Remembering the legacy of Harvey Hall, Bakersfield has its own version of a royal wedding and someone was caught cheating in the La Cresta area

Monday, May 21, 2018

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

 * ... RIP HARVEY: We lost Harvey Hall this weekend, and with it a bit of Bakersfield history. Everyone has their own story of the former mayor, but all of them have one thing in common: his

love for this community and his big heart. Harvey's lesson for me? Wake up every day and be thankful for what you have, embrace your community even with all its flaws, and love your neighbor. This is his legacy, and he left us all in a better place because of it.

 * ... ROYAL MARRIAGE BAKO STYLE: Did you know that Bakersfield had its own form of a royal wedding right here at home this weekend? That's what friends of Matt Munoz and Miranda Whitworth were calling it with the popular pair tied the knot before friends at the Kern County Museum. Matt is the marketing director for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (he is also the lead singer in the wildly popular band Mento Buru) while Miranda works in marketing for Kern Medical. Congrats to these two who make this a special place to call home.

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "You can't please everybody. You are not a taco."

 * ... MEA CULPA: I goofed last week in saying that district attorney candidate Cynthia Zimmer was represented by Cathy Abernathy's Western Pacific Research. In fact, Zimmer is using the Sacramento-based Meridian Pacific Political Consulting, a highly regarding consultant known for its tough tactics to win elections.

 * ... MOVING UP: Congratulations to Amy Radditz who has taken a job with OneLegacy, an organization dedicated to saving and healing lives through organ, eye and tissue donation. She will join the organization as a Donation Development Coordinator. Radditz has served six years with CASA as a resource development manager.

 * ... ACHIEVER: And add Alex Shelbourne to your list of local young people making their mark in the world. The Bakersfield High graduate is now entering New York University as a sophomore and was recently appointed to the board of the Tisch New Theater. The TNT has become the premiere student theatre organization at NYU.  It has established itself as an avenue for students to work in all facets of the theatre: performance, management, direction, production, and other technical and design aspects. Alex is the son of Jeff and Sarah Shelbourne. His mother is CEO of Optimal Health Services.

 * ... CHEATING HUSBAND: Well now, check out these posters that appeared in the La Cresta area this weekend. Looks like someone is cheating.

Bakersfield enjoys an emerging arts scene with top musicians appearing about town, and more feedback on the death of an unarmed black man in Ferguson, Missouri

 * … MUSIC: I stopped by a free concert at Imbibe Wine and Spirits this weekend and was wowed by the vocals of Emily Danger, a band whose lead vocalist (Emily Nicholas) hails from

Bakersfield but now lives in Brooklyn. Her concert before a packed room is reflective of something special that is emerging in our community, especially if you are a fan of live music. Almost every day, in some venue across town, you can hear some terrific talent, whether it's hometown favorite Mento Buru (who showed up at the Alley Cat for an impromptu concert this weekend) or the house band at KC Steakhouse. If you are into master guitarists, Rick Kreiser hosts a regular "Guitar Masters" series while three friends are bringing new talent into town with the "Passing Through" series of concerts held either at The Metro Galleries or The Bakersfield Museum of Art. We're not Austin yet, but we have come a long way. (file photos of Emily Danger and Mento Buru)

 * … ACCIDENT: The traffic accident at the intersection of Old River Road and Ming Avenue that took the life of a 67-year-old woman triggered a flood of responses on social media. This response was typical: "People have just got to slow down in this town. Old River isn't a country road any more."

* … FERGUSON: I received a lot of feedback on my post talking about my father's advice about staying out of trouble with the police. Pamela Wildermuth was disappointed with me, noting that a "even though a black man in this country may be very successful, and may have followed ALL the advice you quoted, he is still more likely to have an unpleasant encounter with the police than is his white counterpart. Race is an inescapable issue in the complex relationship between citizens and law enforcement. It's too bad that you didn't address it."

 * … MORE FERGUSON: Kendall Moya Arthur agreed and added this: "Please reconsider your platitude of how any young man should behave. Your response reflected insensitivity to the immediate history of how young black men are treated, particularly at the hands of the police, who are entrusted to be super-heroes of justice and defenders of the weak and disenfranchised. If only it might have been so simple as young men following your father’s advice to remain unhurt." Note to both Pamela and Kendall: I did not mean to imply race was never an issue, but rather repeating some sound advice from my father about holding yourself accountable.

* … MORE FERGUSON: Tony Malon was a bit more agreeable with my post: "I agree with your father completely, sounds like mine. I am 77 years old , living in Bakersfield the past four years. I was born in St. Louis, then moved to a suburb called Overland , then to Cool Valley bordering Ferguson, for about 25 years. Ferguson and surrounding areas have alawys been a problem such as has been happening now even when times were good. I'm not taking sides as I have known many police officers in the area for years. Some good some not so good. I have a question, if the officer was a six year veteran with a clean record  why would he fire six bullets into an individual for no reason whatsoever?... When I was quite youn , and a police officer stopped me to ask me a question, I was told to obey officers or hell to be paid when I got home."

 * … REUNIONS: Royal Reynier will soon be attending his 60th East Bakersfield High School reunion, and he recommends touching base with long lost friends as frequently as possible. "The first reunion is attended to see if others have gone on to better lives and to mingle with the same people you did in high school... The sixtieth? Who knows. The only sure thing is that there will be a smaller group and the stories may be not quite right as memories fail. My advice is to attend a reunion. You have changed and so have they. You may have not have been in the so called 'in group.' but there is always
someone there that has a pleasant memory of you."

Bako bits: heading into another "First Friday" weekend and a crackdown at coffee houses?

Heading into what promises to be a terrific weekend. How did we go from temperatures nearing 110 to a high today of 85? Hope it lasts. Here we go ...

* ... GET OUT OF THAT SEAT DEADBEAT: Read with interest a front page story in the Wall Street Journal today about coffee houses cracking down on all those folks who take up valuable space gazing into their computers-for hours on end. The Journal says this crackdown on loiterers - folks who show up for the free Wi-Fi, order one cup of coffee and sit there for hours-is a direct result of the recession during which revenue per table is all important. Haven't heard of anything similar locally, either at the multiple Starbucks or at the popular Dagny's downtown, but you couldn't blame them. Said the Journal:

"Amid the economic downturn, there are fewer places in New York to plug in computers. As idle workers fill coffee-shop tables - nursing a single cup, if that, and surfing the Web for hours-and as shop owners struggle to stay in business, a decade-old love affair between the coffee shops and laptop-wielding customers is fading."




* ... DOWNTOWN: WHERE THE ACTION IS: Don't forget about the "First Friday" fun downtown tomorrow night. Don Martin over at Metro Galleries is sprucing up the place and promises some new art to consider. Make a night of it and have dinner at Uricchio's or Mama Roombas and then hit the art galleries. It all starts around 6 p.m. and goes well into the evening, and you are bound to see a few dozen of your closest friends. If Cafe Med is more your cup of tea, make sure you check out the Friday Eye Street entertainment section in The Californian and take advantage of the 20 percent off Cafe Med coupon, good for weekends. You'll find it on page D12.



* ... MENTO BURU AT FISHLIPS: If you're in the mood for some of the Caribbean salsa/jazz/swing of popular local band Mento Buru, head over to Fishlips on 18th Street Saturday night for a party celebrating the release of the band's new CD. This is one of the most popular bands in Bakersfield and they always - without fail - put on a good show. Starts at 9 p.m. Saturday, admission is $5 for those 21 and over. Fishlips is located at 1517 18th Street.