Former Congressman Bill Thomas pays to send a message about our current political troubles, seniors line up for the Covid-19 vaccines and the Bakersfield Museum of Art prepares for a virtual show on the Bakersfield Sound

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.

 * ... BILL THOMAS: When Bill Thomas retired from Congress as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, leaving his seat to his protege Kevin McCarthy, the world was a different place.  But even Thomas could never have seen what would become of the country he loves, and the institution of

Congress that he helped mold. Now, Thomas has come forth to let the world know where he stands by purchasing a full page advertisement in The Bakersfield Californian to highlight a letter from a former staff member, Will Le. In it, Le details the story of a disaffected moderate Republican whose party seems to have abandoned him. "It saddens me to see what has happened to the Republican Party over the last four years under the grips of Donald Trump and Trumpism," he wrote. "And it is with even more sadness that those who have supported him and cheered him on are those who I once worked with and greatly respected... I am a man without a party. Both parties have stooped to the lowest levels to drum up anger against a political and economic system that has worked so well for so many people of so many different backgrounds."

 * ... COVID-19 VACCINE: The state of California opened up the coronavirus vaccine to residents 65 and older, and there was a tsunami of a response. Express Pharmacy on Brimhall was overwhelmed the first day and other urgent care centers had similar experiences; And now experts are warning that even with both doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, there is no guarantee that you might still have the virus and be unknowingly shedding it. "We just don't know yet," is how Dr. Brij Bhambi of Centric Health put it, saying researchers don't know if fully vaccinated people could still be contagious. The hope, of course, is achieving herd immunity across the country.

 * ... ART EXHIBIT: If you are a history buff and interested in the Bakersfield Sound, make sure you check out a new online exhibit from the Bakersfield Museum of Art. Called The Bakersfield Sound: Roll Out the Red Carpet, the exhibit will showcase major figures and stylings of the sound with costumes, guitars and posters from the era. Among those part of the exhibit is Felix Adamo, retired Bakersfield Californian photographer whose black and white shots of the time are can't miss items. The virtual exhibit will run from Jan. 28 to Aug. 28 this year. (Felix Adamo poses with some of his work below)

 

 * ... PARLER: There is a lot of chatter about Parler, the new social media website that caters to disaffected Republicans fed up with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The site has become a hotbed of rumors and conspiracy theorists have found it a home for their musings. Below is just one of the postings on Parler that speaks to conspiracies. Kicked off the Amazon hosting site, Parler is currently off line and it is not known when it will go back live.

 * ... MEMORIES: Enjoy these pictures of old Bakersfield, borrowed from some of the many websites that chronicle our history.

 * ... MORE MEMORIES: And how about this picture of the old Rainbow Gardens on South Union Avenue. Date unknown.

Dwight Yoakam and Lucinda Williams pay tribute to the Bakersfield Sound, car thieves get a lot smarter (and busier) and NOR scores a hit with its new eight-court "pickleplex" at Greenacres Park

Monday, August 13, 2018

 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 news tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... SELF ESTEEM: So you probably heard the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce has launched a branding campaign aimed at making us all feel better about living in Bakersfield. We are

our own worst enemies, and the study has shown that those of us who live here are harder on ourselves than outsiders. The late Los Angeles Times food critic Jonathon Gold adored Bakersfield and our Basque food culture, and of course there is always the Bakersfield Sound to take pride in. And pride in our hometown was on full display at a recent concert at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles featuring Dwight Yoakam, Lucinda Williams and and Steve Earle, where the song set was almost entirely devoted to Merle Haggard, Buck Owens and other Bakersfield Sound greats. (And someone was making a killing by selling Bakersfield Sound T-shirts.) Plus this: did you know that Yoakam now has a channel on SiriusXM satellite radio devoted to the Bakersfield Sound? Note to Chamber president Nick Ortiz: you can start and end your branding campaign with music and Basque food.

 * ... CRIME: There's not a neighborhood in town that hasn't been affected by crime. Burglaries, car break-in, porch thefts, you name it crime is rampant these days. The rash of car break-ins is worrisome, and now comes word that the thieves have gotten even smarter. Some folks will place their laptops or other valuables in their trunks, believing when it is out of sight, it is safe. But now thieves are breaking into the cars, going through the glove compartment and then popping open the trunk to make sure there is nothing valuable inside. It has happened twice to friends lately, once in La Cresta and once in Rosedale. Beware.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "If your relationship status says, 'It’s complicated' maybe you should stop kidding yourself and change it to 'Single.'"

 * ... JEAN FULLER: I ran into state Sen. Jean Fuller at Uricchio's Trattoria the other night where she was gathered with staffers from both Sacramento and the local district office. Down from the Sacramento office was Dana Culhane Brennan, one of a handful of bright young people I think should consider running for office. Fuller will be termed out of office in November and will likely be succeeded by former Assemblywoman Shannon Grove.

 * ... PICKLEBALL: The opening of a new pickle ball complex at Greenacres Park has been a huge success, reviving what was once a little used tennis center into a vibrant eight-court pickle ball center drawing dozens of new players each day. And now word on the street is that the North of the River Parks and Recreation District, which runs the Greenacres complex, is considering a second "pickleplex" center in the northwest. Stay tuned.

 * ... MEMORIES: Enjoy this photo of the old Southern Hotel at the corner of 19th Street and Chester Avenue around 1888. It burned in the great downtown fire a year later. Photo courtesy of the Kern County of Old Facebook page.

First Kern County Nut Festival and a fund raiser for a documentary on Billy Mize on tap for Saturday, and who remembers an old honky tonk called The Tank?

 * ... WEEKEND: Organizers of the first Kern County Nut Festival are hoping for a good turnout for the inaugural Saturday event, which will be held on the grounds of the Kern County Museum. But if you are looking for something different, you might drive up to the Aviator Casino in Delano where folks are putting on a fund raiser for a documentary on The Bakersfield Sound and the life of musician Billy Mize. It all starts at 5 p.m. Saturday and there will  be poker, impressive prizes (guitars signed by Merle Haggard and Billy Mize, tickets to the Bakersfield Sound exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame etc) and music. Tickets are $75 per person and that includes dinner.

 * ... BAD FORM: When are we all going to understand that our intense heat is simply not good for our animals? This from Craig Holland: "A family walking a small, long-haired, well-groomed dog across the hot pavement (at the Marketplace).  The dog was yipping in pain with every step.  (Clearly an indoor dog). The lady told the dog to shut up. I told her the hot pavement was burning the dog's pads. She gave me a look which could kill, and did not pick up the dog. Classy!"

 * ... PIT BULLS: And speaking of dogs, reader Sindee Irelan wrote to thank a young preschool teacher who rescued her and her Bichon from an attacking pit bull on District Boulevard near Campus Park South. "The dog was circling me as I had picked up my dog. She (the teacher) noticed, stopped and gave us a ride home. This would have been the fifth attack in five years in two different neighborhoods in Bakersfield from a stray and unleashed pit bull. Sometimes there have been very severe injuries. Animal control did try to find this dog."

 * ... DOWNTOWN: Good news for folks who live downtown: the remodeling of the Smart and Final near Golden State is well under way and the store now features a full fresh produce and vegetable section.

 * ...DANCE HALL: James Irwin shared a memory of another dance hall that existed actoss Chester Avenue from the Blackboard back in 1947. "It was called The Tank. It really was an old ground built water tank that had a door and three or four coolers in the sides with a hole in the roof for exhaust," he said. "It was 40 or 50 feet across with a steel center beam and four, eight-foot tables around the dance floor." A search on the internet revealed an old book of matches advertising "The Tank Club, 3800 Chester Avenue, Telephone 179."

* ... BAKERSFIELDISM: This nugget comes compliments of reader Joe Stormont, who I had the pleasure of meeting at the Crystal Palace recently. Only in Bakersfield: "West Drive is in east Bakersfield, College Avenue is nowhere near a college, and Lake Street is nowhere near a lake (although it does have a canal running down it's center). When driving Nord Road between Stockdale and Rosedale, about half of the signs label it as 'Nord Road' and the other half say 'Nord Avenue' in no particular order. There is no Old Stine Road although most locals will say otherwise."

RIP Trevor Jones and a reader notes some really bad form at the St. Francis confirmation evening

  * ... RIP TREVOR: Bakersfield police officer Trevor Jones was just 23 years old and a week shy of being married when he died of a heart attack. One of his classmates at Stockdale High School was Jolie Brouttier, who recalled Jones a "friend to everyone, always funny and positive, the best powder puff cheerleader, and one hell of a backflipper." On graduation night at Stockdale, Brouttier said Jones performed a "stand-jump backflip right before receiving his diploma." As she noted: "Remember to express to your friends on a daily basis just how much they mean to you, whether you are young or old." (photo courtesy of Jolie Brouttier)

* ... BAD FORM: Just when you think you have heard everything comes this example of really bad form, passed along to me by a close friend who requested to remain anonymous. The incident happened last Monday at the St. Francis Confirmation, held at Harvey Auditorium Monday.  "We had the misfortune of sitting in the upper balcony, second row, behind a family that didn't think it was the slightest bit inappropriate to change their baby's diaper, not once, but twice, between the 'Prayers of the Faithful' and the 'Preparation of the Gifts!' When the mass was over they started to walk out the row,  leaving the diapers under their chair. I politely asked if the diapers were theirs and reminded them that at that late hour, it wasn't likely a custodian would be coming in. The guy started yelling at me. I thought I was going to be stabbed at my daughter's own Confirmation." (file photo of diapers)

             
 * ... GENE: Gene Thome is the owner of Bear Moutain Sports gun and ammo shop and he can also happen to belt out a country song with the best of them. Which perhaps explains why he is among the special guests invited to Nashville to attend the opening of the Bakersfield Sound exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame. When I last heard from him, he was heading to lunch with the legendary Red Simpson and then on to Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, one of Nashville's iconic country bars behind the old Ryman Auditorium. (photos courtesy of Gene Thome)

 * ... PENNIES: Here's a feel-good story about young people reaching out to others. This one involves Caroline Edmonston, a junior at Garces Memorial High, and her sister Marisa, a seventh grader at St. Francis. They have started a "Pennies from Heaven" project to help those affected by the recent Midwest tornadoes. All money raised will be donated to St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Henryville, Indiana, one of the areas hardest hit. The girls are hoping to make a difference, one coin at a time.  Spare change can be dropped off at the St. Francis School office, 2516 Palm Street, or at father Craig Edmonston's law office, 2204 Truxtun Avenue.


* ... MEXICALI: Sibyl Azbill read my earlier piece on the downtown Mexicali Restaurant and believes the building housed a nightclub called "Good Friends Inn" during World War II. "I'm not sure but I believe the Good Friends Inn started on Edison Highway where it had an all black orchestra. My brother was quite a tumbler back then and had some issues there!"

Bakersfield Sound exhibit opens in Nashville at the Country Music Hal of Fame

 This billboard greeted Gene Thome, owner of Bear Mountain Sports, at the Nashville Airport. The exhibit on the Bakersfield Sound, featuring Buck Owens and Merle Haggard and other local greats, is running at the Country Music Hall of fame.