If you can't show some good form around the holidays, then when can we? A local girl has a Chanukah photo on display in Washington, D.C., and Bako loses a power couple to Texas

 * ... GOOD FORM: Here's some good form for the holidays, compliments of Janis Varner. Said Varner: "I had breakfast with my WW II veterans at Pappy’s Coffee Shop on Rosedale. We were

celebrating early the birthday of Mr. Bill Kehoe, my veteran from April 2013. Mr. Kehoe will 104 on December 28th! I had the whole place sing Happy Birthday to him and a few came up after to shake his hand and wish him well. When I went to pay the bill, Sarah – one of the owners – said a Vietnam veteran – whom wanted to remain anonymous – donated $50 toward our breakfast  Just another example of one generation thanking the Greatest Generation for their service. Thank you Mr. Vietnam Veteran for your generosity and service to our country."

 * ... MORE GOOD FORM: And Rita Loken added her "heartfelt thanks to Cindy and Kevin Trueblood who gift our city each year with their beautiful production of the Nutcracker Ballet. I went again this year and it absolutely took my breath away! The dancers, the costumes, the scenery, the orchestra – everything about it was first class. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

 * ... CHANUKAH: Congratulations to 13-year-old Leah Schlanger, a young Bakersfield student who has a photograph on display at Vice President Joe Biden's residence in Washington, D.C., this month. The photo of a Chanukah Menorah with colorful candles, along with images from nine other kids from across the country, were chosen as part of a new collaboration between National Geographic Kids and Dr. Jill Biden to celebrate young photographers.

 * … SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "If pigs could fly imagine what their wings would taste like."

 * ... HALL OF FAME: I finally got a tour of the new Bakersfield Music Hall of Fame and it is everything it is billed to be. Thanks to Kyle Carter and his wife Kim McAbee Carter, the old sound studio underwent an extensive remodel and is now ready to open its doors to the community. All of this did not come cheaply, and I was happy to sign up and write a check as one of the community "members" who has pledged to support this new venture. The Hall is located at 23rd and Q streets.

 * … FAREWELL: Congratulations to Ty and Christina Sweet who are leaving Bakersfield for new opportunities in Austin, Texas. Christina is a well known local artist who has been instrumental in the downtown arts scene and her husband works in the energy sector. Said Christina in a Facebook tribute to Bakersfield:  "Thank you for being the ground beneath my feet my entire life starting out a barefoot country girl living on Superior Road then growing up in the Southwest and making the greatest friends of my life. Rio Bravo Greeley, Seibert Elementary, and Thompson Jr. High where I learned who I wanted to be – an artist." Good people who added value to our community. Bakersfield's loss in Austin's gain.

The Bakersfield Music Hall of Fame gets ready to open, and local Bako boys Derek Carr and Cody Kessler shine on the gridiron

* ... GUITAR MASTERS: It looks like former homebuilder Kyle Carter and wife Kim McAbee are drawing closer to opening their Bakersfield Music Hall of Fame. I am told the facility, located off Q and 23rd streets, will be a one-of-a-kind venue with over-the-top studios and electronics for shows and other private events. If you want to get a peek, plan on attending Rick Kreiser's Guitar Masters series that will feature the international duo Loren and Mark on Wednesday, Dec. 9. Said Kreiser on the new Hall of Fame: "Studio A will be an even better venue than it was, and with 250 comfy seats it is right in the sweep spot for attracting a lot of the wonderful talent we weren't able to accommodate in the past. On Dec. 29, Guitar Masters will present "Christmas with the Cranktones" as Carl Verheyen brings his band of legendary LA musicians to Studio A to help raise money for the Kern Country Cancer Fund. Carter purchased the old Bakersfield Sound Studio and has put his heart (and pocketbook) into creating this new addition to our community.

 * ... FOOTBALL: It was great to see two local Bakersfield products - Cody Kessler and Derek Carr - have good days on the gridiron this weekend. Kessler, who went to Centennial High, led the USC Trojans to a 40-21 victory over cross town rival UCLA, passing for two touchdowns and running for a third. Meanwhile Carr, who went to Bakersfield Christian and later Fresno State, led the Oakland Raiders to a come from behind 24-21 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

 * ... BAD FORM: A pox on whoever decided to leave a McDonald's bag, cups and trash next to the Bank of America drive-through teller on 17 Street downtown. Just how hard is it to find a trash bin anyway?

 * ... TRASH: And speaking of trash, the homeless encampments along the bike path between Beach Park and Manor Street have expanded significantly in recent months. But as one ranking officer at Bakersfield Police Department told me: "If we sweep them out, they head to the downtown neighborhoods and then we get complaints there. There is no easy solution."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "When a woman says, 'Do whatever you want,' by NO means should you do whatever you want."

 * ... KUKA'S: It looks like Kuka's Folk Arts, the cheery little boutique located downtown, is closing after 10 years in business. Owner Ruth Darrington slashed prices for Small Business Saturday and those discounts will continue until the end of the year.

 * ... ACHIEVER: Congratulations to Kern County native Dr. Stephen Pandol, who recently received a Lifetime Achievement award at the American Pancreatic Association's annual meeting in San Diego.  Pandol, who grew up in Delano and is the son of Winnie and the late farming giant Jack Pandol, is the Director of Basic and Translational Pancreas Research in the Gastroenterology Department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Pandol, a gastroenterologist, is a noted expert in pancreatic cellular physiology and mechanism of the disease.

Fire warnings are issued for dry as a tinder box California, Kyle Carter eyes running for mayor and just why in the world do we allow fireworks during a drought?

 * ... DROUGHT: Four years of drought have left huge parts of California forests dry as a tinder box, and no where is it worse than east of Fresno. According to a story by Bee reporter Mark Grossi, "California waits in dread of the next big wildfire. Ground zero is east of Fresno in the southern Sierra, home to Yosemite and Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks as wells as the last native

giant sequoia groves on the planet." Grossi said the mountain communities are a big concern, and noted  "the forestry and fire protection board adopted an emergency rule bypassing usual procedures so private landowners can quickly remove dead and dying trees. It is expected to take effect July 11."

 * ... FIREWORKS: It's amazing to me that Kern County still allows fireworks, given the drought and predictable fires that they cause, but Jim Milledge says it's really not that difficult to understand. "It's not about the drought, air pollution or possible injury to people, animals, or property," he wrote. "It is the all mighty dollar first and foremost. Sales will never be stopped."

* ... OVERHEARD: Steven Barnes of Barnes Wealth Management was in Popy's Deli and Market when he overheard two men discussing the house that was severely damaged by illegal fireworks this weekend. "When one found out how the fire started, he immediately stated, 'Oh Lois Henry will get on that!'"

 * ... SPOTTED: I saw this on Twitter: "When life throws me a curveball, I try to duck so it hits someone else."

 * .. KYLE CARTER: I ran into Kyle Carter and his wife, Kim, over the July Fourth weekend. The former home builder is focused on wrapping up a major remodel of a recording studio to create a Bakersfield Music Hall of Fame venue off 21st Street. It looks like the this project is still a few months off, but it promises to be impressive. And Carter, a big proponent of redevelopment and bringing new businesses downtown, reiterated that we can expect him to run for mayor next year. (file photos of Kyle and Kim Carter)

 * ... BAD FORM: After sharing 10 tacos and burritos at the downtown Taco Bell (yes, I counted), two women in their late 20s hop into their white SUV and head onto 24th Street, but not before casually tossing their napkins out the driver's side window.

 * ... SCAM: Are you ready for yet another scam? This one comes in an official looking email claiming to be from Discover Card. It threatens suspending your card privileges unless you "click" on a link and provide personal information. Reader Mary Hazzard knew better but passed this on to warn others.

*...  LIE-N -DEN: Did you know that the Lie-N-Den, the famous Bakersfield restaurant off Niles that some people think offers the best burger in town, was opened in 1948? Bob Bryant is about to celebrate 10 years of ownership of the landmark eatery, whose original name was Otto's, Home of the Whopper.

 * ...  BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're from Bakersfield "if someone asks you where you're from and instead of saying Bakersfield, you say,'"Um, a little north of Los Angeles, just over the mountain.'"