Relay for Life closes in on $2 million goal and here comes the Spring Cal State Barbecue

 * ... DOMINIC: Hats off to the thousands of folks who participated in this weekend's Relay for Life. One team, Dominic's Dugout, raised more than $17,000 for the cause. The team is named for Dominic Cornejo, a promising young man who died of cancer just shortly after graduating from Garces Memorial High School. His parents, Irma and Gerry Cornejo, wanted to thank everyone who has donated in the name of their late son. This year's Relay attracted a huge crowd (some 10,000 people) representing more than 400 teams. Its goal was to rail $2 million.

* ... CSUB: Don't forget the 40th annual CSUB Athletics Spring BBQ is coming up this Thursday out at the campus. This is always a fun event with great people watching and a terrific meal. The brains and cooks behind this event are chairman John Giumarra, Jr. and the Icardo Family, starting with the late Jimmie Icardo and now his son Gary and grandson Adam Icardo. Mark this one on your calendar.

* ... PIT BULLS: There are few issues that divide us more than how we feel about pit bulls. Born to kill or misunderstood dogs made vicious by their owners? I will be talking about pit bulls with several experts on Monday at 9 a.m. on Californian Radio KERN 1180. Call 661-842-5387 to weigh in.

 * ... OVERHEARD: A local man talking to a friend: "I don't get it. Why is it I can be arrested if I throw away used motorcycle oil in my trash, but the city oils down entire streets every few years. Does that make sense?"

 * ... BAD FORM: This note was sent to me by someone who asked to remain anonymous. "I spent hours filling out a job application with the Kern County Water Agency that contained ten pages of short answer job related questions. The rejection letter had someone's else's name at my address. Called the agency and was assured I received the right letter, even though it wasn't addressed to me. I still haven't received a letter addressed to me.  I can't believe they expect applicants to spend hours answering questions just to apply for a job, when they can't be bothered to spend a couple of minutes to send a letter with a correct name and address. Poor form."

 * ... HIGH ACHIEVERS: Hats off to a special group of students who competed in the state level of the National History Day competition in Riverside. Some of these youngsters are moving on to the national competition in June, to be held in Maryland. They will soon be raising money to fund their trips, and I couldn't think of a better effort. Some of the winners include Alex Coleman and Christopher Trickey (Champion) from Fruitvale Jr. High, Group Documentary, going to Nationals;  Kaitlyn Moss and Caitlyn Richter (Champion) from Fruitvale Jr. High, Group Exhibit, going to Nationals;  Cassidy Porter (Champion) from Endeavour Elementary, Individual Performance, going on to Nationals; Jessica Jensen (runner up) from Endeavour Elementary, Individual Display and Emma McNellis (Champion) from Endeavour Elementary, Individual Display;  and Madeline Abernathy (Champion) from Laurelglen Elementary, Individual Display.  Special Awards: Best use of Primary and Expert Sources Emma McNellis-Endeavour Elementary; Exemplary Understanding and Use of Geography Alexis Hill, Kaitlyn Hillis and Max Barrera - Thorner School; Outstanding Use of Academic English by English Language Learner Bryan Garcia- Blake Elementary. Thanks to Julie Gragg for submitting this.

McCarthy: California rates worst state to do business while Sacramento, and the Obama administration, push tax and spend policies

 "Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) gives us his weekly post from Capitol Hill.

 "This past week, California received the dubious honor of being named the worst state for business again. To end the hostile business climate in California and make our state a place where innovators can grow and succeed again, Sacramento needs to fight against unnecessary regulations, tax increases disguised as fees, and rampant deficit spending that crushes Californians’ entrepreneurial spirit.  As a native Californian, I want our state to thrive and be competitive with other states in the Union, many of which recognize the terrible business climate in California and successfully recruit businesses from our state. 

 "According to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics announcement this week, only 115,000 jobs were created nationwide in April.  These jobs numbers - coupled with slow growth in GDP the first part of this year – continue to show that we are in the process of the weakest economic recovery on record. With more than 12 million Americans out of work as we enter the 39th month of above 8% unemployment nationally – 15.5% here in Kern County – we are reminded that the President’s tax-spend-and-regulate policies are failing American families and small businesses.

 "Small businesses are responsible for 65% of all job creation in this country. Yet, in survey after survey small businesses say they’re not hiring due to the economic uncertainty resulting from skyrocketing gas prices, burdensome regulations and constant tax increase threats from the President and Congressional Democrats. We can also see that a growing number of American families and small business owners are increasingly dissatisfied with the consequences of Obamacare. Americans are sending a clear message: we still need more jobs, and we still need more economic growth.

 "My House Republican colleagues and I are listening to this message, and that is why the House has passed over two dozen jobs bills designed to give small businesses the certainty that they need to grow and start hiring again. Giving our small business owners more confidence in the economy also means that we must be good stewards of scarce taxpayer dollars. Instead of pouring more money that we don’t have into questionable projects like High Speed Rail, we need to encourage local private sector growth through legislation like the JOBS Act, which passed the House and was enacted into law in April. This bill is specifically aimed at helping new start-ups and small businesses get off the ground, access capital – something that I fought to include in it - and create more jobs.

 "Next week in Washington, House Republicans plan to debate reconciliation legislation—a fancy term for a bill to reduce spending and help get our fiscal house in order, while preventing over $500 billion in cuts to our military and national defense that could endanger our national security. Be assured that I will fight to ensure that our brave men and women in the Armed Forces have the resources and supplies they need to succeed, and that policies coming from Washington help remove government barriers to job creation, not stifle entrepreneurship and growth.

Californian Radio to discuss pit bulls: misunderstood sweethearts or vicious potential killers that need to be outlawed?

* ... PIT BULLS: Did you know that in any given year pit bull type dogs account for about 60 percent of all fatal dog attacks? And when you add in Rottweilers, the number jumps to 73 percent? So how do you feel about pit bulls? Are they misunderstood sweethearts or a vicious breed that should be outlawed or at least regulated? Is it the owner that makes them mean or is it in their DNA? I will be discussing the subject Monday, on Californian Radio KERN 1180, to talk about Bakersfield's unofficial mascot. Tune in to share your stories, good and bad, by calling 842-KERN (5376) The show begins at 9 a.m.

 * ... ROY CLARK: Roy Clark, who along with the late Buck Owens made the TV show "Hee Haw" famous, played recently at The Crystal Palace but it wasn't a performance that left everyone pleased. Caleb Melton posted his own frustration on The Bakersfield Californian/Opinion's Facebook wall when he said Clark rejected his efforts to get a picture of him. "Just wanted to say if anyone did or wants to see Roy Clark live don't do it, because he knows how to shatter a person's childhood memories and has no heart." Melton dropped by Clark's bus and asked if he could get a picture. And this was after he wrote a heartfelt letter to Clark telling him how much he meant to him. "All I got was a thanks but no... he even gave the heartfelt letter back to his band manger to give back to me. He could have signed it but he didn't even do that... Mr. Clark has forgotten that if wasn't for fans like me, he would be a no one. Now I know why Buck Owens wanted to stay away from Nashville."

 * ... BAD FORM: Local businessman Herb Walker shared his frustration with me about people who use our community as their personal trash can. Herb owns a building on District Boulevard that houses the local YMCA, and over the weekend someone used his parking lot to change the oil of their motorcycle, leaving behind three Coke bottles full of oil and other assorted trash. "Who on earth does this?" he asked. Apparently, a lot of folks around town.

* ... HONOREE: Want to feel good about today's youth? Then consider Wendi Wu, a senior at Independence High School who was chosen as the "Young Woman Defining Philanthropy" at the Women's and Girls' Fund luncheon this week. Check out her accomplishments: She is a member of Independence’s Energies and Utilities Academy, she has an impressive academic record and she has a long list of community service accomplishments.  She’s also one of 1,000 students nationally selected for a Gates Millenium Scholarship. As a Gates Scholar, Wendi will have a full ride through college, including the medical degree she will pursue. (photo of Wendi with Rep. Kevin McCarthy (left) and Judi McCarthy (no relation) of the Women's and Girls' Fund.)

 * ... STRANDED: Reader Richard C. Clason wrote to respond to an earlier post by a woman who wondered why no one stopped to help when she ran out of gas. "If all she did was pull to the side of the road and get out of her car there is no reason for anyone to stop to help.  If she were to raise her hood, the men of Bakersfield would have stopped to help at the universal sign.  I know the firefighters would have stopped to help under those conditions, as I retired from the Kern County Fire Department, and know the mind set of those folks. Perhaps the best advise I could give her was some I received from my father almost 50 years ago, 'IT DOESN'T COST ANY MORE TO KEEP THE TOP HALF OF YOUR GAS TANK FULL THAN THE BOTTOM HALF!'"

* ... BOMB SHELTERS: All the memories about bomb shelters being built following the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis brought this note from reader Glen Worrell. "The principal of the school where I was teaching and living (in the College Heights area) said he wasn't going to build a bomb shelter. He was just going (if necessary) to get a piece of plastic to cover the air vent, take his shotgun and cover the air vent. When someone came out to see what was wrong he and his wife WOULD get in the bomb shelter!"

 * ... DUCK AND COVER: Sue Anderson, a counselor at the Hort School, recalled the bomb drills when she was in private grade school. "We would all go into the church and lay under the pews, and were always cautioned to cover our head and get all of our limbs underneath the pew.  Looking back, it seems sort of naiive that we thought a church pew would save us from total destruction.  I had dreams about this for years."

Erotic fiction "Fifty Shades of Grey" sweeps through Bakersfield and remembering the late Paul White with a memorial ride and run

 * ... PAUL WHITE:  Last year our community lost a great man when longtime educator Paul White died of a massive heart attack while riding his bike up Round Mountain. The popular former principal and administrator at Panama Buena Vista Union School District was just 64 years old and his death shattered his many friends across town. On Saturday, May 12, the second annual Paul White Memorial Ride and Run will be held beginning at 8 a.m. at Yokuts Park. Margaret Scrivano Patteson said the cost is $25 before May 5 and $30 after that. Proceeds go to the Paul White memorial scholarship fund and to the American Heart Association. Contact Margaret at margpatt@sbcglobal.net.

 * .... THE BUZZ: Every once in a while a book comes along that takes off like wildfire, but I can't remember any as controversial as "Fifty Shades of Grey." The red-hot novel, written by English author E.L. James, enjoys an audience that is huge, hooked and a little reluctant to admit it. Why? The book has been dubbed "Mommy porn" because it deals with a manipulative billionaire who showers his young girlfriend with affection in return for total sexual submission, and you can fill in the blanks from there. The erotic fiction trilogy (there are three books in the series) has been embraced by women of all ages and if you ask, some of your best friends may even admit reading it. The trilogy sits comfortably in the top three spots on the New York Times best seller list.

 * ... SICK BAY: Mel Atkinson, owner of M.D. Atkinson property management, is at home recuperating after a cycling accident that left him with a broken clavicle. Mel was riding on the bike trail near Truxtun Lake over the weekend when he slammed into an 80-pound pit bull that was loose on the trail. He credits his helmet with preventing even worse injuries. He is now scheduled for surgery with Dr. Chris Hamilton at the Southern California Orthopedic Institute (SCOI). The lesson: keep your dogs on a leash, wear that helmet and keep Chris Hamilton's phone number on your speed dial. (file photo of Mel Atkinson)

* ... SPOTTED: Jean Park was driving north on Olive Drive last week when the traffic came to a complete stop. In front of her were a mother duck and 10 ducklings crossing Olive Drive. "Hats off to the Varner Trash Company driver who stopped and made for a pleasant scene for a busy Monday morning."

* ... OVERHEARD:  From my friend Janell Graham: "So I ran out of gas earlier and I got three whistles and two fire trucks that went on by. Not 1 asked me if I needed help. Are there any real men left in the world? Sheesh."

 * ... EATERY: Todd Karli, news director at KERO TV, was in Cincinnati recently and stopped by the "Bakersfield" restaurant that features country music and walls painted with iconic scenes from our town. "I went there last month, a few weeks after it opened. Good atmosphere with a musical blend of Bakersfield Sound tunes and other country music.  It was a good spot to stop for an appetizer and beverage. The owners were thrilled that a few guys from the real”'Bakersfield visited their restaurant. (photos courtesy of Todd Karli)

California Radio will focus on spending and the future of the Golden State, and what's with the Bakersfield police littering our streets?

 * ... GOLDEN STATE: What is your view of the future of California? Are we on track to become the next Greece? Will unbridled spending and public pensions spell the end of the promise of the California dream? Join me on Californian Radio KERN 1180 Monday when I will be chatting with David Bynum, an attorney at LeBeau-Thelen, about unfunded pension liabilities and their affect on the state and local governments. I also will be talking with Dr. Raj Patel, a partner in Preferred Family Physicians, about seasonal allergies and what we can all to do deal with them.

 * ... GRADUATES: This is the time of year when our children walk across the stages of high schools and colleges in graduation ceremonies that make us all swell with pride. So congratulations to all these graduates and the families that stood behind them in their quests. And special kudos to my own Hannah Beene, who graduated this past week at the University of Michigan, and all those teachers at McAuliffe Elementary, Tevis Junior High and Stockdale High School who guided her along the way.

 * ... FAN CLUB?: I wrote earlier about trash piling up on the bike trail following the Great American Cleanup, and it triggered this response from reader Kash Berry. "Go pick up the trash yourself you bum...  Don't complain about bags being left out..  complain about the shame that is your excuse for a newspaper and city. And when the Amgen (cycling) tour hits Bakersfield, all that the participants and spectators from out of town will notice is the worst city in California that stinks of bad air and idiotic people. Let the river flow! It might cover up the trash left out." Thanks Kash, but next time try to be more direct.

 * ... SPOTTED: Larry A. Fredeen describes himself as a "law and order" guy who has always supported the Bakersfield Police Department. But last week he witnessed some behavior he wanted to share. He was driving south on M Street and fell behind a Bakersfield police unit. At a red light, the officer rolled down the window and dumped a handful of peanut shells out his window, and then repeated it at the next two lights. "I spend hours (as do other good Bakersfield citizens) keeping the area around my home, street and a nearby 'city-owned' alley cleaned up.  (Just ask Harold Hansen, he's aware of my cleaning.)  I keep a trash bag in my vehicles, I never throw anything from them, and empty the debris in a proper trash can.  I have helped out on city clean up days, and the Great American Cleanup etc. I was appalled to view one of Bakersfield's finest littering our downtown streets."

 * ... BAKO: Local farmer Dick Porter and wife Becky were in Cincinnati recently when they came upon a downtown restaurant named 'Bakersfield.' Porter described it as "music saloon" which featured Bakersfield landmarks on the walls and a band that plays "outlaw country music." Painted on one wall is the Bakersfield arch and on another wall is the Fox Theater.

* ... NFL: Debby Schipper dropped me a note to add a few more names to the already long list of local athletes who played in the National Football League. "I wanted to remind you of John and Melvin Tarver who played for the Patriots and Broncos respectively. I went to Arvin High School with both of them and wanted to remind you of their achievments in the NFL! Carrying on their tradition, I have heard via Facebook that one of their nephews, Justin Cheadle, just signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. (Cheadle when to Bakersfield High School) What  fabulous family contributions Arvin has made to the NFL!"

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: Spotted on Facebook was this: You know you're from Bakersfield when the best burger in town comes from a car wash (34th Street Car Wash) and the best bloody Mary is from a bowling alley (Westchester Bowl).

How about some home brewed whiskey right here in Bakersfield? And David Blaine looks to auction a football with signatures from local NFL greats

 * ... NFL GREATS: Did you know that Kern County has produced more than 40 men who have played in the National Football League? And David Blaine, an attorney over at Klein DeNatale Goldner, is hoping to get all of those who are alive to sign  a commemorative NFL football to auction off for a good cause. The football has already been signed by folks like Ryan Matthews (Chargers), 

David Carr (Giants), Ken Ruettgers (Packers), Michael Stewart (Rams), Aaron Merz (Bills), Joey Porter (Steelers), Brent McClanahan (Vikings), Mark Nichols (Lions), Jeff Buckey (Dolphins), Stephen Neal (Patriots) and others. "It's been a four month journey sending this football around the country," Blaine told me. "It's been shipped, hauled and handed off from person to person." The football will be auctioned at the CASA Kentucky Derby Party on Saturday, May 5, with all proceeds going to CASA. Tickets are $175 each. Call (661) 631-2272 if interested.

 * ... SPOTTED: Peter Mayer dropped me a note about a horrific incident he witnessed involving a dog riding in the back of a pickup truck. Mayer was driving on Highway 99 when he came upon large yellow labrador pacing back and forth in the bed of the truck, at times placing its front paws on the side of the bed. "Within seconds the dog actually jumped from the right side of the truck (traveling in the right lane), hitting the pavement at about 60 miles per hour. It rolled under the truck and was hit by the owner himself at least twice as the truck swerved and spun to a stop facing the opposite direction. The dog actually got up and limped to the right shoulder, and the truck also pulled off (still facing the wrong way). Thankfully, nobody was directly behind and surrounding traffic was able to slow and move away from the situation.  I don’t know what ultimately happened to the poor dog or the owner." Mayer noted that pets are like children, and they "depend on us to take care of them and keep them from dangerous situations. I don’t have a problem with a dog riding in a pickup truck, but keep it on a very short leash, attached to the middle of the truck bed." Amen.

 * .... BOMB SHELTERS: Last week I mentioned how some folks in town built bomb shelters following the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. But did you know there was a huge one beneath East High? That's what Ben Ansolabehere told me. "Living in Bakersfield put us right in the middle of some of this country's most important targets. Nestled between Edwards Air force Base, Vandenberg Air Force Base,  SAC (Strategic Air Command) base near Sacramento, not to mention the largest city in the U.S., with one miscalculation and we were gone. However, one of the largest shelters built was actually under the cafeteria at East High School. While teaching at East, both World and U.S History, I had the privilege of taking my early classes down to the shelter to see some of the old bunk beds, provisions, and sparse living conditions which would have had to be endured by any of the survivors lucky enough to make it down there."

* ... SEMPER FI: From reader Kathy Hahn: "While working out this morning at Eric Nolan's Extreme Kickboxing, I was talking with a young man who had spent 12 years with the Navy and Marine Corps. Now he is working on getting a PA degree at Taft college while supporting a wife and three small children. So proud to have our tax dollars going to someone with determination and character. His hopes are to go to Stanford to get a Doctors degree and then reenlist. Wow!"

 * ... BAKO WHISKEY: Bakersfield is known for a lot of things, and it soon may be known for its whiskey. That's right, local businessman Dave Plivelich told me about his North High School buddy Wade Bowen and a group of investors who plan to produce and market a high grade whiskey right here in Bakersfield. Dave, who owns the The Marcom Group digital marketing agency, told me he recently reconnected with Bowen who shared his dream of making premium whiskey. They now have all the federal licenses as well as federal approval of the recipe. The still is built and empty bottles and corks are ready to go. "We're anticipating bringing Bakersfield its first legitimate whiskey, and it's a damn fine whiskey to boot, sometime in May of this year. This is all produced here in Bakersfield and will be made in small batches. Our thing is... if you are going to get a superb American-made whiskey that doesn't come from Tennessee (Bowen's is better anyways), its only logical that it would come from someplace with such a rich west coast history." Bowen's Spirits Inc. will be the producer of Bowen's Whiskey. Look for it.

Ten days after the Great American Cleanup and the city has yet to remove the collected trash, and how about some water in the river for the Tour of California

 * ... TRASH: Ten days ago hundreds of local volunteers spread across our community picking up trash as part of the Great American Cleanup Day. That was terrific, yet more than a week later much of the trash remained, particularly along the Kern River bike path where the once neatly stacked piles of black trash bags were trashed themselves by the homeless, animals and inclement weather. It's a shame it took more than a week to finally pick up the trash bagged by legends of volunteers.

* ... KERN RIVER: If the city would like to make amends, perhaps it can arrange to have water in the river during the upcoming Tour of California bicycle race. At least that's the idea of Frances Rosales, one of the owners of Happy Jack's restaurant downtown. "Why can't we have water flowing down the river when the Amgen Tour of California bike race is in town? We have friends coming from Napa and it would be great to see us at our best," she said. The tour will be in Bakersfield on Thursday, May 17, for the individual time trial competition. Some 30,000 spectators are expected to watch the time trial on the Panorama bluffs near Bakersfield College.

* ... SHOE DRIVE: Rosco Rolnick is at it again, helping those in need with his 20th annual "Shoes for the Homeless" campaign benefiting the Bakersfield Homeless Center. Rosco is president of Guarantee Shoe Center on Chester Avenue and has long been a supporter of our community. The shoe drive will conclude on May 6. Donations can be dropped off at Guarantee Shoe Center, KGET TV, Second Smile Denture Car, the Downtown School and at Four Seasons activity center. Donors will receive $10 off their next purchase of regularly priced shoes of $60 or more at Guarantee Shoe Center.

 * ... BOMB SHELTERS: My earlier post on the bomb shelter in Rick Kreiser's yard in College Heights brought this note from reader Carl R. Moreland. "In 1966, when we bought our first home on 21st Street from the former Kern County Museum Director Richard Bailey, it included a bomb shelter. When visitors first came the house, we always took them went down into the submarine-like shelter. Our children Margalo and Krista and their friends used it as an underground playhouse."

 * ... BOMB BAR: And then there was this note sent to me from Richard Diffee: "One more thing about bomb shelters. Old timers may remember a bar on Union Avenue near 8th Street during the 1940s called the Bomb Shelter. Patrons went there to get bombed."

 * ... WEBSTER WEBFOOT: I wrote earlier about the old television show called Webster Webfoot and Jimmy Weldon. It brought this response from reader Gary Higgins: "Jimmy is alive and well and living in North Hollywood. I was an avid fan of Webster Webfoot when I lived in Fresno in the 1950s.

* .... WHO KNEW? From the Vision 2020 Image Committee comes this: "Did you know there is a band called Brokedown in Bakersfield that pays homage to the Bakersfield Sound, which it says is 'California country music made raw and rocking, spiked with twang and sweetened with heartfelt harmonies.'

Bakersfield West annual Cioppino Night brings in $100,000 for charities and Steve McEvoy is ousted at KERO TV

* ... CIOPPINO: One of the signature Bakersfield spring fund raisers was held Saturday night at Monsignor Leddy Hall over at Garces Memorial High School, the always spectacular and fun Cioppino Feed and Live Auction hosted by Bakersfield West Rotary. Featuring "all you can eat" fresh clams, salad and cioppino brimming with shrimp and crab, this event routinely attracts more that 300 people and raises $100,000 or more for some worthy charities. This year's beneficiaries include the Boys and Girls Clubs, the Golden Empire Gleaners, MARE and the Bakersfield West Rotary Foundation. Too many people to list here but among those I spotted were Vernon Varner, Mike Rubiy, Diane and Tom Gordon, county supervisor candidates Harley Pinson and Karen Goh, Harry Starkey, John Fallgatter, Jim Darling, Greg and Mary Bynum, Nancy Olcott, Robin and Pat Paggi, Linda and Bruce Jay, Karen and John Wells, Rick Kreiser and Lori Tovar Stites, and of course West Rotary President Ricki Foster.

* ... KERO SHAKEUP: Steve McEvoy is out as general manager of KERO TV (channel 23) after 28 years at the station. The move came this week when the new owner of the station, Scripps, terminated McEvoy. Years ago KERO TV was once the local ratings powerhouse but has been lagging behind market leader KGET and KBAK for the past 10 or 15 years. Scripps bought KERO and several other TV stations from McGraw Hill in January. Management changes are not unexpected after a sale of a station.

 * .... RAVI PATEL: Dr. Ravi Patel, one of the foremost experts on fighting cancer locally and the founder of the Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center, will be my guest on the Monday edition of Californian Radio on KERN 1180. Patel will be taking on a wide range of topics, including the state of cancer care in Kern County and his own personal story. He will be appearing at 9:30 a..m.

* ... CSUB WRESTLING: You have to hand it to the supporters of the storied Cal State Bakersfield wrestling program: they simply refuse to give up. Faced with the sport being eliminated at the school because of budget cuts, supporters are tireless in their efforts to save the program. The latest fund raiser will be held Tuesday, May 1, at Stockdale Country Club. It is billed as an "Evening with Stephen Neal," the former New England Patriots offensive lineman and two-time world wrestling champion at CSUB. The cost is $75 per ticket. Call (661) 302-4455.

 * ... REUNION: Bakersfield is blessed with many long-time families with rich histories, and one of them is the Vincenzo Fanucchi family that is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Barbara (Fanucchi) Crear said the reunion was held this past weekend and featured some 150 family members. Her grandparents, Cristina Banducci and Vincenzo Fanucchi, came from Italy, settled in Bakersfield and were married at St. Francis Church. "They had four children and I am from their youngest child, David Fanucchi (the Garces family.) My grandparents had four children, three boys (Oreste, Edward and my father David) and one daughter, Nellie, who married Joe Lencioni. All of this generation has passed away but between the four families there are about 210 descendants."

 * ... ZIPPY: More memories of George Day and Chester the clown from reader Joe Stormont. "The clown was originally called 'The Clown with no name.' They had a contest in which kids viewing the show could write in suggesting a name for the clown. A few weeks of hype went on before the big day in which Chester was picked. Another popular show in the 1960s ws the Webster Webfoot Show which featured a duck puppet and host Jimmy Weldon."

 * ... BOMB SHELTERS: Did you know that many local families actually built bomb shelters around the time of the 1963 Cuban missile crisis? Old friend Rick Kreiser told me his father had McCarthy Tank and Steel build one in his College Heights yard, and there were at least two others in his neighborhood.