also experiencing a boom in oil production yet our unemployment rate is well north of 10 percent.

 * … SERVICE: Memo to Damon Culbertson, general manager of Subaru of Bakersfield: not only is your product first class, but your service representative Amanda David is a gem.

 * … PAINTER: And speaking of white glove service, I ran into my favorite house painter Rich Johnson the other day. There are a lot of good painters in town, but few are as meticulous - not to mention just plain nice and cheerful - as Rich. Johnson Painting can be reached at (661) 706-1077.

 * … KENNY BARNES: The 32nd annual Ken Barnes Open Skeet Championship is coming up this weekend out at the Kern County Gun Club. This is an excellent chance to catch some of the top All-American shooters from across the country. The tournament is named in honor of Bakersfield's own Ken Barnes, known as the "father of the 400 X 400." For the uninitiated, that means he hit all 400 targets without so much as one miss. The tournament runs Friday through Sunday.

 * … MEMORIES: I was at Chalet Basque this weekend when a reader asked me a question I couldn't answer. He wanted to know the name of a small cafe that occupied the space where Tam O'Shanter now sits. He thought it was "Touey's" but he wasn't sure of the spelling. Ideas?

Rep. Kevin McCarthy votes against the fiscal cliff compromise and celebrating the success of two local businesses in our downtown area

* ... MCCARTHY: Interesting to note that our own Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House Majority Whip in charge of herding votes for House Speaker John Boehner, voted against the fiscal cliff compromise that Boehner supported. Did McCarthy vote against the measure only once he was sure he had the votes to pass it? Or was he simply casting a vote in tune with his conservative district? Also voting against the measure was Rep. Eric Cantor, the House Majority Leader. Former GOP vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan supported it.  McCarthy told me this about his vote: “There were good reasons to vote for it, and good reasons to vote against it. I believed that any legislation considered by the House had to seriously address the root of our debt crisis: Washington’s out-of-control spending.”

 * ... SERVICE: Harry Starkey, general manager of the West Kern Water District, gave this shout out to  good service in the city of Taft. "I went to a local framing shop here in Taft (KC Photography and Framing owned by Robert and Karen Mitchell) to have a few things matted and framed for a small job in my office. I was trying to describe the colors I wanted matched when the owners offered to come by my office to match the colors directly. Now that’s service!"

 * ... YOGA: It's good to see two locally owned yoga businesses doing so well. Both Inner Bodyworks and Yoga Space have moved to freshly renovated buildings in the downtown area, and both seem to be enjoying brisk business. Yoga Space is located on F Street and Inner Bodyworks is near the Fox Theater on H Street. (photo of staff at Inner Bodyworks)

 * ... OLYMPIAN: There are reports that five-time Olympic medalist Kim Rhode, the most successful female shooter in Olympic history, may be coming to Bakersfield in April for the Ken Barnes Open Skeet Championship. Rhode most recently won a gold medal in last year's Olympic skeet shooting competition. If her schedule permits, I am told she will shoot the 12 gauge in the April 12-14 tournament to be held at the Kern County Gun Club. The tournament is named after local Realtor Ken Barnes, the first person to ever shoot a perfect 400 X 400 in tournament skeet.

* ... FIRST FRIDAY: Downtown's popular monthly event returns for the first Friday of 2013. Metro Galleries continues to show Christine McKee's "On the Homefront" exhibit, a stunning show devoted to military families and those who serve. Next door at The Foundryit  is opening night for "It's Not Easy Being Green." This show features works created by Foundry members using green as the predominant color. First Friday organizer Don Martin tells me there are lots of new events planned for 2013 including a free monthly concert starting in March.