First design of Bakersfield's new minor league baseball stadium is unveiled and more blowback on the Bakersfield Prayer Breakfast

 * ... BASEBALL: I got a sneak peek at the early plans for the new minor league baseball stadium being planned for the corner of Brimhall and Coffee roads. The principals of the Kansas City architectural design firm (Pendulum Studio) unveiled the plans before a small group of business people at the downtown, Neutra-designed home of David Coffey Wednesday evening. The first draft shows a beautiful, compact stadium built on seven acres with the ball field dug several feet below the surface, offering spectacular views from virtually anywhere around the perimeter. There is family-style seating, a mounted grass berm play area behind the outfield and a multi-purpose room that can be used for special events. The main investors, oilmen Gene Voiland and Chad Hathaway, envision a multi-purpose venue that can be used for anything from concerts to conferences to rodeos.

 * ... RESTAURANT: Bakersfield is getting a promising new restaurant next Friday. The owners of Sushi Moon say they will open February 1 in the old Hourglass Building at the corner of Brimhall and Calloway Drive. Sushi Moon will feature fusion sushi and Korean barbecue, and I am told they also will carry a nice selection of Japanese and Korean wines.

 * ... PRAYER BREAKFAST: There was a lot of response on my earlier post about the upcoming Bakersfield Prayer Breakfast and its emphasis on the Christian view of Jesus. One reader, who is Jewish, said it appeared to exclude those of other faiths, including our sizable Sikh population. And then there was this tart response from another reader: "Tell your friend, who happens to be Jewish, if he is so butt-hurt, he should start his own 'prayer breakfast.  Your newspaper is pathetic."

 * ... BANDUCCI'S: Retired oilman Lynn Blystone is one of those who remembers Banducci's Corner, and he even recalls the help there. "Our favorite waitress at the Double Tree, Inez Coronado. was a waitress at Banducci's Corner for 22 years and could tell you some stories."

 * ... MORE BANDUCCI'S: Barbara Story wrote that Julia Banducci was her grandmother, and as a child she would help in the grocery store every Saturday. "At that time the restaurant only had the counter, no dining room.  It was so busy that a dining room was added some time after the war. Dick Porter was right about all the business done during potato and grape seasons. The customers all had their special place to sit and their special lunch order.  In high school and college I worked on weekends and summers as a waitress. We knew almost everyone that came in by name.  My sister Judy and my daughter Melinda preferred to work in the kitchen.  Our children Chuck, Patrick and Michael all had their first job at Banducci’s doing dishes, and as Chuck remembers pealing lots garlic.  In that small kitchen my grandmother supervised the making of the raviolis as well as everything else.  Melinda still makes raviolis and pickle tongue for gifts for the family at Christmas.  Many, many pleasant memories like the fried chicken cooked to order with spaghetti, minestrone soup, home made pies, pickled tongue,  pickled white beans, garlic beef dips to name just a few of my favorites. One could write a soap opera about all the happening that went on at Banducci’s Corner."

* .... OLD BAKO: Joaquin Resendez wonders if anyone remembers a restaurant called Spanish Kitchen that was located next door when Sinaloa was located in the Wool Grower's building. "They also served pyrenees bread with their salsa. I believe Wool Growers was located on 21st Street at that time."

Bako Bits: time for another First Friday in the downtown arts district, Bernie Herman leaving the museum and remembering the old Homemaker Park

 * ... ICE HOUSE: The Sizzler restaurant at the iconic Ice House has closed, leaving the community with just two Sizzlers, one on Mount Vernon and the other on Real Road. Lynne Woodward of Taft was told by the manager that the Mt. Vernon location is now part of a "new generation" of Sizzlers. But the move leaves the red bricked Ice House with a big vacancy. "What a shame for a true historic Bakersfield building (not to mention the jobs probably lost)," Lynne said. "Let's hope a wonderful new restaurant will jump at the chance to open in the picturesque location!"

 * ... OVERHEARD: A middle aged man is lamenting to a friend about the number of people locally who run red lights. "It seems I see it every day around here, it's dangerous and someone is going to get killed. If I had a death ray, I'd use it on these people blowing through lights."

 * ... OLD BAKERSFIELD: Donald Kurtz grew up on the east side of our town and remembers when the area around 30th and Q streets was called Homemaker Park. "How did the city allow this area to become a drug infested domain for gangs and looks like it has been razed or bombed out? It was built during World War II and was populated by a very strong work ethic middle class families. As a matter of fact after my spouse and I married in 1965 we rented in the area for a few years. Surrounding the area were many business, both commercial and industrial. Today most are gone. Go down 34th Street and it looks like total urban decay. Someone at City Hall really needs to wake up and smell the coffee before it is too late. All American City... I think not!"

 * ... FIRST FRIDAY: If you are out and about Friday night, make sure you head downtown and take in the arts district during October's First Friday celebrations. One show not to miss: the Metro Galleries on 19th Street is featuring the art of former CBS newsman Bill Lagatutta, an impressive and interesting show featuring some unique art.

 * ... MUSEUM: And speaking of the arts, best luck to Bernie Herman who is stepping down as executive director of the Bakersfield Museum of Art after eight years. During his tenure the museum paid off its debt, greatly expanded its education programs and consistently produced high quality shows. Bernie will be retiring after the first of the year, giving the museum Board of Trustees time to find a successor.

* ... STREET SWEEPERS: There may be bigger things to worry about, but sometimes it's the little stuff that drives you crazy. For Jim VanderZwan, it is the city street sweepers. "Why is it that when street sweepers come around, they almost always leave the condition of the gutters worse than before they came through with their big bristles full of mud water?  Do they fill up at Buena Vista lake before painting the edges of the street with giant streaks of mud? This past week I came home from work to find that the sweeper had been through the neighborhood. How did I know? The neighborhood kids were riding in the sweeper's path like it was a BMX track. This kind of thing doesn't really bother me, except that my tax dollars pay for someone to drive through once a month and leave a trail of mud that fades only in time for the next round of 'cleaning.'"

* ... LAWYER: Hats off to local lawyer Therese Foley was was recently presented with the Sharon Wallis Mettler award by the Kern County Women's Lawyer Association. The award recognizes local lawyers who have "demonstrated a genuine concern for issues relating particularly to women and a willingness to advance, protect, and pursue those concerns, however difficult, time-consuming, or long-range they may be."

Another tuition hike for students in the Cal State system and get ready for a citywide anti-littering campaign

 * ... TUITION: Students in the Cal State University system are in for another "fee" hike,  5 percent this school year and another 10 percent next year. We can all thank rising costs, a dysfunctional legislature and the recession for what is but another in a long string of fee hikes in both the Cal State UC systems. And, in a surrender to the obvious, Cal  State trustees will belatedly start using the term "tuition" instead of "fees" to bring the state schools in line with other colleges in the nation. All this is the inevitable and sad end to the Golden State's 1960s era promise of a "tuition free" education. Tuition in the Cal State system will rise to $4,884 a year while the UC system cost around $10,000 a year, excluding room, board, books and other expenses.

 * ... LITTER CAMPAIGN: Happy to read that the city is about to launch an aggressive anti-littering campaign. Dianne Hoover, city and parks recreation director, told The Californian's Steven Mayer the campaign could include bus billboards, public service announcements and perhaps tougher fines for those who choose to use our  city as  their personal trash can. Of course it's shameful that we have to remind  people not to litter in the first place, but that's the way it is. Wouldn't it be nice if folks just took responsibility for their own trash? (photo of Dianne Hoover by Felix Adamo)

 * ... ESTATE SALE: Reader Sherry Baxter passes along this nugget. A recent classified advertisement in The Californian read: "Attention handymen! My husband left. Misc. home improvement supplies. Come buy his stuff! Cheap."

* ... OVERHEARD: A barista at a local Starbucks tells a customer about a drive-through patron who tried to hand off a used diaper through the window. At least she didn't leave it on the sidewalk.

 * ... RUFENER'S: Reader Bobbie Hulson wrote to mourn the closing of Rufener's Alta Vista drug store, leaving only a handful of locally owned and operated drug stores left in town. "The story in today's paper about Rufener's closing mentioned that several people would prefer to deal with local private pharmacies. Is there any reason that you could not list the local private ones in Bakersfield Observed?  (Or at least list the ones you know about and ask Bako people to add the ones that they frequent.) We also feel the same way and have dealt with Gregg's on 34th and San Dimas  happily for many years. .... I know that there have to be a few more.  Thanks, Bobbie Hulson."

 * ... KNOTTY PINE: How many of you remember the Knotty Pine Cafe? Joy Antonaros Rose does, and offers this interesting background: "I was so pleasantly surprised to read the contributing comments by Gene Bonas regarding 'having lunch at the Knotty Pine Cafe and playing the juke box from your table.'  The Knotty Pine Cafe was owned by our father, John Antonaros and his brother Nick Antonaros.  I have a wonderful old photo that is proudly displayed in my office of them in the Knotty Pine Cafe.  In fact, my brother, George Antonaros, and my sisters, Annette Antonaros Londquist and Madelyn Antonaros Jones and I still have the original records that were played in the juke boxes.  Many of those incredible records are still in their original jackets and we found them in boxes in our parents garage  Our father, John, passed away in November of 1999 but our mother, Bessie Antonaros, is still alive. Actually there is a tremendous ethnic history as our family was one of the founding settlers in Kern County's Greek Community and St. George Greek Orthodox Church . There is an interesting piece about our family in the book "Kern's Movers and Shakers" by Camille Gavin and Kathy Leverett. The Antonaros family has deep roots in our local community and a special thank you to Gene Bonas for remembering those days on Baker Street.
 Thank you for 'Bakersfield Observed; as it is my favorite part of the paper!" Thanks for the kind words and for filling us in on the old  Knotty Pine.

* ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader Al Gutierrez: You know you're a Bakersfield old-timer  if "you remember standing at the corner of 19th and Baker Street when the 1952 earthquake toppled the Kern County Equipment Co. building."

If it's 110 degrees it must be a Bakersfield summer, and more readers wax poetic of old Bakersfield

  

* ... OUR HEAT: This week's heat seemed just another oddity in our long unpredictable weather year. First we enjoyed the unusually mild, and long, spring that lasted well into the early part of summer. Remember how nice that was? It seemed like it would never end. And it really hasn't been that bad until - boom! - this week's temperatures soared above 110. And now what? They're telling us it could be 25 to 30 degrees cooler by this Sunday. Go figure.

* ... OLD EATERY: I had two readers contact me to correct an earlier post regarding a restaurant that was located on the west side of Chester Avenue a few blocks south of California. Turns out it was named "Mr. and Mrs. of Radio Fame" and featured pictures of local and regional radio personalities on the walls. The original tipster, Dick Porter, was apparently right about one thing: the food was superb.

 * ... BAKER STREET: Jo Lynn Moralez wrote to say she remembers when Baker Street was "a bustling business area with Kirby and Karl's shoe stores, music stores, furniture stores, flower shops, Snider's Cyclery and even JC Penney, which is where Stinson's is now. And let's not forget Richard's Toy Shop at the corner of Baker and Monterey where they wrapped your gifts and added a bow and a lollipop on each gift."

 * ... MORE RICHARD'S: Nice to hear from Michael Huston, vice president at Townsend Design, who added a comment about the old Tejon Theater. "The Tejon and Granada Theaters were locally owned by the Lemucchi family. And while the Tejon was a must for Saturday matinee's (including the Three Stooges) you day was not complete until you visited Richard's Toy Store. It was located right across the street, owned and operated by the Adams family. I can fondly remember balloon wrapped presents, the ribbon and of course the sucker attached to each package. Priceless memories!"

 * ... PILOT HONOR: Reader Monica Powell passed along a note that Capt. Wayne Dirkes, a Naval Test Pilot School student, received the 2009 Exceptional Pilot Award. The honor is presented annually to a pilot selected by each of the five military branches for exceptional deeds performed to assure mission success. Dirkes is a graduate of Bakersfield High School.

 * ... BRIDGE QUARRY: A reader's post about the old 24th Street bridge quarry triggered a response from old friend Rick Kreiser, president of Carneys business systems. "While my memories are foggy of the 24^th Street bridge quarry, I distinctly remember dad telling me NOT to go in the water by the bridge!  Seems, he and mom were sitting on the levee one day watching my older sis, Carol, wade in the cool, knee-deep waters of the 'always-on' Kern…when she suddenly was NOT THERE!  Somehow, dad suspected the fate that had befallen her and dove into the spot where she disappeared.  Luckily, both he and Carol emerged after a minute or so (I’m told) and walked out – never to venture into that spot again.  Close call."

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From contributor Riley Parker: You know you're a Bakersfield old timer if "you rode bumper cars at Hart Park on the same day that you swam in the big green pool."

Steak dinners for $1.50 at the Bakersfield Inn and the community says farewell to the late judge Joe Noriega

* ... LAW SCHOOL: It was nice to hear from Kerry McGill that his son, Phillip, has decided on attending law school at the University of San Diego. I met Kerry while appearing on the  "Moneywise Guys" radio show (KERN 1180 AM), where he is one of the hosts. Phillip graduated from Stockdale High School and then UC Irvine and ended up with a number of law school scholarship offers (including one from the University of Notre Dame) but decided the lure of staying in California was just too great. Hats off to this high achieving youngster.


 * ... NORIEGA FUNERAL: The community gave a proper send off Thursday to Joseph Noriega, the former judge who died of cancer last week at the age of 81. Monsignor Craig Harrison presided over the Catholic service at St. Francis Church, which drew a large crowd of community leaders. Among those attending were District Attorney candidate Lisa Green and husband Jeff, community activist Sheryl Barbich, Superior Court Judge Gary Freidman, defense attorney H.A. Sala, local businessman and attorney Tony Leggio, John Brock Jr., Watson Realty president Ken Carter, local attorney Steve Clifford, Bruce and Jane Haupt and businessman Ed Shuler and wife Colleen. Noriega served as a judge for five years but is also known for helping found one of our community's premier insurance defense firms, Clifford and Brown.

* ... BAKERSFIELD INN: A reader sent me a menu from the old Bakersfield Inn on Union Avenue, once one of our city's premier restaurants. There's no date on it but it apparently was printed during World War II because it includes a note about many employees being gone serving in the military. The hotel's signature New York sirloin steak went for $2, halibut was 85 cents, salads were around 80 cents and two pork chops (including potatoes and rolls) went for 80 cents. Breakfast? Poached eggs on toast cost 65 cents, bacon or cheese omelette was 50 cents and a cup of coffee was a dime.

 * ... CRIME WATCH: Heard from a Northwest resident fed up with petty crime in her area. "We get hit almost every night - Coffee, Olive, Hageman, Patton - they take everything that's not nailed or glued down in your car and they go through your car like they are on some kind of scavenger hunt ... chap stick, hair scrunchies, cheap sun glasses. Whether you locked your car or not, whether you locked your garage door or not, whether you locked your front or side door or not. Nothing like waking up to hear someone was in your home while you were sleeping. I think the security watch signs should say 'Welcome to our neighborhood. Take all you want. Let's not be strangers. Come back anytime ya hear!'"

 * ... MORE OLD TIMES: Dena (Chase) Duty, born and raised here, wrote to share some special memories of Bakersfield. "As a family we would go to Woody's Toy Circus on Ming Avenue and I remember picking out a set of clackers and my mother bought me my first 'grown up' pair of bell bottom pants from Newbury's when I was around 10 years old. I have lived in other states (Scottsdale, Az., Colorado Springs, Co.) and while I appreciate their beauty and uniqueness, I am so happy to be living back here in Bakersfield, my home. Your (column) ... puts a smile on my face. Thanks for letting me share and keep the 'Bakersfield Memory' chain going. Love it!" And thanks to you, Dena.

 * ... AIR PARK: Earlier this week I mentioned the fact that there was once a small air strip (called La Cresta Air Park) up on the Panorama Bluffs between Bakersfield College and Greenlawn Mortuary and Cemetery. One reader, Gary Denny, emailed to tell me he not only remembers the air park but also recalls that it would occasionally be used for drag races.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're a Bakersfield old timer if you "remember when Kern City was the newest part of town."