Bako Bits: Stockdale High loses two key staffers to retirement and who knew the Strawberry Alarm Clock once played at a Bako bowling alley?

 * ... STOCKDALE: Stockdale High School has lost two long-time staff members with the

retirements of Mark Hance and Dave "Doc" Rangel. Hance was the athletic director and Rangel the longtime athletic trainer. If your child attended Stockdale, you no doubt are aware of the good cheer and commitment both of these men brought to their jobs. Congratulations and good luck.  

  * .... BIKES: Don Brakebill is a regular runner on our bike path and submits this reminder to cyclists who share the path. "Most are courteous in announcing 'on your left' as they approach from behind, and we respond with a left hand in the air to acknowledge we had heard and understood they were passing.  A few would race by us without a word, dangerous for the rider and for the runner as either could change direction or stop suddenly. But the worst are groups of riders riding three abreast coming toward us and not moving over to their half of the pathway. So, just as cyclists expect car drivers to respect their presence and right to be on the roads, runners and walkers expect and will appreciate the same courtesy from the bikers using the pathway. There really is room for us all and biker and runner etiquette can be learned and practiced."

* ... NAVY: Carolyn Ewert, a Centennial High graduate, has now graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a degree in ocean engineering and has been commissioned an Ensign in the Navy.  She is now getting ready to report for duty at the Naval Station Everett in Everett, Washington, and will immediately be sent to her ship, the USS Shoup, which is on deployment in the Persian Gulf. She is the oldest daughter of Dave and Nancy Ewert.

* ... MEMORIES: One more memory of old Bakersfield, this one from reader Tony Contreras: "In response to writer Dave Rangel's input about he and Russ Kinney and Mike Hicks working at the Bakersfield Bowling Academy way back when, he mentioned a roller rink and drive-in with an elephant out front. The drive-in was called Jumbo's and the roller rink was called the Starlight Roller Rink on Kentucky, just east of Union. Jumbo's was part of 'the strip' that all the teenagers cruised back then. Another drive-in which was part of 'the strip' was Michener's on 18th Street near Q Street. Truly the good ole days!"

*  ... BOWLING: And speaking of old haunts, this one the Golden State Lanes, Terry Gaiser remembers its banquet room that for a while was called "Gay 90s" and later turned into a place for teens called "Club 17." As it turns out, Gaiser said, the 1960s band Strawberry Alarm Clock played there before its one big hit, "Incense and Peppermints."

  * ... MUNITIONS: And speaking of Golden State Lanes, Hal Aaron remembers that behind the bowling alley "was a very large warehouse that was used by the government to manufacture munitions and casings for the military. The operation required high security clearance. My knowledge of the above was from two brothers who worked there, one had day shift and the other had night shift." That was around 1943 or 1944, Aaron said.

Is Bakersfield College Athletic Director Ryan Beckwith being set up to be fired? And will he go quietly in the night? Stay tuned.

 * ... BAKERSFIELD COLLEGE: The real story up at Bakersfield College is not that its appeal of the punishing football sanctions has been rejected, but rather the behind-the-scenes drama in finding someone to blame for the whole mess. Insiders tell me that President Sonya Christian is fingering Athletic Director Ryan Beckwith as the fall guy, even though he has been in town just two years and some of the practices that offended the Southern California Football Association have been ongoing for years, all under the watch of Chancellor Sandra Serrano, a former BC president herself. If all this was going on before Beckwith was hired, who is responsible for that? Although still relatively new, Beckwith has gained the respect and confidence of many of BC's most influential supporters, but it likely won't be enough to save his job. If this is our equivalent of The Red Wedding massacre episode in the HBO hit Game of Thrones, something tells me Beckwith will not go quietly. Stay tuned. (file photos of Beckwith, Christian)

* ... TOUGH KITTY: On a lighter note, don't you wish we had more people in our community like Ralph Robles? He's the man who rescued a scrawny stray kitten who survived a harrowing ride under the hood of his car. In case you missed it: Robles was cruising down Olive Drive recently when his car suddenly lost power and he was forced to pull to the side of the road. What started as an inconvenience on a scorchingly hot Bakersfield day turned into something that touched his heart. The source of the problem: a small black and white kitten who had crawled into the engine area and got its paw caught in a belt. Worried the cat was near death, Robles flagged down a friendly sheriff's deputy who helped him free the injured kitten. Animal control was then called but the officer told Robles that the kitten would likely be euthanized if taken to the county shelter. "I just could not allow a cat that survived a 20-mile ride in a hot house engine compartment and getting tangled with a moving engine belt be put down after such a heroic fight to live," he said. The kitten was taken to a local veterinarian who treated her broken leg with antibiotics and a splint. "We are calling it TK (for Tough Kitty) until we find its real forever family. It responds to any hand that touches it with love and drags itself to whoever offers a caress. Gentle and loving, it was tough enough to win a fight with a 4,000 pound car." Now that is a happy ending.

* ... OVERHEARD: A woman is overheard sharing the secrets of a long marriage with a friend. "My pool man has been married for over 40 years. When I asked him what the secret was, he told me, 'Once you give up hope, everything is okay.'" Yikes.

 * ... DIGNAN: Melissa Dignan, the popular former weather forecaster for KERO TV, has joined Watson Realty as a residential sales agent. Dignan worked for KERO TV for almost four years before her contract was not renewed. She is married to Brian Dignan, a coach for the Bakersfield Christian High School basketball team.

* ... BURGER JOINT: Riley Parker remembers the old hamburger drive-in that was located on Golden State just north of Farmer John's Pancake House. He said it was named Jumbo Burger and he was a regular then while serving as a Bakersfield police motorcycle officer. "I shared many cups of coffee there with ‘old-timers’ such as Alan Zachary, Dale Parnell, Jerry Vanderpool, Dave Schieber, Danny Shrider, and a host of other fine men in blue."


 * ... SECRET SAUCE: Back in the day one of the best hamburgers in town could be found at Billy Bob's Burgers. Cheryle DeMarco was a regular there and talked the owners into sharing their secret sauce before the place closed. "I would see them spray something out of big white spray bottle right before the burger's were done. They were so good. I use this sauce on almost any red meat I barbecue now. It is three quarters Worcestershire sauce and one quarter liquid smoke. Salt and pepper your meat, then spray this on when almost done. I also use it as a marinade."

Kern County's Tejon Ranch as seen through a corporate video

 A look at the history of Tejon Ranch in a video put together by the corporate marketing department.

McCarthy: Small businesses live in fear of Obamacare and are already firing workers or holding off on hiring others

 House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill:

  "Back in 2009, as the debate over the President’s proposed health care law heated up, I held a Town Hall here in Bakersfield to hear directly from members of our community on this issue.  Thousands came to CSUB that night - and a shocking 90% strongly opposed the law. Now, as the January 1 date for full implementation of Obamacare comes closer, small business owners, families and individuals in California and across the nation are beginning to grasp the drastic impact Obamacare will have on their families.

 "In fact, small business owners are so afraid of what Obamacare implementation means for their bottom line that many are not only holding off on hiring, but already laying off workers. A recent Gallup poll found that 41% of businesses surveyed are so worried about the cost increases caused by Obamacare they have frozen hiring. And about one fifth of small employers revealed they’d already reduced the number of employees they have as a direct result of Obamacare. The majority of businesses believe Obamacare will lead to increased costs and reduced quality of health care. As I travel around our communities in California, I hear the same concerns voiced by our local small business owners. 

 "Unfortunately, leading health care and economic policy analysts agree- Californians are in for rate shock.  According to a recent Forbes article, the myriad of regulations and mandates in Obamacare will drive up insurance costs for Californians purchasing health care on their own by as much as 146%! The article observes that on average, a healthy 25 or 40 year old consumer in California will see their individual-market premium double. Ironically, the President attacked insurers back in 2010 after they announced that some groups would face premium increases of up to 39%.

 "Our homegrown businesses and hardworking California taxpayers already struggle to survive here thanks to some of the furthest-reaching and duplicative regulations in the nation. The last thing we need are thousands more pages of bureaucratic regulations from Obamacare. Still, Democratic state legislator Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez recently introduced legislation (AB 880) that piles on even more red tape to the health care law that will exacerbate the harmful effect Obamacare will have on our small business growth and hiring.

"Small business and individual freedom are at the heart of the entrepreneurship and innovation needed for job creation. Obamacare is already getting in the way of small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs’ ability to succeed, and this has serious implications for economic recovery. Like the attendees of my 2009 health care Town Hall, I continue to be gravely concerned about the effect the health care law will have on the California economy and taxpayers – which is why I have voted over 30 times in the House to repeal or replace Obamacare. I urge Governor Brown and California Democrats to wake up to the reality of Obamacare and put California back on track. This law must be repealed.

Bako Bits: Bakersfield experiences an open war on bicyclists; when will the madness end? And more readers recall the old Bakersfield Bowling Academy

 * ... BAD FORM: Are we experiencing an open season on local bicyclists? It sure seems that way, and now we have yet another example of a driver deliberately running down a cyclist, once again on Panorama Drive. Said Krisi Heriford: "To whomever hit our friend, Lisa, who was riding her bike on Father's Day up the Panorama bluffs, shame on you for not stopping after you struck her with your vehicle. The impact of being struck by your mirror threw her from her bike, landing on her head and breaking her helmet. Even though she has a huge hematoma from the impact of your mirror against her arm, and cuts and soreness, she will recover.  Her family, as well as all of her friends, are so ever grateful that she was able to return home, after going to the hospital, to celebrate Father's Day with her family, just in case you were wondering after you sped off if she survived."

 * ... BURGERS: Bryan Kelly submits this memory of a special hamburger place. "There are several reasons why I lost my 29 inch waist, but a major contributing factor is the great American institution known as the hamburger. I remember Bob's as Billy Bob's Burgers and Beer... a 'dive' is a superlative form that does not begin to describe that wonderful old place. The restrooms were in a separate building behind the bar and were labeled as 'himpies' and 'herpies.'  I speak fluent hamburger and will always have a special place in my heart and a notch on my belt for Billy Bob's."

 * .. BOWLING: My earlier post about an old bowling alley on Golden State hit a nerve with readers, and my in box was full of memories. Marlia Maples joined others in identifying it was the Bakersfield Bowling Academy. "Before moving to Golden State, Bakersfield Bowling Academy was located at 1106 18th Street. The owners were Jack Moore and Pete Lokey. There were always problems with the roof leaking as the building supported 36 lanes without the use of inside supports in the lane area. The trophy shop was managed many years by Spike Cohn. I worked the front desk on the day shift from approximately 1975 to 1978." Another reader, Nancy Green, still has a cigarette light emblazoned with the name of the bowling alley and its owners, Lokey and Moore. (reader submitted picture of the old bowling alley)

 * ... MORE BOWLING: Another reader, Dave Rangel of Stockdale High, also worked there. "I know because I was a porter there, along with Russ Kinney and Mike Hicks... Russ and myself disassembled the bowling lanes located on the site around the late 1960s." Eugene Wood remembers the area being popular with teens at the time. "It was a hub of activity in the 1950s with a roller rink, Farmer John's Pancake House and a drive in with girls on roller skates bringing orders out to your car. I don't remember the names of the roller rink or drive in, but I seem to recall a large grey elephant neon sign with the drive in."

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: John Strand of Lake Isabella says you may be a Bakersfield old timer if you remember when "the only Bank of America in Bakersfield (20th and Chester) had a full-time Bakersfield police officer in the main customer area."

Taft gets ready to host a West Kern Petroleum Summit and the Maze Cup moves to Stockdale Country Club featuring some of the best junior tennis players

 * ... OIL SUMMIT: The Taft College Foundation will be holding a one-day energy conference featuring policy makers, regional leaders and experts in petroleum production. The "West Kern Petroleum Summit" is planned for Friday, October 18,  and will focus on the energy section that is so important to Kern County. One

of the speakers will be John Hofmeister, a former CEO of Shell Oil and the author of "Why We Hate the Oil Companies: Straight Talk from an Energy Insider." For more information call Sheri Horn-Bunk, executive director of the Taft College Foundation at (661) 763-7936.

 * ... MAZE CUP: It is not often you get to see some of the most talented junior tennis players in the West up close, but that is what the Maze Cup is offering this year at Stockdale Country Club. It is all set for June 28-29 when the best junior boys and girls from Northern and Southern California square off in a Davis Cup format. Past competitors in this event include Pete Sampras, Bob Bryan, Michael Change, Andre Agassi and Lindsay Davenport. And, it is all free.

* ... COLLEGE TOWNS: The website Bleacherreport.com recently released its list of the 33 most "coolest college towns," based on the popularity of the campus and charm of the downtown. The top on the list: Athens, Ga., home to the University of Georgia. Rounding out the top ten were Amherst, Mass., Chapel Hill, N.C., Charlottesville, Va., Ann Arbor, MI, Princeton, NJ, Ithaca, NY, Athens, Ohio, Berkeley and Austin, Texas. (photo of downtown Athens, Ga.)

 * ... BAD FORM: More feedback on tensions between motorists and bicyclists, this one compliments of Karen King. "Years ago my adult son was riding his bicycle on New Stine Road in the proper lane and direction. A truck pulled up close to him and the passenger threw water at his face, almost causing him to fall over.  The passenger laughed and they drove on.  When the truck stopped at a light, my son rode up close to the truck and yelled loudly into the open window.  It about scared the guy to death. Although I told my son that is a risky thing to do in this day and age, I did understand his sense of satisfaction."

* ... TRUMPET: Local CSUB trumpet player Brent Williams has been selected to participate in a prestigious seminar near Boston called the Chosen Vale Center for Advanced Musical Studies. He will have opportunity to study with trumpet greats such as Thomas Stevens, John Wallace, Mark Gould and also work with Yamaha Corporation's head trumpet designer Bob Malone. Brent currently studies with Edward Carroll at California Institute of the Arts and is entering his senior year at CSUB where he studies trumpet with Sal Panelli.

 * ... MEMORY: A reader asked that I post this question: Does anyone remember a bowling alley that was on Golden State between V and 24th Street that had a trophy shop in it?

A local kindergarten teacher warns of online home rental scams and who exactly were the Bakersfield Buffaloes?

 * ... SCAM ALERT: Local kindergarten teacher Jolie Brouttier shared this story of almost being scammed on a "too good to be true" rental property. She was on the popular real estate website Zillow.com when she spotted a three bedroom, two bath home with a pool that was renting for just

$700 a month. "It wasn't until the third email, in which he explained all utilities would be paid for as well as an application form requesting my credit history that I started to think hmmm.... too good to be true. So I Googled his name and his phone number and was immediately sent to a forum warning me about this exact scenario."

* ... BAKERSFIELD BUFFALOS? Ted James was at a bar in Maui recently when he noticed a man wearing a T-shirt that read: Bakersfield-Buffalo-State Football Champs, 1971, Kern County, CA. It turned out the man was from Newcastle, Australia, and "had absolutely no idea what country Bakersfield was in. My wife and I, in our brief conversation with him, were able to give him a new meaning for his shirt and where Bakersfield was located. Ha! He was quite impressed that Bakersfield was in California. Mayor Hall would appreciate my efforts! My only question is were the Bakersfield College Renegades called the Buffaloes in the past?"

 * ... BICYCLISTS: In response to an earlier blog about bicyclists riding against traffic, Stephen A. Montgomery submitted this comment: "Sadly there is a strong motive for bicyclists to violate the California Vehicle Code by riding against the current of traffic," he said. "A friend who rides with the local chapter of the AIA group witnessed a motorist seen laughing as he made sport swooping in as close to bicyclists as he could. He got too close to one causing him to go down. Despite a pack of witness who saw the driver laughing before the impact the judge accepted the tale spun by his girlfriend passenger that he had dozed off! A late friend repeatedly had an all too common experience where morons think it's sport to come up behind a bicyclist so a passenger can smack him in the back of the head with a shoe! The combined speed of the perp's swing and the momentum of the vehicle make for a hard blow that can and has often caused the bicyclist to go down. The bottom line? It's simply too easy for irresponsible and just plain bad people to behave this way without consequence. While bicyclists should comply with the vehicle code they and all of us need a more assertive and positive response from the law enforcement sector."

 * ... MORE CYCLISTS: And finally there is this from reader Pam Martinez: "I just wanted to comment on your blog about the bicyclists riding against traffic.  I just happened to hit a bicyclist doing that exact same thing on Ming Avenue.  Praise God, he was not injured seriously, (only) scraped elbows. He did not have a helmet, but did not hit his head!  I was making a right turn onto Ming and did not see him.  Thanks for sharing your article."

 * ... NUT FESTIVAL: The Kern County Nut Festival could not have been a success without all the volunteers, but Annette Londquist wanted to thank a special group of young workers. "I am the Kids' Activities Chair for the Kern County Nut Festival.  Our area required many helping hands all day.  We received that help from the Boys and Girls Club of Bakersfield. What an impressive group of young men and women!  Every one of them had a positive attitude, gracious manners and worked tirelessly... I wanted to thank them publicly and let your readers know the outstanding job the leaders of this organization are doing in helping these wonderful young people develop into productive, successful adults. Life is good in Bakersfield with these young people in our midst."

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: Randy Martin says you may be from Bakersfield if you remember "Bob's Burger a hidden dive on Kentucky. Bob's served great burgers and a massive burger beast called the Belly Buster."

More Americans than ever now have college degrees and retired Lt. Col. Joe Drew is inducted in the ARMY OCS Hall of Fame, along with his son

 * ... COLLEGE: There has been a surge in the percentage of Americans who how hold a college degree. That's the word from the National Center for Education Statistics, which reported that 33.5 percent of Americans aged 25-29 how hold at least a bachelor's degree. That compared with 24.7 percent in 1995. Locally, according to Scarborough Research, just 14.8 percent of Kern County adults hold a college degree.

 * ... DREW: Hats off to Joe Drew, a Tejon Ranch executive who recently was inducted into the Army's Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame at Fort Benning, Ga. Drew served in Vietnam and retired as a lieutenant colonel. And to keep it all in the family, his son Col. Thomas R. Drew also was inducted into the OCS Hall of Fame at the same time. The Army OCS Hall of Fame honors infantry officer graduates who have distinguished themselves in military and civilian pursuits. This is believed to be the first time a father and son have been inducted together. And to make it truly a family affair, Fred Drew (Joe's brother and himself also a Vietnam veteran) was inducted in the Army OCS Hall of Fame in 2007. As for Joe:  his military awards include the Legion of Merit, two distinguished Flying Crosses (V Device), Three Bronze stars (V Device), Twenty Two Air medals (V Device) two Purple Hearts, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.

 * ... BAD FORM: A driver spotted two bicyclists (one on Brimhall and the other on Old River) riding against the traffic in clear violation of traffic laws. Both were almost hit by cars taking right hand turns. Remember: if you are on the bike, ride with the flow of traffic.

 * ... FESTIVAL: The first Kern County Nut Festival is in the books, and organizers should be happy about how it all went. Some 9,000 people showed up at the Kern County Museum to celebrate the almonds, pistachios and other nuts that are so important to our local economy. These events are always good venues to meet and greet, and the Nut Festival did not disappoint. Hats off to some of the organizers and volunteers I spotted there, including Sheryl Barbich, Beth Pandol, Tracy and Brian Kiser, Nancy Chaffin, Coleen McGauley, Brian Burrow, Cynthia and Gary Icardo, Jim and Patrice Black, Pat Collins, Linda Hartman, Kimberly Ward Graham, Mimi Audelo, Chris Frank and so many more. 

* ... REUNION: If you are a graduate of West High, heads up: there is a reunion of the West High classes of 1967, 1968 and 1969 set for August 31 at Stockdale Country Club. It will run from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Contact Jane Cormier (661) 332-5581.

 * ... GRANT: Hats off to the employees of the Von's on Coffee Road, who awarded a grant of $2,500 to the Assistance League of Bakersfield. The money will go to help fund Operation School Bell, which provides new school clothing to elementary age children locally.

 * ... NON PROFIT: The Society for Disabled Children is preparing for its annual camp in which 42 kids will spend 10 days fishing, swimming, riding horses and staying in cabins. Patricia Henson, the group's executive director, is looking for sponsors to help offset the costs. If you are interesting in helping, contact the society at (661) 322-5595.