New restaurants and sports stores headed to Bakersfield, a reader rants about our City Council and some good form about town

 * ... RETAIL GROWTH: I sat down with retail broker Duane Keathley of Cushman Wakefield for a roundup of local development. Among other tidbits: it looks like there will be a Texas Roadhouse Grill and a

Victors Cantinia Grill at Valley Plaza near the spot where the Sears auto center was demolished. In addition, both the Yard House restaurant and Dave and Busters are scouting for locations in Bakersfield, and the deal to land the Bass Pro Shops at the northeast corner of the Hoskings exit off Highway 99 is still on. Stay tuned.

* ... MAILBAG: Kym Vliem dropped this note to me regarding our City Council's decision not to enjoy additional tax revenue by regulating marijuana. "Thank you so much for stating the obvious in your column today.  Once again the city has cut off their nose to spite their face by not considering the bigger picture. It's not like the ban will keep pot from coming in to the city's boundaries. I really don't want to hear them whining anymore about needing money after turning down a potential for millions. I also couldn't believe they were kicking around the idea of a 5 percent property tax increase - my bill was over $300 more than last year and the city maintenance district fee went up 248 percent from the prior year. I used to work for the city years ago and have friends retired from there, but it's time for the city to realize it's not their residents' job to finance debt left by the follies of CALPERS who assumed they were always going to get 7-8 percent on their investments but for the city to make the hard financial decisions of making employees pay even more into their retirement funds and medical plans or cut future retirement payouts. I also don't vote for school bonds anymore after seeing an almost $700 assessment for the Rosedale Union School District, in addition to the plethora of other school bonds on my tax bill."

* ... GOOD FORM: Susan Padilla submitted this bit of good form that should brighten your day. Padilla had picked up her grandson at school and was going to treat him to yogurt at Tutti Frutti on Gosford when she realized she had left her wallet elsewhere. "The girl at register said she would hold the yogurts while I went home to get money. I informed her I lived in northeast  and that was impossible. Then an angel walks up and gives the girl his credit card. Thank God. My grandson had this sad face until he realized what was happening. He walked out so happy with his reward. Thanks to this gentleman. His teen son was with him and watched. Lesson learned. Go Bakersfield."

 * ... BAD FORM: What is it about those people who view the public roadways as their personal toilet? Well they are at it again, dumping their soiled mattresses, appliances and ugly couches and easy chairs near the corner of Fairfax and Alfred Harrell Highway. As soon as the city cleans it up, more appears.

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "Most people don't realize this, but you can eat gluten-free, non GMO, lactose tolerable foods without telling everyone."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "The ages 18-22 are a confusing time. I got friends getting married, some in prison, and some still have to ask their parents to stay out past curfew."

 * ... HALLOWEEN: My prediction for the most popular costume for Halloween this year: men in bathrobes posing as Henry Weinstein. In bad taste for sure, but expect it

 * ... CRYSTAL PALACE: If you ever get a chance to catch Chris Hillman in concert, don't pass up the opportunity. Hillman played with The Byrds, the Desert Rose Band and Souther Hillman Furay and his talent was on display at The Crystal Palace last week when he played with John Jorgenson and Herb Pederson, accomplished musicians themselves. The Crystal Palace, meantime, remains the best venue in town for live music and a hot steak. Hillman's new album, Bidin' My Time, was produced by the late Tom Petty.

The tribute to Mother's Day, two local boys earn college degrees and some really good - and poor - customer service at Valley Plaza

 * ... FOREVER YOUNG: The best of all of us was on display on Mother's Day, when folks took to Facebook and other social media to pay tribute to their mothers. So many pictures, many old photos

in black and white taken in the war years of the 1940s, showing our mothers in their prime, smiling and seemingly unaware of the fleeting aspect of life. Though perhaps gone, our mothers live with us in our memories, an image freeze frozen in our minds when life without a mother would have seemed impossible. So here is to my own mother, the late Julia Jean Swysgood, born in Ohio and taken from us five years ago in Arizona, a victim of cancer. Never was there a more joyful, and hopeful, person.

* … ACHIEVERS: Hats off to my friends Ray and Lisa Karpe who are on the road living the dream of most parents: they headed east to attend the college graduations of their two boys. Robert Karpe graduated from the University of South Carolina this past Sunday, and a week  later brother Adam will graduate from the University of Arizona. Both boys are products of Garces Memorial High School. Well done, lads.

 * … SPOTTED: Today's gem from Twitter: "When I was little, I used to sing in the shower. Now I make life decisions in there."

 * ... VALLEY PLAZA: There's no better service in town than the folks who work behind the "Genius Bar" at the local Apple Store at Valley Plaza. There is normally a wait, but the young people behind the counter could not be nicer or more technically skilled. On the downside, try to stay out of the public restrooms at the mall's food court: broken doors, broken hand dryers, no towels, an altogether forgettable experience. Two good examples of how to treat customers, and how to ignore them.

 * ... ART: If you think art among young people is dead, you should have headed over to Metro Galleries for the 34th Annual Congressional Art Competition-An Artistic Discovery. More than 240 entries from high school students throughout the congressional district were hanging, some of them showing remarkable artistry. Congressman Kevin McCarthy holds this event each year and was on hand at Metro Friday evening to meet all the students an present the awards. The best of show entry will hang in the U.S. Capitol for the next year.

 * … DOWNTOWN: Judy Wert wrote to to remind everyone about the First Presbyterian Church on 17th Street downtown. "We have occupied the same location for over 100 years, maintaining the historic elegant beauty of our buildings. A portion of our land was given to us by the widow of Colonel Thomas Baker, after whom the city is named. We host and support numerous activities that appeal to various groups and people who populate downtown. Pastor Jeff Chandler, along with the entire staff, are dedicated to being a beacon of hope to our community."

 * ... THEATERS: At least a dozen folks responded to Ronal Reynier's request trying to identify and old Bakersfield theater. His response: "Readers submitted good guesses on my quest to locate which theater in Bakersfield had trellises down its side aisles. They were the Granada, Rex and the Rialto; all are wrong. These three were known as 'shoebox' theaters and were too narrow. I lived across the street from the Granada in 1943-45 and enjoyed movies there before it was remodeled. While in
high school I worked at the Tejon and pulled some shifts at the Granada. The Rialto was even less than a 'shoebox' and I also went to movies there. In my feeble mind is the first theater I can remember going to... the Californian."

Readers take a walk down memory lane when Bakersfield was a "wide open" town with charm, grace and (a little) bawdiness

 * … HISTORY: If you are not into Bakersfield history, this column may not be for you. I am devoting today's blog to reader memories of our city's rich and storied history. I hope you enjoy.

* … MURRAY: I had the chance to spend an hour with Jim Murray, who at 92 has total recall about growing up in old Bakersfield. Murray shared his stories Tuesday on First Look with Scott Cox, and he left his audience in awe of the breath and depth of his memories. Murray was a tail gunner on a B-24 Liberator during World War II and later spent years working for S.A. Camp Co. He remains active in real estate and noted that "I am working on two deals now." He remembers the excellent food in the old Southern Hotel, a bar called the Drink-a-Link that featured a restaurant and putting green where downtown Mexicali is today, and a bar called the Oil Zone in the old El Tejon Hotel where oil executives and businessmen would make deals. "Bawdy houses," or houses of prostitution, were common back in the day when Chinatown flourished in the "tenderloin" district a few blocks behind Brock's on Chester Avenue. And of course, as a young boy, he and friends would sneak into the Fox Theater and pick up ticket stubs to "prove" they had paid to enter.

* … TUNNELS: It's well documented that the tunnels that run beneath our downtown streets were centered around where Mexicali is today, but Janeen Smith says there are more near the Nile Theater. "My friend, John Nelson, had opened (a plant) shop when hanging ferns and philodendrens were all the rage.  In the back of the shop was a narrow stairway (probably still there boarded up I suspect) that led to the tunnels with many small rooms off the pathways. I know for sure they extended west to G Street and I'll bet they are connected east to the larger complex of tunnels to the east. By my reckoning, that's a huge complex."

* … HISTORY: How many of you know about a small basement theater across the street from the downtown Mexicali? Bryan Kelly told me it seats 30 to 40 people and includes a small stage. "The stage is about a foot high and three feet deep, located under an arch. The owner (at the time) told us that men would gather there in the 1920s and 1930s to watch 'blue movies.' Very exclusive, only men who had money and power in the city/county were invited. Sometimes there was live entertainment. The owner also said there was an entrance to the tunnels on the corner shop, but had been sealed."

* …MEMORIES: Vickie Sandoval Gilley shared some memories about working at Valley Plaza in the early years of its operation. She recalled that Payless Drugs had "the biggest and most delicious glazed donuts that they made fresh daily. I used to work at Brocks when they first opened in the mall… I also recall when Hodel's had another restaurant on a strip of property with other small businesses outside of the mall where part of the Target parking lot is now. They later moved inside the mall. I also worked with Hodel's when I was 18. I got the pleasure of working along side Lydia Hodel. She and her husband were wonderful caring people. My mom used to scratch her head wondering why they were going to build an indoor shopping center around cotton fields!"

Friends of Janis Varner chip in to raise $6,900 for Honor Flight Kern County, and readers submit their memories of an older Bakersfield

 * … JANIS: If you know Janis and Vernon Varner this post will not surprise you, because their generosity here is well known. It turns out Janis held her annual birthday Bunco party at StockdaleCountry Club, where Vernon picked up the check. Janis' friends then chipped it to donate to one of her favorite charities, Honor Flight Kern County which sends veterans to Washington, D.C., to view the war memorials. According to Honor Flight coordinator Lili Crommett-Marsh, Janis' friends donated $6,900 to Honor Flight. Janis herself has paid for five veterans to make the trip. (photo by Jessica Frey)

 * … RETAIL: It looks like Joseph A. Bank, a men's retailer, is coming to The Marketplace in the Southwest. The national chain has hung its signage in the space once occupied by Russo's Books.

 * … MEMORIES: It looks like we solved the question about the name of the old drug store in Valley Plaza when it opened in 1967. But it triggered a lot of memories, and I will share some here. As Kevin Cornelius said: "The name of the drug store was Payless Drug Store, you could enter from the south side of the building or from inside the Valley Plaza. I remember this because I bought my girlfriend a $19 going steady ring from the jewelry counter located at the inside entrance. That girlfriend became my wife of 40 years. WOW has time flown by."

 * … MORE MEMORIES: But another reader, Janice Dillingham, also recalled a candy store in the mall called McFarland Candy Store.  "John and Nancy White (my aunt and uncle) managed it when I was a little girl and we always received wonderful candy treats and leftover doughnuts when we visited them in Bakersfield. I love your blog and look forward to reading it along with the rest of the Californian." Thanks Janice.

 * … AND MORE: And there was this in my mail box from reader Joe Stormont: "The drug store in Valley Plaza was Payless Drug Store. It was eventually moved to the old Mayfair Market building south of the mall (near where the theatre is now located). Other Valley Plaza old timers might remember Pickwick Books, Toy World and Jolly Roger restaurant. Another great memory was when they had a Japanese Zero airplane on display in the center of the mall for a short time in the 1970s. A local had shot it down during WW II and recovered it from the bottom of the ocean many years later. I believe the Zero ended up in a San Diego air museum and was destroyed in a fire a few years later."

 * … AND MORE: Linda Meadows Polston remembers when her then 18-month-old daughter, Cathy, "knocked over a three foot tall display of Maalox in the old glass bottles" at the drug store. "Fortunately for me, my husband, Eddie, was with her and had to suffer the embarrassment.  What a mess!"