Is now the time to purchase real estate? And Five Guys Burger and Fries may be headed to Bakersfield

 * ... TIME TO BUY? Is now the right time to buy a new home? The Wall Street Journal argues it may be, despite the fact that prices continue to decline and the nation may be facing a "double dip" in the housing market. Why? Interest rates are at historic lows, a glut of homes has created a classic "buyer's market" and prices may begin to rise sooner than we think. "While we might not see rapid growth in the next couple of years, there are a tremendous number of positive signs that could lead to a rebound," said Anthony Sanders, a real estate finance professor at George Mason University. "So what might the next five years look like?" the story added. "Once the foreclosure mess begins to clear up... the traditional drivers of the housing market - demographics, affordability, loan availability, employment and psychology- should take over."

 * ... EINSTEIN:  Bakersfield Memorial Hospital will hold a ground breaking for the Einstein Front Entrance Pavilion Thursday, honoring Dr. Hans E. Einstein. Memorial is undergoing a growth surge and this latest addition is a well deserved honor for Dr. Einstein, who has been one of the nation's leading experts in looking for a cure for Valley Fever. Construction will include a new exterior, an interior hospital entrance with canopied areas for patients and visitors, enlarged and enhanced lobby area and improved parking and circular drive for patient drop off. The ground breaking will be held at 5 p.m.

 * ... THE BUZZ: Word on the street is that a Five Guys Burger and Fries restaurant may soon be headed to Bakersfield. This Virginia-based company is big in the South and apparently a franchisee has purchased the rights to open a Five Guys both in Los Angeles and Kern counties. Five Guys is strikingly similar to In-N-Out Burger but usually does not have drive through service.

 * .... NEW PRINCIPAL: It looks like M.T. Merickel, principal at Seibert Elementary, will be moving to Stockdale Elementary School to replace longtime principal Ron Madding. Madding is retiring from the Panama-Buena Vista School District this year after serving for years as principal at Stockdale. (photo of M.T. Merickel courtesy of Panama-Buena Vista School District)

* ... EPILEPSY: There are a lot of deserving charities in our community, all competing for our attention, and one that needs our help in the Kern County Epilepsy Society. It is holding its annual Mud Volleyball tournament in Stramler Park on Saturday, June 25. The cost is $350 for a team of six to ten people. "Like our city, our organization has seen its ups and downs, but the participation of the community in our yearly event has always allowed us to raise enough funds to continue to provide services to those affected by brain injuries and epilepsy," said Julie Gragg. If interested, call (661) 634-9810 to sign up.


 * ... SPOTTED: Young couple with three children and two dogs, parked off Panorama Drive adjacent to the walking park, casually toss their Taco Bell wrappers and empty soda cups in the gutter while getting into their SUV.
 

* ... WHO KNEW? In 1973, Bakersfield had its own comic book in the tradition of the underground comics coming out of the Bay Area. Titled "Bakersfield Kountry Komics," the comic book was written and illustrated by Larry Welz and Larry Sutherland, who was from Bakersfield. The adult themed magazine is now considered a collector's item .

Nicole Parra takes a shot at the local paper, Irma Carson bows out and remembering the big 1952 quake

 * ... NICOLE IS OUT: So Nicole Parra is out of the race to succeed State Senate bound Michael Rubio on the Kern County Board of Supervisors.  "I have lived in Fresno for the past two years, I am president of Parra Consulting, and never considered a move or appointment to the Kern County Board of Supervisors," she wrote in a terse email to me and others. " I was flattered that some community leaders in Kern County did approach me three months ago, but I politely declined.  All your staff had to do was check the requirements for the appointment and see I was registered and voted in Fresno County. As far as your coverage of the appointment process in the Bakersfield Californian, it has been compared to 'tabloid material.'  It is obvious you, your staff support Wendy Wayne and have tried to discredit my father Pete Parra in the process." Don't you just love local politics? Turns out our staff did its work while Nicole was being coy and evasive about her intentions. I wonder if Nicole, as president of Parra Consulting, advises her clients to be more forthcoming.

 * ... GOODBYE IRMA: One local politician who rarely played games is Irma Carson, who is stepping down from the City Council after a long career. As Gretchen Wenner wrote in a Sunday profile in The Californian, Irma broke many barriers in Bakersfield and can look back proudly on doing a lot for her ward. With Irma, you always knew where she stood, even if you didn't agree. Good luck, Irma.

* ... OUR TRASH: Sick of hearing about the trash in our town? Well so am I but Marilyn Wilson offered an ingenious way to dealing with litter. "In traveling to various cities and towns in North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Carolina and Florida, one of the things that I most noticed was how clean their highways, roads and cities were compared to California and particularly Bakersfield.  Many people in these states take pride in how their cities and states look as it is a reflection on them who live there. I had read where one of these cities had a program called:  Will Work for Pay.  Why couldn't the city of Bakersfield establish a program like this where there would be no liability or benefits but would give people an opportunity to earn cash in keeping Bakersfield clean? I could see that it might start with 1) those who are on the street corners asking for donations, 2) people in front of stores and in malls asking for change to get on a bus, 3) people at gas stations asking for money for gas, 4) young people in juvenile hall, those at the Lerdo facility and those in half way houses 5) and people who are living at the Homeless Shelter, Rescue Mission and Salvation Army Mission. These people could earn money, self respect and dignity and at the same time contribute to the community in which they live.  I see this as a win - win situation for all who would participate." Nice thought.

 * ... 1952 QUAKE: Reader Joseph Harper was just 11 years old when the big 1952 earthquake shook Bakersfield, but he remembers it as if it happened yesterday. He was asleep and when the quake hit, "my bed did a jig clear across the room almost to the other side. Then as the house started to settle the second shock hit... When the second shock hit I went up and as I came back down I hit just to the edge of the bed, enough to slip it upside down right on top of me. Talk about a rude awakening!"

 * .. TAKEOVER: Heard the other day that the popular cable show "Salon Takeover" with Tabatha Coffey may be filming in Bakersfield this week. The show, in which Coffey gives salons tips to improve their business, is supposed to be filming at Serenity on Coffee Road. The show runs on the Bravo network. (Photo courtesy of Bravo TV)

 * ... CRABFEST: Mark January 21 on your calendar for Crabfest, the annual fund raiser for St. Francis Parish School. This year it will return to Harvest Hall at the Kern County Fairgrounds. This is a wonderful fund raiser featuring outstanding crab an all for a good cause. Table sponsorships are available for $1,000.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From regular contributor Jack Kelley: You know you're a Bakersfield old-timer if you "remember the rodeos at the old fairgrounds at what is now Sam Lynn Park on North Chester."

Is it 'beneath' children to pitch in and clean up some trash? A principal bows to a complaining parent

 * ... LITTER: A reader who asked to remain anonymous had this to say about the litter problem that plagues our community. "Perhaps one of the reasons we have so little regard for the litter problem would be explained by an incident shared with me by a local primary school teacher friend. The practice was that each of the classes took turns, in rotation, picking up loose trash before they returned to their classroom after recess. One of the mothers went to the principal to complain that it was 'beneath' her child to do that and so the principal canceled that responsibility teaching exercise for all the classes. Since when it is 'beneath' a child to clean up after themselves and to assist others as well?" Wouldn't you love to know the name of the elementary school involved here as well as the name of the complaining parent?

 * ... CRIME WATCH: I am always encouraged to hear about folks working together to keep our community clean and safe. At the end of the day, it is up to us to make it happen. David Collins, a sale representative for Commercial Trade, Inc., lives in the Northeast and addressed the issue by founding the South Oswell Neighborhood Watch. "Over the past year we have reported over 70 graffiti hits to the city, removed over 90 pieces of graffiti and picked up over 140 bags of trash." Well done, David.

 * ... VALLEY CLOUT: Nice to read in the Wall Street Journal how important the San Joaquin Valley is in the important Senate and Governor's races. Reporter Jim Carlton noted that Senate candidate Carly Fiorina  had made 22 trips to the Valley since announcing her candidacy. Locally, it seems hardly a week goes by that either Fiorina or Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman is not somewhere in Kern County. The Valley is seen has holding some of the crucial swing votes in a tight race for both offices.

 * ... HOLY BOWL: The annual Holy Bowl football game between Garces Memorial High and San Joaquin Memorial is this Saturday at Garces. As part of the game, Garces will honor the 25th anniversary of the 1985 undefeated Valley Championship football team at half time. Among those on the team were Gino Valpredo, co-owner of Luigi's Delicatessen; Mike Lewis, a Garces record holder for career yards passing; Kevin Bead, Garces record holder for interceptions in a game; Dr. Josh Tobias, grandson of Sam Tobias, whom the Garces football field is named; Kelly Bellue, who played rugby at UC Berkeley; and Bobby Bellue, another rugby player at Berkeley and now the UC Santa Cruz rugby coach. And by the way, the  annual Garces barbeque is coming up October 7. Get your tickets now.

 * ... WAYNE'S DAIRY: Reader Larry Woertz wrote to talk about Wayne's Dairy, "the No. 1 dairy in Bakersfield's home delivery days of long ago. "Having been a milk man back in the 1960s and 1970s I can say it was the best job I ever had. If you were going to have to work you might as well have fun and enjoy it. I also ended up marrying one of my customers and am still married to her." Woertz went on to say that Wayne's is having its 20th reunion at Hodel's on Saturday, Oct. 2, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with lunch served at 1 p.m.

 * ... SPOTTED: Middle-aged woman in late-model, metallic gray 3 Series BMW, aggressively weaving through traffic on Calloway Drive, blows through a red light at Brimhall and flips off a white Honda that dared honk its horn at her.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're a Bakersfield old-timer if "you saw Willie Mays play at Sam Lynn Park in a 'barnstormer' exhibition game and remember the name of the Bakersfield kid who stole the show. (Johnny Callison)"

As the city gets ready to launch an anti-littering campaign, used diapers show up in local parking lots

 * ... OUR SHAME: Got a call the other day from Dianne Hoover, director of our city Parks and Recreation Department. Turns out she is spearheading a new effort to heighten public awareness about littering, which by any measure is out of control in our community. Hoover is clearly frustrated with the way some of our citizens literally trash our parks on the weekends, leaving behind everything from paper cups and plates to soiled diapers. How many times have you driven down one of our streets and watched as some knucklehead nonchalantly (and without shame) tosses his fast food wrappers out the window? "In some ways it means changing our culture," Hoover said, "and that's not easy to do." But at least it's a start, and it deserves all of our support. Interested? Have ideas? Call Hoover at 661-326-3866 or email her at dhoover@bakersfieldcity.us.

 * ... SPOTTED: And this is why Hoover's campaign is so important. I was running errands the other day and ended up at Target on Rosedale Highway, where I was greeted with a used diaper sitting near a small bush on the concrete median, not 15 feet from a Target trash container. Later that day I ended up at the new Target on Stockdale Highway where - surprise! - I found my second used diaper of the day in the parking lot next to a black Chevrolet SUV, baking in the afternoon heat. Ever wonder about the lessons these mothers and fathers will be handing down to these infants? And so it goes.

 * ... NON-PROFITS: It's that time of year when the non-profits are rolling out their annual golf tournaments to raise money, and it should come as no surprise that many are lightly attended. Charitable giving is down, unemployment is up and every business person I know has battened down the hatches to ride out this recession. Few people are writing checks for $500 to field a foursome anymore, no matter how worthy the charity. One recent non-profit tournament had half the turnout as last year, and given the dismal economic outlook for the next year, I don't think things will get better anytime soon.

 * ... CANCER FIGHT: If you do have a couple of spare bucks, and you want to support a worthy cause, check out the Pyrenees Fiesta this Saturday from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Bakersfield City Firefighters Hall on Wible road. Fifty dollars gets you dinner, dancing an an auction and proceeds benefit the Mendiburu Magic Foundation, which focuses on cancer research and serves local families who have a loved one fighting cancer. Contact Brian Mendiburu at bmendiburu@bak.rr.com for details.

* ... LARSON'S DAIRY: Randy Hamm, the long-time journalism adviser over at East Bakersfield High School, wants to know about a hippopotamus, named Sam, who apparently lived at the old Larson's Dairy on Larson Lane. "We moved into that neighborhood in 1983, and there was no sign of a hippo by then. Maybe some of your readers will remember this."

 * ... THOMPSON'S: Michelle Beck adds her memories of the old Thompson's Petland. "My grandmother, Emilie Butterfield, worked at Thompson's Petland from the late 1950s to the early 1970s.  Thompson's didn't sell typical pets like cats and dogs, but they did sell hamsters, parakeets and snakes. They also sold some more unusual pets, such as golden mantle squirrels and small monkeys.  One time, my grandmother brought a sickly monkey home over the weekend, because it wasn't eating well and needed special attention. My mom, Kathy Davis and my aunt, Judy Worley, had pet golden mantle squirrels from Thompson's when they were young girls. My grandma told me a story about a time when a customer wanted to buy a particular snake from a terrarium containing six or seven snakes. The man who usually took care of the snakes was on his break, and told my grandmother the customer would have to wait until the man's break was over. My grandma said, 'Who needs you? I'll do it myself!' stormed out, grabbed the snake and put it into a bag for the customer.  I can remember going in there during the 1970s when I was a kid. I don't think they were still selling monkeys and squirrels by then, but I can remember many terrariums of fish and reptiles as well as cages of birds. I loved going there."

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're from Bakersfield when "you know summer is never really over until the Kern County Fair wraps up."

Dealing with a community that trashes its parks and resisting the rash of summer burglaries

 * ... OUR TRASH:  A lot of folks have contacted me to vent their frustration with the way our parks and green areas are trashed virtually every weekend. Bonnie Farrer was one of them.  "In Singapore if you are caught littering you are forced to clean the streets as punishment. I have driven through Hart Park and seen dirty diapers by the road. This is unacceptable, especially since there are litter bins all over the park. I also saw a woman throw a gum wrapper out her window as if it were the natural thing to do. Let's do something. Yes, we have a $1,000 fine for littering but I think it is unrealistic. Let's lower the fine and then enforce it."

 * ... CRIME WATCH: Had the chance to chat with Police Chief Greg Williamson the other day, and he told me that home and commercial burglaries are up 9 percent. Why? High unemployment, a dismal economy and the state prison system dumping literally hundreds of unsupervised parolees in Kern County. The chief's advice? Lock your doors, lower your window shades, leave the alarm on, don't leave valuables visible in your home or car and if you see something suspicious, report it immediately to the police.

 * ... MEMORIES: Speaking of old Bakersfield, reader Don Enebo recalls the old Tex's Barrel House that was located just off the Garces Circle. "In spite of its reputation, it was probably better than the Deja Vu which is in the same old neighborhood," he said.

 * ...  HEY BARACK: Heard from Philip Brandon, a recent Garces Memorial High graduate who is now living and working on Martha's Vineyard where President Obama is vacationing. Turns out that among Philip's odd jobs  is one working as a full service gas station attendant at the Airport Mobile station in Edgartown. And to keep his job while the president was vacationing Philip had to receive special clearance from the Secret Service. You just never know when a black Suburban might pull up and some familiar figure rolls down the window to bark a presidential order: 'Wipe the windows, check the oil and fill her up."

 * ... EAST BAKERSFIELD: And reader Don Kurtz wanted to wax poetic about old east Bakersfield, adding these thoughts: "How about Tiny's Diner downtown, or Clark's Broiler at Union and Monterey? Or the hamburger grill across from Jefferson Park on Beale Avenue? The Fosters Freeze at Niles and Union or Blue Jays Ice Cream Parlor on Bernard across from Longfellow School. This is just a start of really bringing back good memories of East Bakersfield and a little bit of downtown." Thanks for sharing, Don.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're a Bakersfield old timer if "you remember the name of the dairy at North Chester and the river and the full name of the person who owned it. (Wayne's Dairy, owned by Wayne Peacock)

CSUB's big gamble to attain Division 1 status and more feedback on trash in our parks

 * ... THE BIG GAMBLE: Hats off to Cal State Bakersfield for its successful drive to attain Division 1 status for its sports programs. A well connected  group of alumni and boosters were behind this, arguing D-1 status will add to the school's image and give the programs better leverage in recruiting top athletes. But not everyone supported the drive, saying the school instead should be putting more emphasis on its academic programs to lure a different kind of student to the university. In the best of worlds,  supporters hope CSUB will follow in the footsteps of schools like Gonzaga, the small Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington, that has gained national stature via a highly successful Division 1 basketball program.


 * ... BILL KIZER: In a time when so few people value loyalty to their employers, it's nice to hear cases  like that of William "Bill" Kizer. He retired recently from Today Cleaners where he worked for 55 years. That's right, more than five decades at the same place of work. Three generations of family ownership worked with Bill, including Jeff Newman Sr. who credits him with teaching him the ropes of the family business. In addition to that, eight other members of Bill's family worked at Sparkle or Today cleaners. Current company president Jeff Newman Jr. joined in a party to celebrated Bill's retirement. How many folks retire at the age of 86 after 55 years at the same job?

* ... TRASH WOES: I clearly hit a nerve with a recent post about our parks being strewn with litter after a weekend. Reader Pat Napier wrote to note that while traveling in Mexico "you will notice that all the parks and beaches look just like the ones here in Bako after a weekend or holiday.... strewn with beer bottles, watermelon rinds, potato chip packages etc, waiting for the tide to come in and wash it all away. What a shame to trash a beautiful country just like what is being done to Kern County." My take: there's lot of bad behavior in our community and it usually has more to do with education and upbringing than nation of origin.

 * ... STINSON'S: Stinson's Stationers, one of our town's iconic family owned businesses, held a shoe drive last week and collected almost 500 pairs for the Bakersfield Homeless Shelter. Business development manager Heather Henderson told me company drivers picked up the shoes along their routes or customers dropped off the shoes at the various Stinson's locations. And they did it all in one week.

 * ... LOCAL BOY: Reader Joel Hoffman was watching a Detroit Tigers versus Texas Rangers game on Brighthouse Networks the other day when the announcer mentioned the Ranger's pitcher - Colby Lewis - was from Bakersfield. He's listed as a 31-year-old right handed starter who stands six foot four and weighs in at 230 pounds.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader Anne Grogan: You know you're from Bakersfield when "you see people lining up to have their photos taken next to the Bob's Big Boy statue as if it were a national monument."