Kern County Raceway is for sale for a cool $15 million, the indie band Darlingside heads to Bakersfield and remembering an old saloon in town

Friday, February 9, 2018

Welcome to Bakersfield Observed, now online only. We celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this such a special place. We value your feedback. Email your news and notes to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... RACEWAY: Did you see that the Kern County Raceway is now for sale? Coldwell Banker's

Gary Belter and Georgia McCaffrey have listed the property for $15 million, a bargain if you believe it was a $40 million project. The raceway has room for 3,000 general admission seats and another 1,000 reserved seats, plus 22 luxury suites. The raceway is located just off Enos Lane and Interstate 5.

* ... OUR WORLD: What does it say about our society when the two top local stories recently were the City Council approving a "shot spotter" system to locate gang shootings and a program reminding parents they can relinquish their children at a local fire station?

* ... COKE AND PEANUTS: Growing up in the South, my summers were spent drinking an ice cold Coke with salty peanuts. That's right, we'd take a few swigs from the Coke and pour in a small bag of salty peanuts, creating a tasty and crunchy summer drink that never failed to satisfy. When I mentioned this on my radio show (KERN NewsTalk 96.1) a caller said he too drank the same concoction while growing up in Shafter. They called it an "Okie float."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Don’t you hate that person who almost never answers your calls or texts… then when you see them they can’t put down their phone?"

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "Love is like hearing your favorite song for the first time. Then listening to it over and over again til you hate that song."

 * ... DARLINGSIDE: One of the hottest groups in America, an indie folk band called Darlingside, is coming to Bakersfield on Wednesday, March 7, at the Bakersfield Music Hall of Fame. This four-man group from Boston features incredible vocals and lyrics and is a can't miss event if you are into music. Go to eventbrite.com to get your tickets.

* .... MEMORIES: I loved these pictures of an old Bakersfield saloon featured on the "Kern County of Old" Facebook page. The entry from Todd Walker read: "Jean Eyrauds Saloon...While on one of my history seeking adventures about 25 years ago, I met the owner of an old home in East Bakersfield. The owner of the home happened to be the great grandson of Jean Eyraud, the proprietor of the Jean Eyraud Saloon. Now, most of you probably have never heard of this saloon or even knew it existed, and neither did I at the time. Anyways, after we got to talking a while about Bakersfield and its history, he mentioned that his great grandfather, Jean Eyraud, had owned a saloon on Sumner Street across from the old train depot, and that he had a trunk containing old family photos and pictures of the inside and outside of the saloon and other businesses on the block. Trying to hold my excitement back I said I would love to check it out. He took me down to the cellar of the old house, and there it was an old trunk from the 1800s! After looking through the old trunk, he had mentioned he wasn’t interested in anything in it, and that he had planned on selling or getting rid of it. Being a collector of old Kern County photographs I gladly purchased just the photos of the saloon and the various buildings around it from him. I told him that he should at least keep the pictures of his family and the old trunk. Anyways, that was 25 years ago and I’m not sure whatever happened to him. Since then I have researched the old photographs and believe them to be from around 1890 to 1900. I have yet to find any old advertisement or any other photographs from this saloon besides the ones I have. Here’s all the pictures I got from him. Notice the picture in front of the saloon with everybody holding old bottles, lots of details! Notice the 'Ladies Entrance' in the picture with the restaurant in it. Definitely different times back then! Hope you enjoy these pictures, I’ve been wanting to contribute them to Kern County photo collection for years."

Rave reviews for Tehachapi's Grand Fondo bike century, remembering those classic lines from Yogi Berra and a new skate park is coming to NOR

 * ... TEHACHAPI: I didn't participate in the Tehachapi Grand Fondo bike ride this past week, but it is getting some rave reviews, including this one from Deb Wells: "As a long time cyclist and runner, I was not surprised by the stats you quoted in your column today about injured cyclists. This brought to mind the recent Grand Fondo, put on by the city of Tehachapi.  This was the second year I rode the

event and mentioned to my friend while riding, how friendly the people of Tehachapi were, the spacious bike lanes and clean roads. Bakersfield could take a lesson from Tehachapi to improve the cycling experience.  Also, proper bike etiquette seems to have been forgotten on the bike trail.  A simple, on your left, while passing alerts the other rider that you are passing.  There is nothing more irritating than being brushed by a cyclist that is passing too fast and not announcing themselves. Cycling is a fun sport, making a few changes can make it a great experience for all riders.

 * ... CYCLING: And speaking of cycling, there will be a one-of-a-kind event on Oct. 10-11 at the Kern County Raceway where bicyclists will be competing on the Nascar-style oval track. This is a criterium-style race, requiring great technical skills and speed. The event will benefit CSUB and the Thumbs Up, Cancer Down event. Called the Jumpstart Classic, this event is sponsored by Pat Brown Systems, Sam Barn Productions and the Kern County raceway. The race is free to spectators.

 * ... ADDICTION: Most of us have experienced addiction, or know someone in our family who has, be it alcohol, tobacco, pain killers or any other drug or psychological dependency. It can be a painful and deeply personal experience, and Friday (today) I will discuss it with Michael Hopper at 4 p.m. on The Ralph Bailey show on KERN Newstalk 96.1 FM. Hopper, an on-air personality with the American General Media radio group, will share his own experience of getting sober and how that has changed his life.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I’d be 100 percent more motivated if Samuel L. Jackson yelled at me to get things done."

 * ... SKATE PARK: The newest and largest skate park in town is being planned by the North of the River Recreation and Parks district over at Beardsley Park. NOR is planning to convert the 50-year-old Beardsley pool into a huge skate park that will rival, and be possibly larger, than the skate park at Beach Park. NOR marketing director Lisa Plank told me it should be completed in the summer of next year.

 * ... YOGI: What better way to close than by including some of the hilarious quotes attributed to the late Yogi Berra? Enjoy: "No one goes there nowadays, it's too crowded... A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore...You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six...You wouldn't have won if we'd beaten you... It gets late early out here... If the people don't want to come out to the ballpark, nobody's going to stop them... Pair up in threes... When you come to a fork in the road, take it."