Bluegrass comes to town, the scourge of homelessness presents health problems, BHS rated one of the top football high schools in America and a vegan eatery proves to be a big hit

Monday, January 14, 2019

 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 such a special to live. Send your tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... FOODIE SHORTS: The Hens Roost, a relatively new vegan restaurant downtown near the

Post Office, is enjoying a business boom that seems to know no end. I dropped by the Roost on Saturday, eager to sit down to the Impossible burger after a long workout, and the place was wall to wall with customers. The whole plant based diet is not for everyone, but it is good to see there is enough of a base in town to support this kind of healthier eating. Meanwhile, we have also learned that Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers will open on February 12 over off Downing Avenue.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Do what you love” is shitty career advice because mostly what I love is spending time alone and eating breakfast food."

 * ... THE GREAT 48: If you happened to stop by the Marriott downtown this weekend, chances are you happened into some bluegrass. For the third consecutive year, the California Bluegrass Association brought its annual convention, called The Great 48 to signify 48 hours of picking and grinning, to the Marriott. (The event has been in Bakersfield for at least a decade but at other venues) Why Bakersfield? Organizers said we are ideally situated to attract bluegrass enthusiasts from both Northern and Southern California. The lobby was full of musicians jamming, and the ninth floor of the hotel was a virtual sea of fiddles, banjos, guitars, stand up basses and dobros.

 * ... BHS DRILLERS: The website StadiumTalk released its list of the top 20 high schools in America that produce the most professional football players. And yes, Bakersfield High made the list, ranking as the 14th best high school in the country. Said StadiumTalk:  "California is well represented on this list with 13 schools, but Bakersfield High is the only one of those that is not in Greater Los Angeles. That has not hurt the school’s success on the field as it has more wins than any other high school football team in the state. The crown jewel of its football program was Frank Gifford, who later won an NFL MVP and was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Just as Gifford eventually made his way into cinema, so would his alma mater. The feud between Bakersfield High and rival Taft High served as the backdrop for the 1986 comedy 'The Best of Times' starring Robin Williams and Kurt Russell."

 * ... CAFE MED: Cafe Med, one of our town's longest running successful restaurants, has opened a second located at Rio Bravo Country Club. It's a unique marriage: Rio Bravo is trying to rebrand itself and gets Meir Brown and his culinary expertise to help jump start the kitchen, and Brown gets a new outlet for his Mediterranean cuisine. The restaurant is open to the public.

 * ... HOMELESS: If you don't think our homeless problem is a public health issue, think again. Or just look at this picture of feces and urine found at the Assistance League offices on Q Street downtown. The problem is getting worse, friends.

 * ... MEMORIES: Who remembers the haunted house on Dracena Street? Photo courtesy of the Kern County of Old Facebook page.

Rio Bravo Country Club to shut down at the end of May, a USC study identifies the worst traffic choke points, and Cheesecake Factory to open at Valley Plaza

 * ... TRAFFIC: Traffic in Los Angeles is already bad, and it is getting worst. That's the word from the USC Annenberg School which identified the five worst freeway interchanges. For those of us who

occasionally commute to LA, these will come as no surprise. Among them: The 405 south to the 101; the 405 north to the 105 and 90; the 10 east to the 405; the 110 North to the 10; and the 405 south to the 10 and the 90. The study concluded: "There is no sign of traffic letting up, either. Over the last year, average rush-hour speeds at the worst interchanges have dropped from two or three miles per hour all the way up to 13 mph. On the eastbound I-10 during evening rush hour, average speeds just after the 405 interchange tanked from about 25 mph in 2012 to just over 12 mph this year. The smallest declines may not sound like much, but they amount to double-digit percentage drops when you’re already crawling by at 15 mph. And they become significant when multiplied across dozens of lanes throughout the city."

 * ... LOCAL TRAFFIC: Locally, here is my list for some of Bakersfield's worst traffic chokepoints: the east-bound Westside Parkway at Truxtun in the morning; Truxtun and Oak at rush hour and at noon; Oak and California; California and Stockdale Highway; Rosedale Highway virtually anytime; and Highway 99 at Highway 58, Ming Avenue and 24th Street. What is on your list?

* ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "At the end of the day, life should ask us, ‘Do you want to save the changes?’"

 * ... RIO BRAVO: Folks who live in the Rio Bravo area are reeling after learning that the Rio Bravo Country Club may be shutting down at the end of May. Homeowners say they were notified of the pending closure and are hoping someone buys the club and saves the spectacular, 7,000 yard course located in the scenic foothills at the mouth of the Kern River canyon.

 * ... CHEESECAKE: I heard the other day that a Cheesecake Factory is being built at Valley Plaza Mall on the site of the old Sears auto and tire shop. No word yet on when that will be open for business. Meanwhile, Sears itself is in dire straits, and it warned investors this week that it may not survive.

 * ... WARD 5: Ward 5 City Council candidate Bruce Freeman has launched an aggressive social media campaign via Facebook and other digital offerings. Expect the spending in Ward 5 to increase as Freeman and challenger Ryan Nance work the Southwest for vote.

 * ... MEMORIES: I received a sweet, hand written note from Frances Doyle of Taft sharing her memories on an archery club that held tournaments out at Hart Park in the 1950s. She recalls a cardboard bear target and the founder of the club, Jim Murphy. Later, her son and daughter took up the sport with much success. Sherilyn, the daughter, won her first junior state championship at the age of 10, became a national champion at Clemson and was inducted into the Bob Elias Sports Hall of Fame in 1983. "I wish I could name all of our archery friends, such as Tom and Bev Beaty, Clarence Kozloski, Jake Thomas, Bob Poznoff, Betty Nelson, Richard Land, Gladys McCain, Bud and Ruth Greer... so many more."

Bakersfield after the spring rains, Rio Bravo view

 I snapped these photos from high on a hill at the Rio Bravo Country Club, reflecting the greenery after our February rains and proving again that Bakersfield is more than just the flats.