Bakersfield Sound legend Red Simpson and gun shop owner Gene Thome head to Tennessee for the Muddy Roots Festival, and are we becoming a nation of singles?

 * ... RED SIMPSON: Bakersfield Sound legend Red Simpson will be appearing at the Muddy Roots Music Festival outside of Nashville this weekend. And opening for him will be Gene Thome, the owner of Bear Mountain Sports who is quite the singer himself. The festival is set in Cookeville, Tennessee. Thome told me he will be sharing the stage with Shooter Jennings, son of the late Waylon Jennings.

 * ... FOOTBALL: We are headed into the first weekend of college football with all the collective hoopla and hysteria. Steve and Danielle Frolio reminded me that the Nebraska Cornhusker Group meets each game day at Goose Loonies Tavern and Grill to cheer on the red and white.  aid Danielle: "This is a local group that my husband and I started here in Bakersfield back in 2008 to bring more attention to college ball (and especially our favorite team - the Huskers) in which everyone is invited to come out and support college football, whoever your team may be. Our first game is this Saturday at 5 p.m. and we hope to have a terrific turnout. GO BIG RED!" Starting Sept. 7, Goose Loonies will open for breakfast at 9 a.m. on the weekends.

 * ... GOING SOLO: Did you know that more Americans are now living alone than ever before? According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 27 percent of Americans are living alone, compared to just 17 percent in 1970. Why? Young people are waiting longer to marry and the number of married couples has been steadily dropping, from 71 percent in 1970 to 49 percent today. The Los Angeles Times quoted a researcher as saying "the rise of living alone is the greatest social change of the last 50 years."

 * ... ROTARY: More kudos to the Twilight Rotary Club which sent 140 kids back to Mount Vernon School with free backpacks and supplies. The club also raised some money for Rotary International's Polio Plus project.

 * ... MEMORIES: Jerry Beckwith remembers the old Stan's Drive-in on the northeast corner of 19th Street and Union Avenue. "It was part of the weekend cruise along with Mitchner's and Andre's. One of the really cool things, other than the best double burgers and onion rings ever, was the Request Phone Line that was mounted on an outside wall - a direct line to KAFY Radio. I guess you could call it our 1950s version of Social Media."

 * ... MORE MEMORIES: And finally this from Jimmie Hill of Oildale: "Just a little comment on Anthony Contreras and his memory of Baker and Bernard streets. The market on the northwest corner was the Stop and Shop Market owned by the Diffenbaughs. There was Herb and maybe a couple more brothers. Gene and Joe's was a sporting goods and bike shop next door. My dad was the meat cutter/butcher at the store for years and Gene and Joe's repaired my bike after it was stolen from in front of the old Granada Theatre on Monterey street. This was in the late 1940s to early 1950s."

Wild winds increase changes of contracting Valley Fever, and the SPCA launches its annual book sale to benefit local dog and cat rescue operations

 * ... VALLEY FEVER: It's worth repeating: The next time we get those devilish winds like we had Sunday, stay inside. That's the warning from Dr. Raj Patel, co-owner of Preferred Family Physicians over on Truxtun Extension. Patel confirmed that yes, valley fever spores are airborne during these wind storms and it's prudent just to stay out of it. Further, he questioned whether bandanas and other masks will
guard against valley fever although they might help against certain allergies. And finally, he told me  that it now appears that just because you have had valley fever before doesn't mean you can't contract it again. Patel said it takes two or three weeks after exposure to come up with symptons, and he is expecting to diagnose more valley fever cases in the coming weeks.

* ... SPCA: Don't forget that the big, annual SPCA book sale is under way now up on Mall View Road. It's hard to over appreciate what these volunteers do in our community, particularly with the explosion of stray dogs and cats who are being abandoned by their owners. If you have extra books to donate, or if you are looking for a summer read, make sure you stop by. It runs until May 25. And if you have time to help work the sale, I am sure they will put you to work.

 * ... FRAMING: The Ice House Framing and Gallery has officially opened at its new location downtown after leaving its longtime home at the Ice House. The new digs are located on 19th Street in the heart of the arts district. It's good to see downtown benefiting from another well run, locally owned business. The business is owned by Laurie and Dr. Javier Bustamante.

* ... BAD FORM: File this under the "really" bad form department compliments of reader Walter E. Stewart: "I witnessed a waitress sneeze into the palm of her hand, wipe her nose with the back of her finger, then deliver a check to a customer. Did she take time to wash her hands? No. Did she continue serving customer? Yes."

 * ... OVERHEARD: My poor man's barometer on the economy starts with a conversation with Dean Farnsworth, one of the best handymen in town who works with a lot of Realtors on last minute, escrow-mandated repairs. Houses are selling, Dean says, and his business is looking up. "Mary (Watson agent Mary Christenson) closed three houses in one week so I am staying busy! It's a lot better than it was this time last year."

* ... TWILIGHT: Congratulations to the folks over at Twilight Rotary Club which is approaching its fifth anniversary.  In that short time the club has helped numerous local non profits, including Relay for Life, the SPCA Book Sale, Flood Ministries and Covenant Community Services just to name a few.

 * ... STUDENT: And here's to 15-year-old Emily Bloom, a 10th grader at Bakersfield High School who has been accepted to UC San Diego's summer engineering program for high achieving kids. Proud mother Karen Bloom characterized her daughter as "our shining light" amid challenging times.

 * ... FOX: If you are looking for something special for mom this weekend, you might consider a special "Girls Day Out" sponsored by the Fox Theater and Dignity Health this Saturday. The event begins at 10:30 a.m. with a health fair and block party, followed by a fashion show by Fashionista at noon, and a showing of The Princess Bride at 12:20 p.m. The first 200 mothers will be presented with a rose from a Bakersfield firefighter. Admission is just $1 and popcorn and sodas also $1 each.

Making and keeping those New Year's resolutions, more good deeds by Twilight Rotary and Mark Salvaggio joins the staff of Supervisor David Couch

* ... NEW YEAR: Local wealth advisor Bradley Barnes has his own "to do" list for 2013, and it is worth sharing.  "For me, true happiness comes from helping others. That’s what I’ll be spending my time doing," he said. "Here’s my list of New Year’s resolutions: Do something every day to help someone who needs it. Give more than I take. Create a great legacy for those who come after me." Hard to top that.

* ... MY LIST: Some of my wishes for the new year: a healthier local housing market, more jobs and lower unemployment, less news about Lindsay Lohan and the Khardasians, political courage in Washington to compromise and get the job done and a more civil dialogue among those who disagree.

 * ... ROTARY: More good news from our local service clubs, in this case Twilight Rotary, which is just three years old. Said Barry Rosenfeld: "Over the past two weekends we have provided more than 100 toys to needy children transitioning from homelessness with their parents as clients of Flood Ministries. We also assisted Covenant Community Services with their toy drive (more toys!) as well as providing former foster children with gently used clothing."

 * ... SALVAGGIO: Former city councilman Mark Salvaggio is joining the staff of new Kern County Supervisor David Couch. Salvaggio never really left political life when he retired from the council, and has the heart of a civil servant even if you don't agree with all his views. "This will be my second tour of duty with the County of Kern.  I will approach every constituent issue and circumstance with the same dogged commitment that I exercised during my five years of service with former Supervisor Michael J. Rubio in the 5th District.  No problem will be too small and people from all stations of life will be served."

* ... LITTER: A reader who will remain nameless dropped me a note that, despite my rants about litter, even The Californian is occasionally guilty. "This morning I went out to pick up my newspaper just as the Bakersfield Californian deliveryman drove up and threw it from his window. Not seeing me, he reached back into his car, threw a second item out the window, and then drove off.  I picked up the paper, and then saw that the second item was some trash (cardboard that is used to hold the plastic bags the newspapers are placed in).  It isn’t a big deal, and I of course picked it up, but considering your commendable efforts to call attention to the amount of litter in our community, I thought it ironic that a Bakersfield Californian employee was willfully spreading trash on his morning rounds. I suspect that this was not my regular delivery person, as the paper came two hours later than normal, but I thought you would be interested." I apologize for that and thank you for writing.

 * ... BELMONT PARK: Carol Black dropped me a note about the news that the same group that owns The Padre Hotel will be restoring Belmont Park in San Diego.  "As a teenager, back in the 1950s I hung out at Mission Beach every summer. When we had a quarter, we would ride the roller coaster at Belmont Park and we paid 10 or 15 cents to swim at the Plunge.  However, the ocean was free, so that's where we spent the majority of our days.  Oh, the memories!  My husband and I go to San Diego at least once a year and we always spend a few hours walking around Belmont Park.  Can't go down there without my Mission Beach fix!"

Plop down in front in front of the TV at your own risk and a non-profit will collect blankets and towels for local animal shelters the Sunday before the national election

 * ... SITTING: There are a lot of reasons to plop down in your favorite recliner and catch some TV: the World Series, the presidential debates, college and pro football. But now comes word that the more time we all spend sitting, "the shorter and less robust" our lives will be. That's according to two new studies which The New York Times said definitely point out the risks of spending too much time watching television. "And the findings were sobering: Every single hour of television watched watched after the age of 25 reduces the viewer's life expectancy by 21.8 minutes."

 * ... SHELTERS: Here's something we can all get behind: a non-profit group called Operation Blankets for Love will be collecting blankets, towels, collars, leashes and animal beds for dogs and cats on Sunday, Nov. 4, at the Bakersfield Racquet Club. All items donated will distributed to shelters here in Kern County. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 * ... THE BUZZ: Rudy Salas, the Bakersfield City Councilman running for the State Assembly, has created a stink by making an issue of opponent Pedro Rios' run-in with the law 20 years ago. Rios was a young convenience store worker when he was cited for selling alcohol to a minor, and Salas implied he was a teacher at the time, which he was not. My in box has been filled with notes from readers like this one: "How is he (Salas) the poster boy for 'wellness' (Salas appeared in the Bwell healthy living publication) when his devious mind deliberately exploits a human error made by his opponent twenty years ago? I have no dog in this race; howerver, if I did I would not consider voting for Rudy Salas." 

* ... FREEDOM TRAIN: Jerry Kirkland remembers when the Freedom Tain rolled into Bakersfield when he was a student at Emerson Junior High in 1947-48. "Each homeroom at Emerson sent a representative to view this collection of our nation's most precious historic documents and I was fortunate enough to have been selected from my homeroom.  It was an opportunity of a lifetime and one that I would love to have again. The 127 documents included the Magna Carta (from 1215), one of the 13 original copies of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address. Also the surrender documents signed by the Japanese and Germans that officially ended World War II. And surprisingly enough, while it was strongly supported by President Truman (who loved trains), the Freedom Train was not funded by the federal government but rather by private donations to the American Heritage Foundation."

 * ... ROTARY: Congratulations to Jim Bell, general manager of Clear Channel radio, for being elected to become district governor of Rotary District 5240. It has been years since the district, which includes much of the coast and all the Bakersfield clubs, has been led by a governor from Bakersfield. He is a member of the Twilight Rotary Club. (photo courtesy of Bakersfield Twilight Rotary Club)

 * ... STREET SWEEPERS: A woman who asked to remain anonymous wrote to come to the defense of the city street sweepers, who have been criticized for leaving more of a mess than they clean. "I'm sure most street sweepers are hard-working individuals and they deserve better than the public flogging handed to them by (a reader). I can't imagine that their job is very easy. On behalf of the mothers of street sweepers, thank you!"

 * ... PUZZLER: Here's a reader question I cannot answer. Let me know if you can. "What was the name of the song that opened and closed the Don Rodewald radio and television shows?  If I remember, it sounded like a bath tub draining."

Olympian Jimmy Watkins is treated to a homecoming bash at Action Sports and signs that the anemic housing market is starting to find some traction

* ... HOT MARKET: More stories from our local housing market. The number of homes on the market is near an all-time low, prices are inching up and properties at the lower end of the price range are attracting multiple offers. One friend has been shopping for a home for his son for several months. "One came on the market in the area we wanted, it needed a lot of work but it sold in one day," he told me. "A cash deal from an investor in Los Angeles." At the upper end, homes are taking longer to sell but at they are starting to move. A colleague sold her house in the $440,000 range in less than a week. So if you are thinking of listing your home, you may want to consider doing it sooner rather than later.

* ... OVERHEARD: A local business executive passed along this conversation that happened during a recent job interview. "Your application indicates that you haven’t worked in about two years. What is that all about?" The applicant responds: "Well, I was on unemployment all that time and making a lot, but now my unemployment is running out so I have to look for a job.”

 * ... OBSERVED: This observation comes from reader Walter E. Stewart: "I wonder how many people observe waitress and waiters wipe off the seat where you sit after using the same towel to wipe off the table where your food is served. The same contaminated towel is repeatedly used from seat to seat and table to table."

 * ... OLYMPIAN: Hats off to Kerry Ryan over at Action Sports for giving Olympian Jimmy Watkins a heck of a welcome home party. A big crowd of more than 150 people packed Action Sports Sunday afternoon to welcome Watkins home and celebrate his 30th birthday. Watkins was moved by the adulation but told me that London was his first and last Olympics. A Kern County fire fighter, Watkins finished sixth in the track cycling competition.

 * ... GOOD DEED: The newest Rotary Club in Bakersfield, Twilight Rotary, recently completed a successful project providing 126 backpacks and supplies to the entire third grade class at Mount Vernon Elementary School. The club is barely three years old and has stepped up in a big way since its inception in community service projects through the direction of immediate past president Gary Fachin and now under the leadership of Robin Paggi. Several Rotarians, including Breakfast Rotary past presidents Cecil Martin and Jim Bell as well as West Rotary past president Brad Henderson, helped charter the club three years ago.

 * ... DID YOU KNOW? Did you know that there are some 650,000 registered motorcycles on the road in California, and more than nine million nationally? High gas prices have led to a surge in motorcycle sales as more folks use the bikes for commuting. Not surprisingly, the highest death rate for motorcycle crashes involve so-called "supersport" bikes that accelerate rapidly and can reach speeds of 160 miles per hour.