Remember the Dutch Frontier restaurant in Ducor? Local restaurateur Lee Marek will have a tribute to the Dutch Frontier on August 6 at his downtown eatery The Mark

 * ... DUTCH: The Dutch Frontier restaurant in Ducor has always had a big Bakersfield following, and by some measures offers some of the best steaks and customer service around. One of its biggest fans in Lee Marek, one of the owners of The Mark restaurant on 19th Street. In honor of the Dutch

Frontier, The Mark will be recreating the Dutch Frontier's menus for one special night on Thursday, August 6. Said Marek: "I really wanted to spark everyone's great memories of their visit to Dutch Frontier and hopefully convince them to drive to Ducor again. After much conversation and initial reluctance, his family agreed. They will bring their menu, their meats, their French onion soup, their lemon drops, etc. to The Mark on August 6."

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Why do I wake up tired and go to bed wide awake?"

 * ... OVERHEARD: A woman is telling a friend: "Oak Street between San Emidio and California Avenue is the new Union Avenue. I live there and it has everything: drugs, prostitution, gangs. It's a mess."

 * ... GOOD FORM: Pat Mahan sent a shoutout to the city of Bakersfield's mobile app that allows folks to report potholes and other problems. "I sent in a request regarding horrendous potholes at the intersection of Tulare Street and California Avenue. Within seven days the potholes cease to exist. My car thanks you."

 * ... DATA: Research data tells a lot about our community and how we spend our leisure time and money. Here's a tidbit that may (or may not) surprise you: only 6.4 percent of Kern County adults report going to a symphony concert in the last year, while more than 60 percent regularly go to the movies.

 * ... ADVICE: Sal Cruz of Delano has some free advice for all you young people who travel in the passenger side of a car with your bare feet on the console. "I see it all the time and it's dangerous," he said. "If something happens your feel fly through the windshield. Now that the weather is warmer I see it all the time traveling to Bakersfield."

 * ... BIKE SAFETY: Warren Rooney is an avid bike rider, and he has ridden the trails about town literally hundreds of times. But this weekend, we crashed while headed out to Enos Lane on the bike path, and he credits his helmet with saving his life. "I went over the top of the handlebars landing on my head and face. One eye was swollen shut and the other was full of dirt so I was almost blind. Thankfully, several cyclists stopped within a few minutes, the first on the scene called 911, others called my wife, gathered my belongings and my bike and gave me both assistance and emotional support. I am very thankful for everything these very caring fellow cyclists did. Additionally, I wanted to stress the importance of wearing a bicycle helmet every single time that you get on your bike. This was the 'safest' part of my ride. It is a flat, wide bike path that I have ridden well over 100 times and I was going less than 15 miles per hour. It couldn't have been much safer yet, in a split second, I was on the ground with a shattered helmet. I think that helmet saved me from a cracked skull, a broken neck and possibly saved my life. Please wear a bicycle helmet no matter how fast or slow that you ride. I am recovering from a black eye, a very sore neck, many abrasions, and a whole lot of swelling. But, thanks to the helmet, I was treated at the hospital and released later that day with no broken bones or serious injury."

Local attorney Jay Rosenlieb takes a nasty spill on the bike path and putting a spotlight on those who inspire others

 * ... BIKE PATH: Longtime local lawyer Jay Rosenlieb took a nasty tumble on his bicycle recently while riding on our bike path.  (You may remember him as the spokesman for the Reis family after the tragic murder of their two children in Coronado) Jay is going to be fine but he had this advice for those of us who like to get out for the occasional ride. "My accident started with not consciously checking to make sure that I had all my riding equipment (my helmet), continued with listening to some great (but distracting) music, and finished with high speed. My concussion, dislocated jaw, staples in my leg, one totaled bike and another bike requiring repairs were the result." Thanks to Jay for sharing this and for all you who use the bike path: stay alert, leave your music at home and if you are on the bike, wear a helmet. Get well, Jay.

 * ... SICK BAY: One of my resolutions this year is to do better tuning out the negative influences in life. You know what I mean: the shrill political and religious zealots who demonize those who disagree, the petty  neighborhood gossip who delights in the misfortune of others. Now contrast that with an email exchange I had with Wendy Wayne, the delightful and thoughtful former First Five Commission chairman who is back in Los Angeles undergoing chemotherapy while battling non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Not content to dwell on her own illness, Wendy turned the tables and wanted to know about my life, my children, my own health. She simply refuses to feel sorry for herself and instead turns her attention to the welfare of others. Wendy is one who makes this world a better place, and I am rooting for a fast recovery.

 * ... RECOVERING: David Price III, the former county department head who retired to Tennessee only to be stricken by a severe back and neck problem, is slowly recovering with help from family and friends. "I am still getting stronger and I am able to take steps (with some guidance) forward, backward and to the sides." He now has a van outfitted to get around. Keep Dave and his family in your thoughts and prayers.


* ... SPOTTED: A male resident of the Porterfield Hotel in downtown Bakersfield is spotted on the hotel's front steps, shirtless, shaving his chest, then his back and finally his head.


* ... GOOD SIGN? Certain commodities including gold are often referred to as economic indicators.  When gold prices are up it usually reflects a sluggish or slow economy. Currently, gold prices are down significantly  ($1600) from only 6 months ago (September 2011 it was $1900 per ounce) where they reached an all time high.

 * ... CLEAN UP: The prospect of rain this weekend has led to the postponement of the downtown clean-up day. It is now set for next Saturday, January 28, beginning at 9 a.m. at The Metro Galleries on 19th Street.