A Driller-Gaucho cabal and celebrating the renewal of old downtown Bakersfield

 * ... DRILLER-GAUCHO CABAL: I received a long, thoughtful and witty email the other day from Daniel Ketchell, who was eager to weigh in on the "brain drain" of local young people who leave Bakersfield and never come back. Daniel is a graduate of Bakersfield High and UC Santa Barbara and the son of Marsha and Gary Ketchell. Marsha is a former teacher at McAuliffe Elementary and now principal at Berkshire Elementary. One of my daughters was blessed to have Marsha as a teacher at McAuliffe; she's truly one of our community's outstanding educators. Daniel says though he now lives in Sacramento - he's just 25 - he may return one day. "I haven't thought about it too much but I'd love to end up in Bakersfield at some point. I hope that as the city grows (and it's obvious from your blog it is growing up every day), more and more people my age will feel the same way and come home to help Bakersfield keep moving on up. Also, while we're at it, two other former Drillers are hiding up here in Sacramento and are not on your list. It's my duty to rat them out. Jon Bertran-Harris (BHS 2002, UCSB 2007) and Ben Tragish (BHS 2005, UCSB 2009) That's right a Driller-Gaucho cabal."

 * ... DOWNTOWN RENAISSANCE: It was another successful First Friday in the downtown arts district, the latest in the rebirth of the central business district. If you gave up on downtown years ago, it's time to give it another look. The opening of the Padre Hotel and newer upscale restaurants like Enso sushi bar on 19th Street have joined longtime venues like Uricchios Trattoria, theWall Street Alley and the new arts galleries to give the area a new charm. Among those folks I spotted out and about were Lou and Sheryl Barbich, Mel and Darci Atkinson, Bruce and Jane Haupt with daughter Alyse, Michelle Mize, Barbara Reid, Joe and Mimi Audelo, Lisette Stinson and Kim Jessup, David Gordon, Scott Garrison, Jan Bans, Wendy Wayne and Gene Tackett, Bill and Sharon Thomas, John and Ginger Moorhouse, Joan and Bernie Herman, Dr. Javier and Laurie Bustamante, Lance and Jan St. Pierre, David Coffey, Jim Scott and Bart and Napier Hill.


* ... GARCES GALA: The folks over at Garces Memorial High School are preparing for the Garces Gala this Saturday, the Catholic school's annual black tie fund raiser featuring cocktails, hors d' oeuvres, live and silent auctions, dinner and dancing. This is a huge event for the private school and special events coordinator Desiree Adams tells me it will be "new and improved" from previous years. The theme this year is "Polynesian Paradise." My older daughter is a proud Garces grad and I've attended a number of these galas. The highlight for me is the annual auctioning of a sweet puppy at the end of the evening when the crowd is "loosened up" and the wallets come open. Tickets are $125 each and it all starts at 5 p.m.

 * ... CIOPPINO: Speaking of fund raisers I attended the annual Cioppino Feed at Garces Memorial High School Saturday night. This is one of my favorite charities, not only because of what it benefits but also because of its sheer unique character. More than 500 folks dined on fresh steamed clams, salad and cioppino fish stew. Sponsored by the Bakersfield West Rotary Foundation, this annual event has supported a number of well deserving charities. Hats off to the many West Rotarians who made this happen, including Mike Rubiy, David Gay, Rick Kreiser, John Falgatter, Jim Darling and so many others.

 

 

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: Reader Esther Brandon spottted a Bakersfieldism and submitted it: You know you're from Bakersfield when you "drive by an estate sale at a mobile home park."

Bakersfield Christian High celebrates a birthday and some chuckles on living in Bako

* ... BCHS BIRTHDAY: Reader Cherilee Ezell wrote to remind me that Bakersfield Christian High School is celebrating 30 years as a private, college preparatory school serving our community. She said last year the school kicked off an annual drive to raise funds for its financial aid program. She was proud to report that fully 30 percent of the school's students now benefit from some form of financial aid. The funds are being raised via "The Key Event," a black tie optional dinner with silent and live auctions to be held March 20 at Seven Oaks Country Club. For more information, call 661-410-7000.

 * ... BRAIN DRAIN: Susan Hersberger is the public affairs director over at Aera Energy and the proud mother of Mark and Kate, both of whom graduated from Stockdale High School and later UCLA. Neither returned to Bakersfield, but Susan's take on the "brain drain" is an optimistic one. "While my children's careers may not bring them back to Bakersfield, at some point in their lives they will perhaps move to a Bakersfield somewhere and contribute to that community. Meanwhile, some of the best and brightest from other Bakersfields will find their way to this community - the oil industry for example is bringing in some terrific young people - so over time it will all even out." Well said.

* ... REMEMBER CLINT OLIVIER? I received a nice call from local resident Janet Beckman who reports that her son in law, Clint Olivier, is running for the Fresno City Council. If that name sounds familiar, it's because Olivier was an on air reporter for KGET 17 here in Bakersfield before leaving for another TV station in Fresno. He married Beckman's daughter, West High and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo graduate Alisha Gallon. Alisha works at the ABC affiliate in Fresno.

 * ...  PADRE OR PETROLEUM CLUB? The reopening of the old Padre Hotel downtown has been the talk of downtown this week, and it has all been well deserved. The crowds have been impressive and owner Brett Miller told me he could not be happier. Saturday night every available room was sold out and there were waiting lists for both rooms and the main ground floor restaurant. Meanwhile, I stopped by the Petroleum Club on Friday and chatted with operations manager Lili Marsh, who reported business has been steady and good. Lunch was busy and I spotted Congressman Kevin McCarthy, retired oilman Harley Pinson and others enjoying the view Meanwhile over at Uricchios Trattoria Saturday night, it also was sold out and standing room only. Good to see all these places doing well.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISMS: I've had several readers forward me an email full of hilarious 'Bakersfieldisms," so thought I would occasionally offer them up for a morning chuckle. For example, you know you are from Bakersfield when: "You realize that Valley Fever is not a disco dance" and "You think a red light is just a suggestion."

A California "brain drain" and a local girl is gravely injured in a Long Beach accident

  * ... CALIFORNIA BRAIN DRAIN? Here's something new to consider: the high cost of living in California and the rising cost of a university education is leading to a statewide "brain drain" of college kids out of our state. That's the conclusion of  "The Capitol Weekly" that said for the first time since the 1980s, California sent more college kids out of state than it received from other states. This is amazing stuff and points to the  increasing cost of a California bachelor's degree combined with other factors like state and local taxes and housing costs that are sending kids elsewhere. Read the entire story here but consider this excerpt:

   " ... the state has registered a net loss of college graduates annually for many years. Whether this is attributable to cost of living or other factors, the fact remains that the state is subsidizing the education of people who contribute to another state’s economy. The ideal situation ... is to recruit people who do most of their schooling elsewhere, come to California for college or graduate school, then stay and join the workforce."
  "Nevertheless, public higher education in California is still on course to produce slightly fewer graduates, with somewhat more debt, in the coming years. And these things are happening at a time when the state needs more graduates.

* ... PRAYERS FOR  A LOCAL KID: I was shocked to learn this weekend that Macey Kibbee, a local Bakersfield girl now attending Cal State Long Beach, was in a horrific accident and is hospitalized in critical condition. Macey, a sophomore at Long Beach, was jogging last Thursday afternoon when she was stuck by a car and thrown onto the windshield. Family members say there was serious swelling of the brain and that she was put into a medically induced coma, but she is (hopefully) now showing signs that the worst may be over and at least once responded to verbal commands. This is every parent's nightmare and a scenario that you simply cannot allow yourself to imagine once you send your youngster off to school.  (Follow her recovery on the family blog here) Macey graduated from Stockdale High School in 2008 and was part of a large group of high achieving, good kids that included my own daughter. She is one of a number of local kids who are attending Long Beach State, a popular state university that draws heavily from the Central  Valley. She is now surrounded by family and friends at Long Beach Memorial Hospital.


 * ... TWO MORE WHO CAME HOME: I heard from Carol Dokolos who added her two sons to the long list of local kids who went off to college and later home to contribute to our community. Nick Dokolos is a North High graduate who earned his teaching credential at Biola University and is now teaching at Columbia Elementary  School. Brother Marcus Dokolos is also a North High grad, majoring in engineering at beautiful Westmont College and is now working for Porter and Associates Engineering. Nick is also the person behind the local Segway rentals this Christmas, having done something similar in Door County, Wisconsin, during the summers.

* ... ANOTHER FIRST FRIDAY: You missed something special if you didn't attend the "First Friday" celebrations downtown. The weather was crisp, hundreds of folks were milling about listening to outdoor concerts and checking out the art galleries, and the atmosphere was electric. These downtown events keep getting better and are at their best in a fall evening in scarf and sweater weather. Don Martin's Metro Galleries was packed and the hors d'oeuvres provided by the new sushi restaurant Enso on 19th Street were superb. Downtown has certainly had its issues and bad publicity in recent years, and deservedly so, but its revival is worth our support. I saw many local folks there, including former Weill Institute head Jeff Johnson, local artist Barbara Reid, attorney David Cohn and wife Debby, oil engineer Bob Ellison and wife Patricia of Southwest Bakersfield, local artist Chalita Robinson and many more.