Tree Foundation of Kern holds a fund raiser and remembering when Sam the Hippo graced old Bakersfield

 * ... TREES: One of the more lower profile but highly effective non profits in town is the Tree Foundation of Kern, which is devoted to bringing more shade to our community.  I have purchased trees through the Foundation to honor friends, watched them planted and then grow, and I will tell you this group does a lot of good for our community. This Friday, it's holding a fund raiser called "An Evening of Wine and Cheese" at The Metro Galleries on 19th Street. The cost is $50 per ticket or $85 for a couple, and it includes hors d'oeuvres and wine from Croad Vineyards. There will be a silent auction and artists showing "trees in art." Email Melissa Iger at tree info@urbanforest.org or call (661) 325-6650.

* .... SAM: Frank Echenique is in the livestock transportation business, and he clearly remembers when Sam the Hippo lived in town. "We transported Sam from the Old Kern County Fairgrounds on North Chester to Larsen's Dairy on Wible Road. Sam was in the horse stalls. It took us all day... Sam did not want to go into ther cattle trailers... it was a fireman squirting water around the stalls that got Sam to go into the trailer. The news media left the fair grounds and then they were tired of waiting at Larsen's Dairy so Sam didn't make the news that day.  Also we had another encounter with Sam. We were asked to hide Sam as part of a scavenger hunt put on by Teen Challenge. He was hidden in our trailer at a church on Ming Avenue by where the Golden Corral resturaunt is now. We do remember Sam the Hippo."

 * ... RILEY'S JOURNEY: Riley Parker is a private investigator and friend, and occasionally I spotlight him in this space because I admire what he has done to whip himself into shape. At one time he weighted 232 pounds and was told by his doctor he was headed for a life as a diabetic. He changed his lifestyle, bought a  bicycle and committed himself to healthy eating and exercise. Where is he today? "After spending two months hovering in the 205-207 range, I met with my doctor at Kaiser-Permanente.  While that was a significant change from my all-time high of 232; my doctor suggested that I do an even more aggressive change to my lifestyle. What that really meant was going virtually Vegan in my eating habits. We did so with the help of a book entitled 'Eat to Live.' It took one week from the onset of those changes to attain, and then pass, my goal weight of 200. This morning, for the first time in two decades, I saw a '1' as the first number on my digital scale. Today, I set a new goal weight of 190.  I can’t describe how much better I feel…how many things no longer hurt, and how much energy I have. You must convince people my age, those original baby-boomers, to get off their butts, get some serious exercise, and to eat like paupers. It is the only way to overcome the affects of what our over-indulgence and wealth has done to us. The alternative is a really crappy fourth quarter of life. I’m going out on Saturday for a celebratory 50 mile bike ride." Well done, Riley. (photo of Riley and Jane Parker)

 * ... GOOD SERVICE: Sometimes it's the little things that count. For William and Pamela Goldman, it's the friendly Walmart greeter that they have come to appreciate. "I don't have his name, sadly, but he does his job in a professional manner. My wife and I require mobil carts to do our shopping, and this gentleman always finds one for each of us. Good deeds should be recognized."

 * ... MORE SERVICE: And speaking of service, Jeff Pickering wrote to praise the folks over at Action Sports who provided gold star customer service after he purchased a bicycle. Pickering is CEO of the Kern Community Foundation and is now cycling to work several days a week.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From Marlene Morales: "Geez, you know you’re from Bakersfield if you had your high school senior pictures or family photos  taken at Olin Mills back in the 1970s and 1980s."

A Bako weekend full of events and Doug and Adele Davis get some well deserved recognition

 * .... WEEKEND: It was a big weekend for events of all kinds, starting with the First Friday celebration downtown to a big cycling road race that drew more than a 100 riders from across Southern California. The First Friday event in the arts district was held under perfect conditions and the streets were packed. It was encouraging to see so many businesses doing well as folks mingled in the streets and took in the art galleries. Out at the Golden Empire Classic road race championships, there were several nasty crashes and at least one rider suffered a broken ankle when he failed to negotiate a turn going over Round Mountain. But the conditions were ideal and riders seemed to love the challenge of the 32-mile loop over Round  Mountain. Among the local riders participating in the race were Tyler Williams, Mike Marotta, Mike Noel, Gareth Feldstein, Tom Morgan, Glenn Hammett, Matt Clark, Mike Hutson, Brian Monroe, Sam Ames, Greg Walker, Matt Thompson David Rous, Zane Adamo and Mike Perry, and many others.

 * ... PRESIDENT'S AWARD: So nice to hear that CSUB music professor Doug Davis and his wife, Adele, received the President's Award on the 25th anniversary of the Bakersfield Jazz Festival. This is a wonderful event that would not be possible without the efforts of Doug and Adele. But what some folks don't know is that the jazz festival has also raised more than $500,000 for scholarships for deserving CSUB students. The festival is a wonderful thing, but these scholarships add a new dimension to the annual event out at the CSUB  campus. 

 * .... SPOTTED: Christine Thornburgh, a partner in the firm of  Brown Armstrong, Accountancy Corp.,  was seen at at the outdoor Prairie Fire lounge at The Padre Hotel with an entourage of friends celebrating her 40th birthday. Accompanying  Thornburg in her limo were fellow Brown Armstrong employees Connie Perez, Ariadne Cimental and Diane White. Anker Fanoe, regional president of the local Rabobank office, joined in the celebration at the outdoor bar.

 * .... CUSTOMER SERVICE: Hats off the Hoggz Surf Shop over at the Town and Country Center at the corner of Gosford Road and Stockdale Highway. I was there looking for board shorts and experienced a brand of customer service I had not seen in a very long time. You can credit that to owner Chad Hoggard who has created a culture where customer satisfaction is the standard.

 * ... MEMORY: Reader Pam Martinez wrote to say she remembers an old ice cream shop "next to the Mayfair Market on North Chester. My mom worked at Mayfair, next to Standard School. It was a real treat to get ice cream there. Also remember a tiny burger stand on Ferguson, had the best fries. Thanks for the memories."

 * ... WHO KNEW? Two brothers in Cincinnati, Ohio, are planning to open a restaurant called “Bakersfield.” The restaurant pays homage to the Bakersfield Sound and the genre’s “rebel, outlaw” feel. They’ll serve tacos burritos and other Mexican-inspired dishes.