A rainy night of the arts in Bakersfield brings out the crowds while the list of kids grows longer

 * ... A RAINY NIGHT IN BAKO: There were nothing but rave reviews for the Thursday opening of the new exhibit on homelessness and loss at the Bakersfield Museum of Art. A steady crowd braved the rain to see what may be one of the best shows ever at the local museum, thanks to the stunningly sober photographs of Felix Adamo and  the art of Joe Brubaker. Kudos go to curator Emily Falke and many sponsors (among them George and Marcia Giumarra) for bringing together such a diverse group of artists under a theme "From Hobos to Street People" that seems disturbingly relevant these days. Many in the crowd also took in the Aids Quilt exhibit at the Metro Galleries, another sober and impressive display. These shows always draw a diverse crowd, and among those I spotted were Dr. Javier and Laurie Bustamante, who showed up with their daughter Natalie, a Notre Dame grad now working in labor law at Klein DeNatale Goldner. Also seen were CSUB professor Judith Pratt, former school superintendent Larry Reider and wife Sandy, Sheryl and Lou Barbich, Dr. Chris Hamilton and wife Susan, Bart and Napier Hill, Pat and Terri Collins, Rogers and Esther Brandon, local artist Barbara Reid, Rod and Susan Hersberger, Wendy Wayne and Gene Tackett, MaryLee and Phil Zander and Stan and Ginny Eschner. The exhibit runs through February 21 and  the museum is located at 1931 R Street. Make sure to check it out. (One of the Felix Adamo pictures is below)

 * ... AERA BRINGS ON LOCAL KID: Craig Lincoln, the construction manager over at Jaco Oil Co., dropped me a note to let me know that his son Chase Lincoln is now working in the information technology department at Aera Energy. Chase spent four years at San Jose State University and returned to CSUB to earn a masters in information services. Meanwhile his daughter Stevi, one of the mainstays on the Stockdale High School winning girl's tennis team, is at Bakersfield College and hopes to become a registered nurse.


* ... ADD ANOTHER TO THE LIST: Sandi Souza adds her daughter, Wendi Warren Wanner, to the list of local kids who left and now call Bakersfield home. Wendi graduated from Bakersfield High School, went on to San Jose State University, interned in San Diego and returned to Bako as an occupational therapist. She is currently the director of pediatrics at Terrio Therapy-Fitness, Inc.

 * ... ADD TWO CULHANES TO THE LIST: Finally, Holly Culhane, owner of PAS Associates, said she "couldn't resist" to add her two kids to the list. First there is son Tim, a Stockdale High grad who earned a degree in business from Colorado Christian University and is now working with Fleet Card Fuels. Tim's sister Dana is a history major from Eastern University who is now press secretary for state Rep. Jean Fuller. Proud mom Holly couldn't resist by adding that another benefit of having your kids come home is when they bring a spouse, as Tim did. So welcome Holly's daughter-in-law Lindsay, a Point Loma Nazarene graduate and now a personal banker at Citibank.

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.