Brace yourself for a long heat wave with temperatures nearing 110 degrees, the Starlite Silver Fox lounge unveils its new classic neon sign, and who remembers Peacock Ice Cream from back in the day?

Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this community such a special place. The views expressed here are strictly my own and do not represent any other company or publication.

 * ... HEAT WEEK: Remember those balmy evenings last week when the wind was soft and it was perfect to dine outside? Well enjoy that memory because that cooling trend is now officially over, and if there were ever a doubt about what month we are in, just check out the calendar. For the next week, we will see

temperatures around 105 and above, true to the dog days of August that we all know too well here in the valley.

 * ... REGISTERED FIREARMS: Ever wonder where your state stands in terms of how many guns are owned by residents? Well, a recent survey based on registered firearms had the answers, and here are the top states with the highest numbers of registered firearms, starting with No. 9 and counting down: Wyoming, Washington, D.C., New Mexico, Virginia, Idaho, Alabama, Nevada, Alaska and Louisiana.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Common sense is like deodorant; those who need it most don’t use it."

 * ... SILVER FOX: Well look who is back! The classic Silver Fox sign is back at the iconic watering hole across from Mexicali downtown. Owner Rod Crawford said the original sign was donated to the Kern County Museum and is now on display, so he was forced to have a replicate sign made by a local artist. Crawford and his wife, Julie, also own Pyrenees Cafe, which they have restored to its original grandeur.

 * ... PEACOCK ICE CREAM: Who remembers Peacock Ice Cream? A banner featuring the ice cream showed up in an old picture of a picnic for Standard Oil Co. employees here in Kern County. This picture dates from 1924. Thanks to the Kern County of Old Facebook page for this gem. Word has it that the ice cream company was owned by Wayne Peacock, who also owned Wayne's Dairy back in the day.

 * ... MEMORIES: Courtesy of the Kern County History Fans Facebook page comes this classic old photo from 1938.

Hats off to all those high school graduates earning academic scholarships, a hunter's lament on California gun control and another walk down memory lane

 * ... GRADUATION: Hats off to all the high school graduates who have won hard earned academic scholarships to prestigious universities across the country. Kern County has always been well

represented on the athletic front, but we also produce outstanding students known for their academic prowess. And with college tuition steadily rising both for California and out of state universities, these partial and whole scholarships often make the difference between staying or going. So to all these unsung achievers, good luck.

* ... TRASH: Hats off to the city maintenance crews who descend on our local parks to clean up the bottles, trash and sandwich wrappings that so many of us carelessly leave behind after a picnic. Do you think these folks do this to their own homes?

 * ... GUN CONTROL: Bud King is a hunter with a clean record, and his frustration over new gun control laws moving through the California legislature is shared by many recreational shooters. Said King: "I am a hunter, a shooter, and a law abiding citizen, but with the new gun laws I will become a criminal. All my rifles whether it is bolt action or semi auto, has some kind of button to release the magazine. It will be just up to the judgment of law enforcement if my firearms bought legally make me a criminal or not.  I know the people coming up with these hare brained ideas would not live in my neighborhood without armed guards to protect them.  People are at their breaking point with their rights being taken away little by little each day. "

 * … SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "The true test of any loving relationship is having two phones and only one functioning charger."

 * … MORE TWITTER: "The challenge of modern relationships is proving more interesting than the other persons smartphone."

 * ... MEMORIES: It was Susan Reep who started the avalanche of memories about the old Carnation ice cream shop on Union Avenue, and now she shared another memory from her husband Mark Smith. Said Reep: he seems to remember a guy in Mettler in a peanut suit and people along the route trying to attract travelers into their restaurants, which was all very exciting to a 5-year-old kid. And then his parents always took the kids by the big horse and the big shoe on Chester. Such wonders!"

 * ... MARY: Howard Polland dropped me a note to recall taking his three daughters to the Carnation plant for ice cream, but he also sent thanks to Realtor Mary Christenson for sponsoring this blog. I thank Mary too, and from my experience, you could not have a better Realtor than Watson's Mary Christenson.

 * ... MORE MEMORIES: And lastly, another reader (who requested to remain anonymous) asked if anyone remembers "ice cream cubes back in the 1950s. They were about 2 inches square, packaged in a fold out light cardboard and lots of different flavors. I’ve been thinking they were made by Carnation and at that same plant. But, Peacock was another ice cream plant in Bakersfield and I wonder if any of your readers can help solve this nagging question."