A new report says virtually all of the Central Valley is doing well economically ... except for Bakersfield. Meanwhile, another successful Crabest for the St. Francis Parish and Imbibe features its top 100 wines

Monday February 12, 2018

Welcome to Bakersfield Observed, now online only. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this such a special place. We value your feedback. Email your news and notes to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... CENTRAL VALLEY: A new study by the University of the Pacific has some good and bad news for the Central Valley. The good: Central Valley cities fare well in the study, except for one, and of course that one is Bakersfield. Modesto is doing well as are Sacramento, Fresno and Stockton. But

Bakersfield plunged in the rating. "When economies are so reliant on natural resources like oil or water, external shocks can cause significant drops in a growth based ranking," the report said. It continued: "In Bakersfield's case, it was affected by the contraction in the oil and energy sector and California's drought that only recently ended." 

 * ... ROCK COBBLER: If you noticed hordes of bicyclists around town this weekend you can thank the annual Rock Cobbler, a torturous 80-mile race through the streets, foothills and mountains that is not for the faint of heart. Organized by Sam Ames and Keith Barnden, the race attracted more than 320 riders who crossed through town, tackled the hills overlooking Hart Park and even detoured through the living room of a home off Panorama Drive. That's right, the course took the riders through a resident's back yard and right through his house.

* ... CRABFEST: When it comes to fund raisers it's hard to beat the celebrations hosted by the St. Francis Parish and Monsignor Craig Harrison. Catholics, let's face it, know how to wean more milk from their flock. And this year's Crabfest was no exception, a huge event that drew hundreds to benefit the parish school operations. The dinner, featuring fresh crab, salad, potatoes and quite yummy dry rubbed ribs, honored Mike and Marcie Soper and long time teacher Shirley Ottenstein. Among those I spotted were Rep. Kevin McCarthy and wife Judy, Assemblyman Vince Fong, Mayor Karen Goh, Sheriff Donny Youngblood, former Assemblywoman Shannon Grove, District Attorney candidates Cynthia Zimmer and Scott Spielman, deputy DAs Gina Pearl and Kim Richardson, taxpayer's advocate Mike Turnipseed, Brian and Katie Kirschenman, John and Ginette Brock, Dr. Mark Root and wife Bernadette, George and Cindy Meek, Kim Schaefer, Robin Lake Foster, Jason and Laura Barnes, and too many to list here. But you get it: they know how to raise money for good causes.

 * ... IMBIBE: Imbibe Wine and Spirits held its 10th annual "top 100" wine tasting Saturday and a little known wine from the Suisan Valley near Napa took the top prize. The winner: GrapeHeart Vineyards 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon. My other personal favorite: the 2016 Toloso No Oak chardonnay that sells for under $15 a bottle.

 * ... FOOD: For me, the best food in town is served at our locally and family owned restaurants about town. And there are plenty of them. But perhaps nowhere in town are so many locally owned eateries clustered than downtown. Consider this: within a few square blocks you will find these family run restaurants, and they are all good: Muertos, Chef's Choice Noodle Bar, Mama Roomba, Jin Sushi, TOSSit salad bar, The Mark, Uricchio's Trattoria, Sequoia Sandwich Shop, Cafe Smitten and Bill Lee's.

 * ... CLOCK TOWER: Check out these photos of the old Beale Clock Tower that once stood at Chester and 17th Street.

It is a walk down memory lane for Bakersfield old-timers remembering an ice cream shop, when Union Avenue was the old Highway 99, and life was safer and simpler

* ... MEMORIES: Last Friday I posted a query from my friend Susan Reep about an Carnation ice cream parlor that once served weary travelers on the old Highway 99 (Union Avenue) through

town. No fewer than 72 of you (last count) emailed me (two people even called Realtor Mary Christenson, this blog's sponsor) to share your memories, a response that speaks to the affection so many of us feel about growing up when Bakersfield was a much quieter place. With apologies to the dozens of folks I could not quote, let's hear from the readers:

* ... BOBBI WOMACK said the Carnation ice cream plant was located on the northwest corner of Second Street and Union Avenue. "My brother, Robbie Hackett, scooped ice cream there and was then promoted to cook when he was only old enough to ride his bike to and from work. That would be the late 1950s. He would call me to tell me to get my spoon ready, he was on his bike bringing home five gallons of creme de menthe ice cream! What a  treat!"

* ...SUSAN FRYE SEAMAN noted "the shop was owned by Joe and Martha Mooney who later opened Farmer Johns Pancake House, and many others. My mother, Opal Moles Frye, met my father Lewis Frye while working there. Lewis worked for the Carnation dairy after the war. "

 * ... RICK ISLE said he "grew up at 128 T Street, in the 'Carnation tract' that ran from Brundage Lane to 4th Street with T street on the west and Union on the east. The milk plant featured a restaurant and that featured ice cream that I believe was made on premises. It had a counter and booths with each having individual stations where you could select offerings from the Juke box."

 * ... HOLLY LAZZERINA remembers growing up in Los Angeles and stopping at the Carnation store when her family was on the way to Yosemite or Sequoia every summer. "Driving tree lined 99 in August 100 degrees... Carnation ice cream, YUM! When we moved here 40 years ago I was really disappointed the ice cream parlor was gone."

 * ... RHONDA BRADY of Tehachapi also recalled that "along that strip of Union Avenue was Maison Jaussaud, (where I saw Carol Channing) The Plunge (where we spent summer days) The Hacienda Hotel,(where my sister worked) , Motor Truck Sales and Service (where my father worked) lots of thriving businesses."

 * ... JAMIE HENDERSON said he was "an elementary school kid in the late 1950s and my mother worked at the Saddle and Sirloin restaurant at First and Union (the circular building is still there and is now a ministry outreach facility). The Saddle and Sirloin was an upscale steak house frequented by many of the local television media (Burleigh Smith, Harry Mitchell, George Day). At Second and Union was the Carnation Ice Cream Plant - the warehouse stuff in the back and the Carnation ice cream shop right on Union. I remember it was very clean, had those great ice cream shop aromas - it was very popular, and a great place to go for your favorite ice cream. The building most recently was CLS Imports I believe. I have fond memories of my dad taking my sister and I by the Saddle and Sirloin to see my mom and then popping into Carnation for some ice cream. The Saddle and Sirloin closed in the sixties and the building became a Basque restaurant for a while."

* ...  JOHN PRYOR remembers it as "a large bulk ice cream production plant for Carnation, as I recall, with a very attractive, clean, spacious, high ceiling, and well-lighted retail outlet facing Union Avenue. I think their color scheme was predominantly red and white. At that time, Union Avenue was part of Highway 99 - and why the Tomerlin family built The Motel nearby - and coined the word 'motel' from 'motor hotel.' (it became the Bakersfield Inn later as they overlooked their opportunity to copyright that name and it quickly became part of the public domain.  But that's another story.) So it was logical that someone from Hollywood driving through Bakersfield en route north would stop at Carnation for a treat. And then Highway 99 was re-routed. Carnation, the Bakersfield Inn and other tourist-related businesses on Union Avenue began to disappear."

 * ... MARLENE HAWS said back in 1955 or 1956, the Carnation plant  was a meeting point for several Marines traveling back to Camp Pendelton on Sunday evenings. "We were young, newly married, I would drop my husband Ronald Harr off around 9 p.m. A Sgt. Martinez, coming from Northern California, would pick up the local boys. Ron has been gone since 2006, but the memories remain."

   * ... BURT ARMSTRONG recalled "a typical Sunday for our family, mom, dad, two younger sisters and me was First Presbyterian Church early 9:30 a.m. service, followed by early lunch at Carnation (of course with malts or a cone), so we could continue on to the Fox Theater for a double feature starting at 1 p.m. It was a colorful place, light and cheery, but you needed to arrive early to get a seat. In this 1940s and 1950s time frame, it had considerable clientele, as Highway 99 had not yet been built, and Golden State Avenue was the 99 main highway, anchored by the Bakersfield Inn, the largest motel in America.”

 * ... AND FINALLY, there was this note from my friend Darlyn Baker: "Good morning Richard.  You'll be able to answer your Memories question Susan Reep asked in your column today.  It sparked my curiosity so thanks to Google I found the following at bakersfieldobserved.com on Tuesday August 9, 2011, you thanked Rhonda MacGillivray-Brady of Tehachapi for letting you know of her fond memory of the Carnation ice cream plant and parlor on S. Union where she enjoyed an ice cream cone and her Mom liked the hot fudge sundae. That location makes sense since that would have been the main route between southern and northern California. Thanks for spurring our curiosity about bygone days."

Despite attempts to save energy, the average American household using the same about of power as it did 40 years ago, and scam artists posing as debt collectors for utilities call on a restaurant owner

 * … ENERGY: I picked up this interesting tidbit in my weekend reading: Despite energy efficient appliances, better windows and an overall focus on reducing our energy consumption, the American

household is using about the same amount of energy it did 40 years ago. Why? It appears that all those savings via energy efficient homes and appliances are being offset by our fondness with power consuming electronics, larger homes and higher ceilings. Said the Wall Street Journal: "Twenty-eight percent of homes built in the 1980s have ceilings higher than eight feed. Now, more than half of new homes have high or vaulted ceilings."

 * … SCAM: The scam artists posting as debt collectors for various utilities are at it again, this time calling local Sonic Drive Ins to intimidate the local managers. Scott A. McMillan is a franchise owner and told me he was out mountain biking when he got a call from his 23rd Street location. "The text stated that a 'Stacey' from Edison had just called and that they were coming to turn off power unless we paid our account current immediately. The amount was $900. I knew intstantly that it was a scam as PGE is our power supplier in Bakersfield, not Edison. I texted her back and told her it was a scam and to not pay anybody even if they came by." Later, McMillan thought he'd have some fun with the scammers so he called Stacey back. "When Stacey answered, she asked how she could help. I thought that was nice that someone was trying to help me. I told her that my store (Sonic name NOT given) had just been called and that I owed some money immediately or my power was going to be shut off. She then proceeded to tell me the name of my restaurant, the phone number and the address…. impressive, I thought. I then asked her if she could look at my account without my account number, as I was not in my office. She confirmed that I had a $900 balance due. I told her that I was sure my account was current and was suprised the balance due was only $900 as my monthly bills this time of year for power are closer to $3,000 per month. She didn't budge from the $900. Well, at this point, I was getting bored with Stacey, so I told her, 'You know Stacey, it's funny. My energy supplier at this location is PGE." Instantly, the phone disconnected and I mean instantly! I was rather bummed with that as I wanted to tell Stacey a few more things."

* … SPOTTED: On Facebook: "Sometimes it’s just better to buy new Tupperware than to risk opening the leftovers."

 * … KINDNESS: Sometimes it is the smallest of gestures that restore our faith in mankind. Angela Barbero shared this:  "The other evening my husband and I purchased lumber at Home Depot on Gosford. We wheeled it to the car and a total stranger came over and said I'll help you with that and he helped my husband load it into the car. We moved to Bakersfield in 2000 and I have always said this town has the nicest people. Thank you again to this kind gentleman."

* … GOOD FORM: Laurie Green wrote to give props to the FFA group over at Frontier High School, where she lives. "Last night the Frontier FFA were Christmas caroling in our neighborhood. They had a truck pulling a flatbed trailer decorated with lots of lights, music playing, and carolers singing. Other students were going door to door, asking for canned goods to donate to the homeless shelter. Even Santa and his helper were walking around greeting people. I was babysitting my little granddaughter and took her outside to enjoy the music and lights. A big thank you to the FFA students for bringing Christmas joy to our neighborhood, as well as doing it to help the homeless. I also want to thank the Frontier students who live in our neighborhood for being very respectful of our yards as they walk to and from school. I live on a corner and have never seen any of them cut across our yard or any other yard, and they never drop any kind of litter. I can't say that about other neighborhoods I have lived in, so their courtesy and respect are very much appreciated."

 * … MEMORIES: This memory of a simpler time comes courtesy of reader Linda Brammer: "Another fond memory of the Bakersfield that is no more:  remember the Christmas decorations that most of the homes on Panorama would put up?  Then the procession of cars would start at about north Union Ave and Columbus Ave to drive slowly by all the homes and view the decorations.  Sadly, that had to be discontinued due to vandalism, but it’s still a fond memory of Christmas in Bakersfield."

More feedback on the explosion of panhandlers across Bakersfield, a hit and run is caught on camera and it's time for another CSUB barbecue to support the Roadrunner athletics

 * … HIT AND RUN: This blog entry falls under both "good" and "bad form." Steve Wilkinson, a information technology specialist at KBAK TV, was driving east on 21st Street when he saw a truck attempting to parallel park right across from Guarantee Shoe Center. "The truck ended up backing right into a parked red Volkswagen, smashing the rear door and shattering the window. The truck then hastily took off. Since I was right behind him I grabbed my phone and snapped a shot of his plates

before he made a right turn on Chester and sped off. I circled back around and went into Guarantee Shoe center to see if anyone inside knew who owned the red car. Roscoe (Rolnick) was there, and was happy to help me out. He offered to print out my picture of the truck and leave it on the car for the owner. By then the owner of the red car had returned and was checking out the damage. I was able to send him the picture of the truck and gave him a description of the driver. Hopefully he recovers damages from the loser. Sad thing is that at least two other drivers and possibly pedestrians witnessed this too. As far as I could tell I was the only one to do anything."

 * … PANHANDLING: You can count Jayne Hotchkiss of Walker Basin among the growing group of people who are weary of panhandlers. "I live up in the mountains and when I'm in town doing errands, I have been asked for money at Wallmart, inside and out of it, in front of a Rite Aid, waiting for my car to be repaired, at the Starbucks, and that was in just one day.  Panhandlers , you are not the only one who has asked for money, three people have done that before you got to me. It's gotten to the point that I dread going to town. But it isn't that much better up here. At the Vons parking lot in Isabella there's the guy at the entrance with his sign, another young man leaning against the Vons building with sign, a couple over by the mailbox with their sign, and one gal selling tamales. The panhandling can't be just in Kern County, whats going on in other parts of the state?

 * … GOOD FORM: Charlotte Brandt wrote to send a huge "shout out to the four bike path riders who noticed smoke coming from a house in Westchester on Saturday morning and took the time to exit the path, come into the neighborhood, try to raise the occupants and call 911. Your actions saved the house and its contents from serious damage. A short while more, and it would have been a total loss. It is reassuring that people would be good Samaritans and take the time to act in this manner. We can never thank you enough, but we can 'Pay It Forward' for someone else. May God bless you all!"

 * … CSUB BBQ: Don't forget the annual CSUB Athletics Springs BBQ is this Thursday beginning at 5:30 p.m. This year’s theme is A Salute to the 1990s with contests and prizes for the best 1990s attire. There will also be live entertainment from the band Foster Campbell and Friends and dancing throughout the evening. Dinner features Harris Ranch New York Steak or Teriyaki Chicken grilled by head chefs Gary and Adam Icardo along with their team of excellent BBQ cooks.  All proceeds benefit the Roadrunner Scholarship Fund to help meet the educational needs of over 300 student-athletes at CSUB. Tickets are available at any Vons, Lengthwise or Mexicali location throughout Bakersfield. This year they have also partnered with Vallitix and Vallitix.com for online purchases. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the gate.

 * … MEMORIES: Bakersfield native Greg Cowan, who now lives in Fresno, sent me a picture of the intersection of 18th Street and Chester Avenue taken sometime in the 1950s which he has framed in his office. In his words:  "After I picked up the print from the frame shop, I sat down at my desk and marveled at the detail of this print. I immediately recognized the Sill building, because not only it is a Bakersfield landmark, but also because I worked next door at Casper’s Men’s Store when I was a student at BHS in the late 1980s. Included in the picture is Tiny’s Waffle House (on the southeast corner); a business before my time, but I recognized the name from readers’ comments from your blog over the last few weeks. Also visible in the print is the Anglo California National Bank (another business before my time) and the Padre Hotel. I don’t know how many people remember the bank, but Casper’s Men’s Store was an institution in Bakersfield for 40 years before closing in 1991 and will likely bring back fond memories for your readers.

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!"

Catholic bishops and priests launch national effort to support immigration reform; expect them to rally in front of Bakersfield Republican Kevin McCarthy's office

 * ... MCCARTHY: Expect more protesters pushing immigration reform to descend on the Bakersfield office of House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy. The latest push comes from a group of Catholic bishops and priests who support immigration reform and have singled out 60 Republican lawmakers to pressure. The New York Times said one group would protest in front of McCarthy's Bakersfield office on Monday, Sept. 2. Just last week another group of several hundred pro immigration reform protesters rallied in front of McCarthy's office.

 * ... OVERHEARD: How many times do you pick up a conversation when someone is speaking too loudly on their cell phone? Julie Womack shared these nuggets: "One day I heard a man complaining loudly that his testosterone dosage had been prescribed incorrectly! Yesterday I overheard a conversation at least 100 feet away from a woman who was contacted by her security system that her house alarm had gone off. I was able to hear her give the alarm code - several times - to someone, then heard her call the alarm company and give them her name, address, password, and alarm code. I counted at least 20 people around her who were subjected to her personal and security information."

 * ... YOUR DOG: A new study is confirming that yawning can indeed be contagious, but did you also know that dogs, too, are contagious yawners? That's the word from The New York Times which reported that researchers looked at "two dozen breeds, from poodles to pit bulls (and) found that when a dog watched either a stranger or its owner yawn, the dog was far more likely to yawn in response to its owner." The study concluded that "dogs are unusually skilled at reading human social and communicative behaviors."

* ... TENNIS: If you are looking for a new tennis group, Walt Dunbar says you can join his group at Siemon Park at 8 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Dunbar said it a fun social and exercise group and players come on days that suit them and rotate in and out. Siemon Park is on Pasadena Street just off Columbus.

 * ... CONCERT: A special concert is planned this Saturday to benefit Garden Pathways. The event will be held at the relatively new Gardens at Mill Creek, a beautiful venue across the street from the Bakersfield Museum of Art. Grant Langston and the Supermodels will be playing. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 and are available at the door or by calling (661) 205-3343.

 * ... MEMORIES: Some memories of East Bakersfield in the 1950s compliments of Anthony Contreras: "There was a popular neighborhood market on the northwest corner of Baker Street and Bernard called Gene and Joe's Market. One half block east on Bernard Street was PAC, Pioneer Allen Cleaners ( not sure on the spelling of Allen). This was on the northwest side of Jefferson Park where we swam everyday for free. On the east side of Jefferson Park at the southeast corner of Grace Street and Beale Avenue was a small cafe called Hazel's. As I recall, she had great hamburgers and she welcomed all students from Jefferson School across the street. This is when politics were non-existent, nobody locked their doors, children were disciplined to be at least polite and schools were held in high regard. How I miss those days!"

Ryan Beckwith, sacrificed at Bakersfield College, heads to Cal State Bakersfield to work in the athletic department, and more readers lament the trash on our streets

 * ... BECKWITH: It looks like former Bakersfield College Athletic Director Ryan Beckwith has landed on his feet. Beckwith, who was forced out at BC after the football team was stripped of its championship because of program violations, is joining Cal State Bakersfield as a strength and

conditioning trainer in the athletic department. CSUB Athletic Director Jeff Konya said Beckwith will likely start as a part-time employee. Beckwith was only at Bakersfield College for two years, and many thought he was unfairly painted as the fall guy for program violations that had been going on for many years.

 * ... TRASH: Some things are just too hard to believe. Consider this note from Patricia Seymour: she was taking a walk down Panorama Drive near Thorner School when she spotted a white pickup with a black trailer pull into an open field. And sure enough, the occupants dumped a full load of trash right in the open field. She called Bakersfield police and the dispatcher insisted she had to witness the incident, which she had. "I realize there are other emergency calls... so we started walking home and at Fairfax we saw three detective cars driving from the north. We figured they had been out practice shooting at Hart Park or to a meeting.  I don't know if detectives go out on calls but as I am a multi-tasker and I figured they could have dropped by to at least give warning to these dumpers. The area at the end of Panorama Drive is constantly being dumped on. It's a sad sight when one is trying to exercise and enjoy the great outdoors."

 * ... MORE TRASH: And speaking of trash, Ken Barnes has been going to Canada to hunt for more than 25 years. "On our 40-mile drive from the airport in Edmonton to the town of Tofield, it would be unusual to see more than three or four pieces of litter along the highway for the entire trip. And they do not use clean-up crews....the people just do not litter!"

 *... OVERHEARD: On the first day of school, a mother tells her teary-eyed kindergarten daughter that she must go to her class or the school will call the police and her parents will go to prison.

 * ... SPOTTED: Having a bite to eat at The Padre Hotel bar the other day were Supervisor Leticia Perez, fresh off her loss in the 16th state Senate district runoff, and Roy Ashburn, who also is recovering from his loss in a supervisor's race.

 * ... CALAHAN: Former KGET reporter Tim Calahan is back in the business, joining KERO TV as a breaking news reporter in the afternoon and the 11 p.m. co-anchor along with Jackie Parks. Calahan had most recently been with the Kern County Mission.

 * ... MEMORIES: A walk down memory lane with Gene Bonas on the old Andre's Drive-in. "The Andre family ran both Andre's Drive-Ins and the Garces High School cafeteria.  Mary Andre managed the Niles Street Andre's, Joe managed the Brundage Lane Andre's, and John managed the Garces cafeteria and filled in when Mary or Joe needed time off... My memory of Andre's on Brundage had to do with two Garces students who worked at the restaurant.  A close friend of mine ran the grill ensuring all the food was cooked to perfection.  I can still taste the hamburgers and fries that (my friend) made and snuck to me out the back door without anyone's knowledge."

Bakersfield's KBAK TV sold to Sinclair Broadcast Group and more musings on Bako's horrific trash and litter problem

 * ... KBAK: The sale of KBAK (channel 29) to Sinclair Broadcast Group means all three local TV stations have changed hands in the past year. The Baltimore-based Sinclair group won a bidding war to buy Fisher Communications, which has been quietly marketing its stations for several months. In the past year, market leader KGET 17 was sold to Nexstar Communications and KERO 23 was sold to
the Scripps TV group. No word on what this will mean for KBAK and its FOX 58 affiliate and their staffs.

  * ... TRASH: More musings on our litter problem, this thought compliments of Susan Chaidez.   "Many people don’t have the time, vehicle  or money to drive to the dump to take care of their trash.  Dumping it in a business dumpster is illegal. Why doesn’t the city or county station large dumpsters (like recycle dumpsters) in particular areas that are affected by this? ... The only way to stop the freeway trash is for a CHP officer to catch the offender who has uncovered trash while driving down the highway at 70 miles per hour.  But if it happened a few times and those people were required to pick up trash on a Saturday in lieu of a fine it would be a deterrent and a win-win fix. I recently witnessed a gardener 'blow' trash from a yard he was tending into the street far enough away that I know he wasn’t going to pick it up. This issue is everyone’s problem, it looks terrible and reflects on us as a community. We are better than this!"

 * ... EAST: Rick Van Horne, a local teacher and a board member with the Bakersfield City School District, wrote to say that Pat Patterson made an appearance at the recent 75th anniversary committee meeting for East High School. "Pat, who was a longtime counselor at Bakersfield High, was a freshman on opening day at East High in 1938," he said. "She was also the very first freshman class president of East High."

 * ... MOVING ON: Congratulations to Doug Collins, a 2002 graduate of Stockdale High School and California Baptist University who is now director of students (youth pastor) at Pathways Church in Redlands. His proud mother, Laurie Collins of the Kern Council of Goverments, said he proposed to his girlfriend Anna Hickey during Christmas and is getting married in the Lodi area on August 17. "We are so proud of him and so glad God answers prayers and directs lives," she said.

 * ... MEMORY: From reader Joe Chavez: "Remember Richard's toy store? And the stamp and coin shop on Baker Street? I used to go to there after a Saturday show at the Tejon Theater to buy an Aurora model kit monsters or sci fi spaceships... This was a awesome time in the mid 1960s. Is there any one out there who has pictures of these long gone places? Either outside shots, or indoor?"

 * ... MORE MEMORIES: And Dennis Claxton added this: "I think that the Brundage Variety Store was first opened as Fiddlers Variety (I may have misspelled the name). I grew up on Cypress and remember going in there to buy candy ... also our dad worked at Golden Crust bread. He delivered bread to Taft., Maricopa and Ford City... I would go with my dad every summer for a week and load his truck and smell the bread and ride with him on his route and he would pay me $10."              

 * ...  BAKERSFIELDISM: You are really a Bakersfield old timer if you remember when the "east side students of the one high school (KCUHS) caught the street car at Baker and Sumner to 19th Street, then west to F Street and south to the high school." Thanks to Jack M. Rademacher for that one.

The never-ending cycle of criminals being dumped on the streets only to commit more crime sparks a backlash, and eat more fish if you want to avoid heart disease

 * ... CRIME: There is a growing backlash against prison realignment and the way so many career criminals are dumped back onto the streets, often after serving only a fraction of their sentences. One reader, Margaret Roux, noted that an 18-year-old man was arresting for burglarizing a nearby home, all the while wearing his parolee tracking ankle bracelet. He was arrested and the homeowner was able to recover most of the stolen items at a pawn shop. As it turns out, the same teenager was arrested in
December for possession of a stolen vehicle, receiving stolen property and possession of a controlled substance, but served just 49 days before being released to hit the streets to burglarize again. And so it goes.

* ... FISH OIL: If your mother told you to include more fish in your diet, it turns out she was right. A new comprehensive study in the Annals of Internal Medicine confirms what we all have suspected: that people with "high omega-3 blood levels outlive those with the lowest levels." As reported in The New York Times, researchers said there was a direct correlation between the intake of fish and lower risk of heart disease. The conclusion? If you don't eat enough fish, take omega-3 supplements. If you are on a heavy fish diet, supplements would certainly not hurt you. (photo courtesy of The New York Times)

 * ... CIOPPINO: One of the hottest tickets in town is for the annual Cioppino Feed, the annual West Rotary fund raiser that features some of the best clams and cioppino you will ever eat. Word is there are some tickets left for the Saturday evening feed at Garces Memorial High School. Call Howdy Miller if you interested at (661) 747-5380.


 * ... FIRST FRIDAY: Should be a great Spring night for this month's First Friday downtown. Metro Galleries, one of the anchors of this popular monthly event, is featuring a unique exhibit by Southern California artist Karine Swenson. The show is entitled  'Real and Imagined: A Collection of Mostly Animal Paintings.' Next to Metro at the Foundry, a photography exhibit, "Superimposed" will feature work by Jennifer Williams and Tim Chong. As always on a First Friday it's fun to check out all the galleries, shops, restaurants and boutiques in the arts district.

* ... LITTER: It's our collective shame that after every holiday, like Easter, our parks are awash with litter. Deanna Haulman had this suggestion: "My husband and I walk at Hart Park. We notice that after the weekend the litter is awful, even dropped next to the large garbage cans throughout the park, apparently the litters are too lazy to even place the litter in the can.  We pick up during our walks but have come to the conclusion these folks assume someone else is responsible for picking up their garbage.  I would like to see the park rangers start to give tickets for littering maybe that would help obviously our efforts and the efforts of others doesn't help."

 * ... ADS MARKET: Some more memories of old Bakersfield, these compliments of Terrie Stoller. "My parents; Jack and Lyle Parlier, taught at Washington Jr. High School in the late 1930s and through the 1940s. It is now a district office. Admiral Dewey Sprayberry and his wife Velma became their very first friends in Bakersfield after their Fresno State College graduations and very first teaching jobs in Bakersfield. I got the feeling that Dewey and Velma were like surrogate parents of a young couple just starting out. ... I remember the Sprayberrys, their little ADS grocery store and apartment next to it very well.  My mother remained a faithful visitor to Velma until her last days."

City of Stockton's bankruptcy was borne by recklessness and promises that could not be kept, and more memories of old Bakersfield

* ... STOCKTON: The most disturbing aspect of the city of Stockton's bankruptcy is the sheer recklessness the city made in offering lifetime pensions to its employees. The city owes the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) more than $900 million, a staggering amount of debt that the city simply cannot repay. One of the key questions before the bankruptcy court is do you continue to honor the pension promises at the expense of other creditors? The case in Stockton is a business school case study in fiscal irresponsibility, and a warning to other municipalities about being realistic about promises made to public employee unions. (photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Times)

 * ... SPOTTED: From reader Candace Bumes: "To the driver of a red Mercedes SUV who did not yeild to an emergency vehicle with lights and siren: next time the paramedics could be going after your loved one. Think about it."

 * ... BUCKEYES: Sunny Kapoor is a proud graduate of The Ohio State University and took son Nigel to the Staples Center to take in the Buckeyes-Wichita State game during the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Tournament.  "As a Buckeye alumni, it was my opportunity to support my alma mater, and be surrounded by the best college fans in the country, and be entertained by the 'best damn band in the land.' Even though we lost, the experience was priceless, and we had a great time." Nigel is now a senior at Centennial High School and will be interning soon with a local engineering firm.

 * ... MEMORIES: Reader Victoria Shallock was among several folks who responded to an earlier post about old memories. Said Vickie: "I, too, fondly remember the 'Un-Lock-A-Loc' game from the local afternoon kid show with 'Meet Mitchel' (I believe his first name was really Harry?) You had to send in your entry along with the end panel from a loaf of Golden Crust Bread (another local entity/memory) and select which lock you wanted to open (there were three). I won a really cool microscope set one time! And I think one of Don Rodewald's features was a 'Come as You Are' segment on the local afternoon matinee show. Our family was called one afternoon and hurried down to the studio to be interviewed and appear on his show. I recall Don and my dad (who was a CHP officer) having a very interesting conversation about traffic laws. Great memories of wonderful times gone by when life was much more simple and uncomplicated."

 * ... FACE CREAM: And Rick Kreiser and other readers identified the woman who used to market a face cream that was "so pure you can eat it." Said Kreiser:  "Her name was Hazel Allen...a staple of Channel 10's (23) movie breaks... Don Rodewald lived in my neighborhood and I went through school with his girls, April and Judy... smart cookies, they were.  His tag line was 'half an hour before three, when it's just you and me.""

 * ... BREAD: And finally there is this from Albert Lyons: "Does anyone remember the jingle for Golden Crust Bread? I think it was a contest on a local children's program and I think Zippy was the clown and it might have been sponsored by Toy Circus. If you got on the program and was able to sing the jingle you could when a bike from the Toy Circus. "

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: Randy Martin, the head honcho over at Covenant Coffee, says you may be a Bakersfield old timer if "you remember the dump located on the bluffs near where Bakersfield College now sits."

Bakersfield Observed takes a walk down memory lane, recalling Frager's and Fontana's Pie Shop and the Plunge on Union Avenue, among others

 * ... MEMORIES: My mailbox was full of readers reminiscing about Bakersfield when it was a smaller, quainter community. I wish I could use all of the responses but here is a sampling.

 * ... OLD BAKO: Marshall Helm is the owner of Greenlawn Mortuary and recalls the old days when East Bakersfield was the business heart of our community. "I had some happy thoughts today when I read about Sinaloa once being located where Wool Growers now stands. It was sort of 'our corner.' Ernie Hashim had his speed shop on the northeast corner of 19th and Baker streets.  Across the street on the northwest corner was Wally Tucker's car lot, which later became a paint store. I had a motorcycle shop (Digger's Motorcycle Center) which was two buildings down from the southwest corner on Baker Street. All of us from that little square would meet every day for lunch at Sinaloa. There are a ton of dragster and motorcycle stories that we will never be able to tell... but it sure was a fun time."

 * ... CHINESE KITCHEN: Reader Benny Fuentez has fond memories of a restaurant called the Chinese Kitchen, which he said operated in the 1950s on Baker Street in the building that now houses Arizona Cafe. Fuentez, who attended Lincoln Junior High at the time, was a paperboy for The Californian and remembers reporting to the establishment to get his daily allotment of papers.
"All of us paperboys would meet there and eat fried rice with gravy and crackers and wait. With Wool Growers, the Pyrenees and other places close by, everybody was drunk, so you could sell five or 10 papers at a time to one person. Especially if it was raining, they would feel sorry for us and ask us, 'How many papers you got?' We'd have 10, and the papers were 10 cents back then, so they'd give us a dollar and we'd go home. Those were the good old days."

 * ... POOL: Janeen Carter-Smith doesn't consider herself an old timer but she does fondly remember the Plunge and its famous neon sign on South Uniion Avenue. "I spent so very many summer afternoons there with a favorite of sun-melted Hersey bars over French fries; how could I have possibly forgotten?

 * ... FRAGER'S: It appears we finally solved the question of what was the name of an early Mexican restaurant located near the current Wool Grower's building. Jack Ortega also remembers it was being names Frager's Spanish Kitchen, and next door was Fontana's Pie Shop."I was raised in east Bakersfield from the late 1920s to some time in 1948 and a lot of the young guys hung out at Fontana's and knew of Frager's. A great place to eat Mexican food."

 * ... PEARL HARBOR: Ann Cierley remembers the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor when she was a 10-year-old who was spending the day watching other neighborhood kids at the Kern Theater on Chester Avenue. "The lights went out - the usher went up on the stage - and announced Pearl Harbor had been bombed! The kids were already booing the interruption so we all sat noisily until the screen came back with little or no understanding of anything. Several times more the show was interrupted to more catcalls and a very annoyed me told my quizzical sisters and the kids around us that it meant we were going to get bombed and shot and now I had a group of crying kiddies on my hands to calm down... The war wasn't that far removed from the West Coast. We had air-raid drills at school and even dog tags were made for us at Beardsley. I kept mine for many years. Bakersfield had black-outs (our new Weather Bird sign was darkened), we had air raid wardens, war bond drives, gas rationing and military bases appeared like Minter Field out near Shafter. We all bought war stamps every week at school. Our mothers kept ration books. We had rubber drives, coffee can drives (I never understood that one) and all were very patriotic. Two uncles flew many missions over Europe and the Pacific. Both survived I'm happy to say. Millie Munsey helped me put on a war bond rally at Emerson in 1944 and my early years at Bakersfield High were filled with memories of being held up at the train tracks and stations by the many, many troop trains coming and going."

Some advice for our young folk and a local businessman comes down with Valley Fever

  * ...  SOUND ADVICE: Pete Wonderly is a thoughtful and articulate friend, and he agreed to share his response to a new report noting that if the San Joaquin Valley were a state, it would vie for last place on a human condition index with West Virginia. His suggestion to some of our young people?
 * "Stop having unprotected premarital sex and inflicting upon society the inevitable unwanted children, one after the other.
 *  "Stop indulging in controlled substances and thereby killing your brain cells, which you can ill-afford.
  * "Start actually taking your studies in school seriously and stop acting as though you have a million dollar inheritance just waiting for you to turn 18 years-old.
  * "Get a part-time job so you'll have money to buy your own luxuries and to limit the amount of unsupervised free time at your disposal.
  * "Get used to following rules – it’s the glue that holds society together, and if you become one of those individuals whom just can’t get the hang of it, you’ll wind up in prison where there are – wait for it…even MORE rules.

 * ... URNER'S: The folks over at Urner's Appliance Center never seem to shy away from pitching in for a good cause. And they will be doing it again Wednesday when they will be donating about $25,000 of new furniture for the new transition dormitory at Teen Challenge. This will happen at the women’s campus on E. Roberts Lane. In April, Urner's donated 135 Tempur Pedic mattresses and bedding items to Teen Challenge at a value of more than $200,000. Yet another reason to support these located businesses who do so much for our community.

 * .... SPOTTED: Flipping through Fortune magazine the other day and ran across a picture of Steve Ruggenberg, the former head of Golden Empire Transit who left town more than a decade ago to pursue his love of cooking. Ruggenberg is now teaching at the Culinary Institute of America in the Napa Valley. His picture, in full chef regalia, accompanied a story on the popularity of cooking schools  across the country.

 * ... SICK BAY: Learned the other day that Jeff Simpson, one of the owners of the popular deli Sequoia Sandwich Co., has been diagnosed with Valley Fever.  Jeff also told me he had a brief bout with whooping cough but that is now under control. A fitness buff and avid cyclist, Jeff said he hopes to be back on his bike in a matter of weeks. Sequoia is one of those locally owned companies that is always generous to charities and other good causes.

* ... OILDALE: One of my steady correspondents is Geraldine "Geri" Sproul, who wrote to share some of her memories of Oildale back in the day. "The block north of Sudd's Hardware Store (corner of North Chester and Washington Avenue) was Red's Cigar Store and service station. My uncle was running the station at that time and came by one day to bring me something special: Bubble Gum!... Across the street and half block south was the Alma Mae dress shop. Frances Sullivan bought it and what a wonderful shop it was. Women from all over the area came to shop there. Oh what memories we have!"

 * ... ACHIEVER: Jeff Miller is 17 years old, carries a 4.16 GPA at Centennial High School and is one of 150 youngsters attending the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Children's Congress in Washington, D.C. Turns out Jeff's Centennial High team was the leading school fund raiser in Bakersfield's 2010 JDRF Walk. According to proud dad Bill Miller, Jeff hopes to become and endocrinologist, a position where he can help others with Type 1 diabetes.