Maze Cup, Plein Air Festival and Haggard home all happening this weekend, some good form about town and a shout out to the Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust

 * ... WEEKEND: Here are three things to consider this weekend, each unique and affordable: this is the weekend of the Plein Air Festival and on Friday a dozen artists will be painting downtown with their works on display at the Metro Galleries on 19th Street for First Friday. On Saturday, other

paintings by these artists will go on sale at The Bakersfield Museum of Art from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. If that doesn't suit your tastes, head over to Stockdale Country Club where the Maze Cup features some of the best 16 and 18 year old tennis players in the nation, and admission is free. Finally, on Sunday you can drop by Kern Pioneer Village to check out the public debut of Merle Haggard's family home, appropriately opening on the year anniversary of his death.

 * ... CYNTHIA LAKE: And by the way, here's a big shout out to the Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust that funded the restoration of Merle Haggard's childhood home, an expensive undertaking that will serve generations of Kern County residents.

* ... RAIDERS: The move of the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas triggered this note from Alan Hine: "Good news for Bakersfield Raider's fans. Google says it is only two minutes longer to drive to Las Vegas than it is to drive to Oakland, and there is a lot more to do in Vegas than there is in Oakland and the food and lodging is also better."
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* ... TRASH: My earlier post about the people who use Fairfax as their personal dumping group drew this response from Sam Colt: "Thanks for the article on trash along Fairfax. I too have seen alot of it along Comanche Road on the way to the dump. It might be a good idea to refresh memories the city will pick up large items (matresses, etc) from your house just call them at (661) 326-3114 to make an appointment."

* ... SPOTTED: In the Kern River near Beach Park a man is being baptized on the shoreline. Nice to see a little rain bring out the religion in us.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "When going on a roller coaster bring nuts and bolts, lean to the person in front and say… 'Woah dude, these came out of your seat!'"

 * ... GOOD FORM: Here's a note from Larry Jenks that should brighten your day: "I would like to share with you a recent event my wife and I were party to. We were having dinner at Chili's Monday night. After ordering and receiving our meal the server approached and handed us our bill, saying a couple had paid for our meal. Written in the bill was the following: 'We wanted to treat you to dinner! This is our second anniversary, we pray to be as in love and as cute as the two of you are as we grow older together. Have a super blessed night. Love, the Swatzells.' My bride and I are going to celebrate our 65th wedding anniversary June 28. We are blessed!"

 * ... MORE GOOD FORM: And there was this from reader Don Luvisi: "Purchased some items at Floyd's this week and when checking out the cashier asked if I wanted to round up my three cents to an even five e cents with the two cents going to a charity. A great idea. If more stores followed suit less pennies to deal with and local charities would benefit."

Living in a rail town: What is it about your neighborhood that makes it home? The quiet street, the shade, the neighbors or is it the sounds of freight cars coupling

 * … TRAINS: When people share what they love about their neighborhood, it rarely comes down to the size of the homes or the expensive cars parked outside. It's usually the small things that matter most - the kindness of the neighbors, that tall sycamore in the back yard, the quiet street. For me, it's the

distinctive sound of freight cars coupling at night or the soft wail of a train's whistle as it passes through town that are part of my nightly ritual. While I recognize the dangers of living in an area with heavy rail traffic, these nightly ballads have become the comforting soundtrack of my own neighborhood, and I would have it no other way.

 * … SPOTTED: On Twitter this popped up: "The best way to get a man to do something is to suggest he’s too old for it."

 * … CRIME: Living in a gated community may give you a greater sense of security, but it's not a guarantee you won't be a victim of crime. Earlier this week at The Greens in Seven Oaks, a gated adult community, someone kicked in the front door of a local residence and made off with jewelry and prescription drugs.

 * … MAZE CUP: Remember when I mentioned the upcoming Maze Cup, the tennis tournament featuring some of the best juniors in the state? It is being hosted at Stockdale Country Club and is set for May 16-17 and is absolutely free. If you are interested in a Friday dinner, the cost is $25, but the tournament itself is free to the public.

 * … OVERHEARD: A spunky and engaging Starbucks barista downtown responds to a customer's request with this friendly retort: "Gotcha dude."

* … HIKE: I am not a gambling man, but if I were I would wager that 10-year-old Waverly Reifka will never have to deal with diabetes or weight issues. The fourth grader, an A student at Ronald Reagan Elementary, recently completed a 16-mile hike with her parents on the Mill Creek Trail, a tough jaunt even for experienced hikers. Said proud father Dan Reifka of yet another long hike they took: "We woke up at 5 a.m., and we got home at midnight without dinner." Reifka said they were hiking with the Southern Sierra Hiking Club and "we thank you Leah,  Erin Clerico and Stephen Black and Tony Sarzotti the organizer."

 * … MEMORIES: Ronal Reynier's memory about an old theater that had a Spanish motif interior brought this response from Susan Seaman: "Mr Reynier's memory sounds like the old Granada Theatre located on Kentucky Street. It closed in the 1980s. It was remodeled in the 1950s, which may have done away with the trellises."

 * … OR WAS THAT THE REX? But Rhonda Brady added this: "Your reader Ronal Reynier may be remembering the Rex Theatre on 19th Street just east of Woolworths. My father worked there for a short time when I was very young but I was never inside so don't know if it had a Spanish motif." Yet another reader left me a voice mail speculating the old theater could have been the Rialto.