Zoot Velasco out as director of the Kern County Museum, more developments on the 18th Street Corridor and remembering when Bonanza's Hop Sing came to town

* ... ZOOT: So did Zoot Velasco get the boot as chief executive officer of the Kern County Museum? The official word is that he resigned, but there was plenty of bad blood in the air during his short eight-month tenure, so we can all read what we like into what really happened. Almost from the day

Velasco started the job, there were grumblings about his management style (some board members viewed him as arrogant and aloof) and that doesn't play in a meat and potatoes town like Bakersfield. Velasco joins a long and growing list of folks who have been recruited to come to Bakersfield for important fund raising jobs only to quickly flame out.

 * ... QWIKCAFE: Attention downtowners: the new QwikCafe, a new "to go" venture by the folks who own the popular Sequoia Sandwich Co., will officially open on Monday, March 20, the first day of Spring. QwikCafe is located next to the downtown Sequoia Branch at 18th and L streets and will feature 'to go' salads and sandwiches. An attractive new dark awning just went up this week to match it to the Sequoia shop just next door.

 * ... CAFE SMITTEN: Meanwhile a few blocks east down 18th Street, the newly opened Cafe Smitten coffee house continues to do a gangbusters business, making it hard to get into at times. Said Sharon Antongiovanni. "I took your advice on the 27th of February and attempted a trip to Café Smitten. I was reminded why I do not go downtown. There is no where to park, it was 3:30 in the afternoon and there was not a table available due to students with laptops taking up all the tables with empty cups. I hope they can stay open but they need us baby boomers to spend money in there instead of just college people that are just taking up space. I had an out of town guest and we were looking forward to some coffee and something sweet. Unfortunately it will be along time before I venture downtown again." Give it another shot Sharon, it is worth the wait

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "'Engagement' can mean either planning to marry or initiating combat. Coincidence?"

 * ... GOOD FORM: Karen Frost shared this scene that will make your day. "My job takes me down Union Avenue, with all of its sad sights, twice a day. This morning I saw something that I just have to share with you. It is 42 degrees outside and as I sat in my car at a red light, a woman with bare feet walked across the street in front of me.  When she reached the other side of the street, a woman in a Kia pulled over, beckoned to her, got out of her car, and gave the barefoot woman the shoes off of her own feet. No idea who that woman is, but I'd like her to know she inspired me to do something for someone else today."

  * ... MORE GOOD FORM: Sunny Kapoor, my favorite Ohio State Buckeye, shared with me some good news on his son, Arie, who has been accepted into the Royal Veterinary College of London, beginning in September. Aries is a graduate of Centennial High School and of Chico State where he earned a degree in Animal Sciences. "He most likely will end up with some hefty college loans, but it is a fulfillment of a lifelong dream of being a veterinarian," he told me. "My younger son, Nigel, also a Centennial grad, is a senior at University of Arizona in the Electrical Engineering program. Bakersfield has been good to our family."

 * ... MEMORIES: And finally, there is this from reader Jim D. Smith: "The blog about Dan Blocker of Bonanza fame caught my eye. A couple of years after the series ended, the Cartwright cook, Hop Sing, was in Bakersfield.  Real life name Victor Sen Yung. He gave a cooking demonstration in the houseware department of Brock's where I worked. It was at the beginning of the wok craze."

YouTube reaches one billion hours a day of usage, further threatening traditional television, Nuestro Mexico enjoys a solid fan base and the Merrill store signals it is leaving the Outlets of Tejon

 * ... MASS MEDIA: Here's a startling statistic: Across the world, viewers of YouTube are watching more than one billion hours of videos a day. Yes, one billion hours of video every day. And we wonder why the old guard 'mass media' (local and network television, print etc) has seen such an

erosion in viewer and readership over the past decade. As noted in The Wall Street Journal: "It represents a 10-fold increase since 2012, YouTube said, when it started building algorithms that tap user data to give each user personalized video lineups designed to keep them watching longer." The billion hour mark "underscores the wide lead of the 12-year old platform in online video-threatening traditional television, which lacks similarly sophisticated tools."

 * ... NUESTRO MEXICO: I stopped at Nuestro Mexico recently and was heartened to see it continues to enjoy a loyal dinner crowd. Located in the same cozy 21st Street building that formerly housed La Costa Mariscos, Nuestro Mexico is home to some of the best chips and salsa in town, not to mention tacos and seafood specialties.

 * ... OUTLET MALL: The Merrill shoe store in the Outlets at Tejon is going out of business and it is offering some killer deals. Everything in the store has been discounted by 60 percent, so if you are in the market for some hiking or running shoes, it is worth the drive down Highway 99 to score a deal.

 * ... MCCARTHY: Last week I wrote to express sympathy for Republican congressmen (like our own Rep. Kevin McCarthy) who face unruly crowds at town hall meetings. If the meetings cannot be civil, I argued, why hold them at all? It triggered the expected blowback, including this note from reader Wade Eagleton: "For a person of influence and community standing to defend Representative McCarthy decision to freeze out his constituents, locking his district's office door and refusing to hold town hall meeting  during this critical time of change I cry foul. I call you out declaring shame on you. Shame on you for undermining the process of free expression and protest which is the definition of democracy." Thanks for the note Wade, but I never endorsed McCarthy "freezing" out constituents.  Your words, not mine. On this one we will have to agree to disagree.

 * ... MORE KMAC: Yet another reader, Alicia Ortega-Welch, send me this: "I was one of those candelight protesters. It is my right to protest. These past seven seven weeks I have marched for the first time in my 64-years of life. Mr. Beene, I assure you that at 4 foot, 10 inches tall I did not pose any threat to the in-excess-of-6-feet tall men guarding Mr. McCarthy's home that evening. I respectfully and peacefully held my candle in memory of all the citizens who will loose their health insurance and lives. Yes, I can not sit quietly this time. If all I can do is peacefully march, I will do so."

 * ... MEMORIES: Richard Alsop reacted to my piece on the late Dan Blocker of Bonanza fame appearing in Bakersfield. Said Alsop: "I saw your piece referring to Dan Blocker. I was 13 in 1961 and had a friendship with Cousin Herb's son Rusty. As I remember Cousin Herb's house was the two story on the south side of Bell Terrace at Highway 99. I think it's still there."

 * ... MORE MEMORIES: And finally Carol Penfield added this: "The clip about Tri-Valley Rambler brought back memories. I started to work there in 1969. When it was at 26th and Chester, we got to watch the Howell House being moved around the Chester Avenue Circle to the Museum. It took several days. Still there when it sold to Valley American, and when it moved to 149 Union Avenue next to the old Motor City location. It was sold in early 1972 and closed in May, 1972. That ended that job."

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy says there will be no local town hall meetings, and who knew Men's Wearhouse owner founder George Zimmer was such a big proponent of legal marijuana?

 * ... TOWN HALLS: Don't expect Bakersfield Rep. Kevin McCarthy to hold any town hall meetings soon. The House Majority Leader made that clear Wednesday when I spoke to him in a

wide ranging interview on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM. In fairness to McCarthy, he has always been accessible here, spending his time in the district at events, pressing the flesh at restaurants and even working shifts at local sandwich shops. And, as he correctly noted, House Republicans have been ambushed by well organized groups who appear less concerned about debating the issues than shouting down the incumbent for TV sound bites. McCarthy also indicated we might see the Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act sooner, rather than later, and that it might include subsidies to allow families to customize coverage to their own individual needs. Finally he said the GOP plan would likely save two popular ACA guidelines: leaving children on plans until they reach the age of 26 and guaranteeing coverage for pre-existing conditions.

 * ... PROTESTS: And speaking of McCarthy, I think it is deplorable that protesters think it is perfectly okay to  stage their protests in front of McCarthy's personal residence. It raises serious security issues not only for McCarthy's family for for neighbors as well.

* ... TRUMP: Nick Graham dropped me this note that no doubt speaks for a lot of folks here: " "It is troubling to watch how divided are country is becoming.  However, I have peace of mind, a better sense of security, and most of all HOPE in knowing that Donald Trump is our President and not Hillary Clinton."

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "A job interview is like a first date. You dress up, pretend to be someone else and spend the time wondering if you’re going to get screwed."

* ... ZIMMER: Did you know that George Zimmer, the gravely voiced founder of Men's Wearhouse, has turned into an outspoken advocate for recreational marijuana? It turns out that Zimmer, who was ousted from the company he founded and is now working on his new firm Generation Tux, credits marijuana with helping him quit drinking some 35 years ago.

 * ... HAIL TEXAS: Phil Jacobs responded to my earlier post about how Californians are viewed in Texas. "As someone who has great admiration for all things Texas, I was really interested in the e-mail sent to you about Californians at a Texas rodeo. To be honest, I'm surprised that they would allow anyone from my pitiful state in any Texas activity. I'm sure there was no rudeness involved, because Texans are incapable of this or any other vice. It was probably just natural shock that Californians were let in... As a Californian who loves Texas, I hope Texans feel free to stop by our humble state anytime they get tired of glorious Texas. For those Texans that know how to use a compass or the location of Polaris, California is about 600-800 miles west of Amarillo. It's near a big water sometimes called the Pacific Ocean. There are rumors that this water is bigger that the Gulf of Texas, I mean Mexico. I'm sure that's untrue. In closing, I say hail to the great state or rather World of Texas. It is truly the most wonderful place on Earth, including Disneyland!"

 * ... MEMORIES: I lifted this memory from the Facebook page Kern County of Old: "Not counting our heritage Basque restaurants, there were exactly five classy places you might take a dater for the prom in the mid 1960s: Maison Jaussauds, Tam O'Shanter, Freddie's Top of the Hill, Bakersfield Inn and the Skyway Lounge at the old Meadows Field terminal.

 * ... MORE MEMORIES: And finally this from the same source: "Dan Blocker (1928-1972) was Grand Marshal of the Bakersfield Christmas Parade in 1961. He played 'Hoss Cartright' on the show Bonanza. While here for the event he was a guest at the Cousin Herb Henson home."

More rain headed for California makes for an epic wet year, Cafe Smitten opens to huge crowds and who remembers Tri-Valley Rambler on Chester Avenue?

 * ... WEATHER: Can you remember the last time rain was not in the forecast? What a year it has

been and yet more rain is in the forecast. One friend told me he had not used his sprinklers in three months, another is predicting we will have water in the Kern River well through July Fourth, and experts say don't be surprised if we are skiing in Mammoth through Labor Day.

* ... CAFE SMITTEN: Cafe Smitten, the impressive new downtown coffee and pastry house, opened Monday to a crowds that snaked out the door onto the sidewalk virtually all day. The design is stunning, or as a friend muttered to himself, "are we in Santa Monica?" For me, I knew this 18th Street bistro was special when I was greeted with the soft melody of the song "Sin City" by the Flying Burrito Brothers when I walked through the door. My non-fat latte was excellent but I was secretly envious of a friend's 'smashed avocado' sandwich, one of the many creative items on a menu that includes beer and wine. Another big selling point: plenty of outdoor seating. Among those I spotted on opening day were Watson Realtors John and Katy Glentzer, Ward 2 City Councilman Andrae Gonzales, Ward 4 Councilman Bob Smith (his daughter and son-in-law run the place), local businessman Mel Atkinson and daughter KellyAnn, Metro Galleries owner Don Martin, Californian editor Stephanie Diaz and reporter Jason Kotowski and Live Office Systems marketing artists Matthew Prewitt and Bree Wattonville.

 * ... HUMAN KINDNESS: This note from Lynn and Bill Seeker showed up in my mailbox: "We would like to thank 'Bailey'' who kindly paid for our breakfast at the 24th Street Cafe on Feb.16.  It  was very generous of him to do this. There are a lot of very kind  people here in Bakersfield  and you are one. "

  * ... LIFE: This is why I love Facebook: the other day a friend posts this: "Seriously, can you imagine Trump in a real crisis?" while at the same time another chimes in: "Who wants to do the Abs Challenge?"

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy you a really nice house to be miserable in."

 * ... MEMORIES: If you are a Bakersfield old timer, you may remember the old Tri-Valley Rambler dealership. I learned this while visiting the Kern County of Old Facebook page, a repository of old photos and local history. In 1964, according to a story in The Californian, Tri-Valley was purchased by a then young Richard Stricklen and relocated to Chester and 26th streets.

 * ... RODEO: A reader dropped this note in my mailbox: "I recently received this note from a close personal friend who recently attended the Humble Rodeo in Humble, Texas. It said: 'It was a great event and with about 2,000 in attendance, it had the flavor of times past in small town America. As the evening progressed, the announcer began to ask people from various states to stand as he called them out. Loud applause for some, polite for others. When he asked who was from California, two people sitting in front of the arena stood. There was no applause, just silence. The announcer then said 'welcome to America.' That brought down the house!”

Cafe Smitten and the renovated Silver Fox Starlite Lounge open on 18th Street, Cathy Butler retires from the Downtown Business Association and remembering when Truman's whistle stop tour came to Bakersfield

* ... CAFE SMITTEN: The downtown area is getting an upscale new coffee and pastry house east of Chester on 18th Street. It is called Cafe Smitten and it is run by the daughter of Ward 4 City

Councilman Bob Smith and her husband, Stasie and Shai Bitton. Not coincidentally, Smith is a principal investor in the 17th Place Luxury Townhomes just a couple blocks away. Cafe Smitten opens on Monday. Meanwhile, down the street we are about a month away from the opening of Qwikcafe, the new venture by Sequoia Sandwich Co. that will feature a full array of "to go" sandwiches and salads.

 * ... STARLITE LOUNGE: Meanwhile a bit farther east on 18th Street the Silver Fox Starlite Lounge opens Friday after an extensive remodel and facelift by new owners Rod and Julie Crawford, who also own the popular Pyrenees Cafe in east Bakersfield. Both the Starlite and Cafe Smitten are important chapters in the renaissance of the 18th Street corridor.

 * ... CATHY BUTLER: Congratulations to Cathy Butler who recently retired as president of the Downtown Business Association after more than 40 years. Butler was a tireless advocate for downtown, but the passage of time has rendered the DBA as something of a nostalgic relic of the past. Whatever largely ceremonial work the DBA is now engaged in could likely be performed by a committee at the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce, at a fraction of the cost.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Don't be surprised when your tax refund arrives as store credit toward the purchase of Ivanka's Spring line of fashions."

 * ... MEMORIES: How about this memory from east Kern's Bill Deaver? "About your item on president Harry Truman visiting Kern County during his 'whistle-stop' tour in 1948. My brother Mike (later deputy chief of staff under President Ronald Reagan) and I were attending Mojave Elementary School and walked to the Standard Pacific station in Mojave to see Mr. Truman. He walked onto the back platform of the heavily-armored Ferdinand Magellan, the presidential car. About that time one of the new jet fighters from Muroc Army Air Base flew over and Margaret Truman ran onto the platform to see it and almost knocked her dad down, to the great entertainment of the large crowd. Fast-forward to 1984 and guess who was riding in that car as a top aide to President Ronald Reagan during another presidential campaign? That kid from Mojave, Michael K. Deaver! One of those “only in America” moments!"

  * ... MORE TRUMAN: Jim D. Smith also remembers the whistle stop tour of Harry Truman. "As an 11-year-old I was on the Beardsley School playground as the train slowly rolled into Bakersfield, powered by a steam engine and pulling a caboose. Teachers had us all outside, knowing the train was due to pass by. "    

 * .... BAKERSFIELDISM: According to Ronal Reynier, you may be a Bakersfield old-timer if you remember two of Bakersfield's auto thrill rides: "the 'Seven Sisters' outside of Oildale and when the road down the Bluff's was two-lane. I think almost everyone when they got a car had to try the Seven Sisters. There were other places outside the city were you could 'fly' with four wheels up but they were a lot further out then the Sisters. A trip in the spring on Round Mountain Road to South Granite Road can be quite interesting at times. At times you can still see pieces of cars at the bottom of 100 foot gullies who did not make the complete trip. It gets interesting when oil trucks are coming at you 50 mph and you think your 25 mph is too fast."

City Councilman Bob Smith steps in to help residents of a neighboring ward, Monsignor Craig Harrison holds forth at another successful CrabFest and remembering the late Trice Harvey

 * ... GOOD FORM: Here's an example of really good form from Campus Park resident Kevin Cornelius. Campus Park is in Ward 5, represented by the late Jeff Tkac, and was having issues with trees being cut and hauled away. So with no current city council representative, residents turned to

Ward 4 Council Bob Smith for help. "Last Monday the city cut down five trees in one day! We the neighbors of North Campus Park decided enough already. We also had complaints with the sump or pond which was formerly a nice ecosystem a few years back. In this pond area or sump as the city calls it... everything from kit fox to ducks, cranes and falcons thrived before the city brought in heavy earth moving equipment and cleaned out all the reeds and vegetation. My wife (Sabrina) contacted Bob on Tuesday about the situation and he responded right back with a meeting three days later. Councilman Smith brought along with him city officials ( Dianne Hoover with Parks and Recreation,   Jason Meadows theWater Resources Director, and Arthur Chianello the Water Resources Manager).  We would like to thank Bob and these three city officials who showed up in the pouring rain at the park to listen to all of our concerns. They were all very courteous and promised to get back to us with some hopeful solutions."

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
* ... CRABFEST: Monsignor Craig Harrison held court at the annual CrabFest this weekend, the hugely popular fund raiser for St. Francis School that brings together a few hundred like minded people under one roof for a dinner of ribs and crab. Angeline Mason and Rick and Cindy Jones were honored for their service, and longtime St. Francis principal Cindy Meek learned the school will build a new wing and cafeteria named in her honor. I had the chance to break bread and chat with the remarkable Kathy and John Ritter, both longtime educators and St. Francis supporters. Events like this bring our community together, and it was good to spot so many people giving their time (and money) to a good cause.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Relationship status: getting a back rub from a tennis ball wedged against the wall."

 * ... TRICE HARVEY: Ronal Reynier shared with memory about our late Assemblyman Trice Harvey, which speaks to his good character. "About 20 years ago my wife Mary and I, on the way back from the coast, stopped at the White Elephant in Taft for lunch. A Iowa football game had just started. Trice was there and said Iowa had no chance against his team. My wife could not let that pass and so bet him $5 Iowa would win. Our quick 30 minute lunch turned into a three hour game. Iowa won and Trice reached into his wallet ... he had to borrow $5 from a friend, his wallet by that time was empty."

 * ... CHARTER SCHOOLS: My piece on charter schools triggered this response from my friend Louis Widman out at Cal State Bakersfield: "Public schools are good for our democracy, because no other institution brings so many children together and, very importantly, teaches them how to get along with people of different faiths, races, and wealth. Since we are only free to make choices among the alternatives we know, a democracy needs public schools to provide everyone with an education that prepares people to make choices as citizens. I don’t want corporations or churches running charter schools to control what choices people realize they have."

 * ... MEMORIES: Anthony Bernal says you know your are from Bakersfield "if you remember the days presidential candidates traveled by rail and both Harry Truman and Thomas Dewey made campaign stops at the Southern Pacific Depot at Baker and Sumner in 1948."

New Orleans may soon have all its school children in charter schools, I scored gold in two tickets to CrabFest and what is your rule on tipping in restaurants?

 * ... BETSY DEVOS: Newly minted Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is a strong supporter of charter schools, striking fear into teacher's unions and others who fear this could spell the demise of traditional education. But the future may already be here, in no place else than post Katrina New

Orleans where the percentage of children attending charter schools has reached 92 percent. I spotted this letter in Politico Magazine: "Soon, New Orleans may become the only big city in the country without a single traditional public school run by a central office; nearly all have been turned into charter schools—there are now more than 80 in all—and the five remaining holdouts may be converted in the next few months. A few thousand families take advantage of the state’s voucher program, enrolling in local Catholic schools. And overall, test scores here have improved markedly." In a report by The New York Times, there were surprising percentages for other urban school districts: Flint, Mich., stands at 52 percent; Kansas City is at 40 percent, Philadelphia 32 percent; Detroit is at 53 percent and the District of Columbia is at 45 percent. The lesson: give parents choice and in many cases they opt out of public schools in troubled urban districts.

* ... CRABFEST: Life is full of small surprises and mine came when I scored two tickets to this year's CrabFest out at the Fairgrounds this weekend. There are a lot of terrific fund raisers about town - West Rotary's Cioppino feed comes to mind - but I put CrabFest at the top of my list. It's a huge event featuring fresh crabs and ribs and proceeds go to help the folks at St. Francis School for the purchase of band instruments, art supplies and sports equipment and fees. It has also provided funds for construction of the school chapel, renovation of the cafeteria and the formation of popular extracurricular activities such as Academic Decathalon and Homework Club.

 * ... TYLER WILLIAMS: Congratulations to Tyler Williams, a 22-year-old Bakersfield lad who is living the dream as a professional cyclist in Europe. Williams, who attended Centennial High before being home school so he could compete, is riding for the Israeli-sponsored Cycling Academy team on the Pro Continental circuit. The team is currently based in Girona, Spain, and when back stateside he calls Santa Rosa home. Williams and his high school sweetheart, Brea Wanner, wed a few months ago.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I know you're supposed to eat three meals during the day, but how many do you eat at night?"

 * ... TIPPING: What is your policy on tipping? My standard is 15 percent but if the service is really good, and the waiter not too overbearing but at the same time attentive, I go 20 percent or higher. Jeramy Brown, general manager of The Mark Restaurant on 19th Street, appeared on my radio show on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM and approved my system, but also said some restaurants in bigger cities are now doing away with tipping altogether, choosing instead to simply raise the price of the meals. My take: allow me to retain the decision on how good (or bad) the service was.

 * ... TOWNHOMES: Some good news for downtown: the first tenants have moved into the 17th Place Luxury Townhomes, a major step in the further development of residential facilities east of Chester Avenue. Coming soon: a new downtown coffee shop and bakery called Cafe Smitten on 18th Street.

 * ... PUMPKIN CENTER: I am a sucker for almost anything that connects us to our past, and that's why I spend far too much time on a Facebook page called "Kern County of Old." This is a treasure trove of information on the history of Kern County, thanks to folks who post family pictures and memories. This is one that jumped out at me, posted by a woman who accompanied this post with a picture of her relatives early on in Pumpkin Center. "Thought it would be cool to share a little family history today......This is Taft Highway in 1932. My grandfather Mike Giminiani started the little town of Pumpkin Center with a fruit stand and grocery store. It was the last stop to Taft during the big oil boom. He also had a jitney service that drove loggers to and from Johnsondale up above Kernville with that car you see pictured here. He also bootlegged and made his own wine... To this day, the large wine barrels are still in the cellar of the house my mother grew up in. I have such fond memories there."

Remembering a big boned neighborhood dog named Gennie, a star at the Fox Theater for the late Wendy Wayne and do we really want full dinner service in movie theaters?

 * ... RIP GENNIE: Pets are like friends, even if they didn't belong to you. So it was with a heavy heart that I read that Gennie, the big boned, 16-year-old white muzzled Lab mix that belonged to Herb and Sue Benham, had finally died. I got to know Gennie when I would feed her and her blind

companion, Poco, when the Benhams were out of town being doting grand parents. Even on those days when I didn't provide the occasional rib bones from Luigi's, Gennie was ever grateful for the attention and a fresh bowl of food and water. She was a big girl and I suppose imposing to a stranger with bad intentions, but to me she was sweet Gennie who embodied all that is good about Bakersfield: born of humble origins, a bit awkward for her size, yet grateful, loving and determined to make that last two block walk until the day she could not longer muster the strength. The selfless love of a dog or cat is unequalled in this world even if she doesn't happen to be yours. RIP Ms Gennie.

 * ... WENDY WAYNE: The next time you are at the Fox Theater downtown make sure you check out the new 'walk of fame' star honoring Wendy Wayne, the big hearted community activist who died of cancer in July of 2012. The star was uncovered on a beautiful Saturday morning by her husband Gene Tackett and a couple dozen friends and family members. Tackett read a poem by an unknown author called "I'm Free" that ends this way: "Perhaps my time seemed all good brief, don't lengthen it now with undue grief, lift up your hears and share with me .. I'm free." Wendy would be 69 today had she survived her cancer.

* ... SILVER FOX: Expect the renovated Silver Fox Starlite Lounge to reopen by the first of March. That's the word from the new owners Rod and Julie Crawford, who have pledged to bring the Silver Fox back to its old glory. The interior now sports a beautiful, classic black and silver wallpaper that beckons back to the hey day of old Bakersfield, a fresh new coat of paint has been added and expect to see new "Silver Fox" signage in the coming weeks.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Imagine how fun Pringles would be if the cans were spring-loaded."

 * ... HISTORY: Did you know that there used to be two elementary schools on the site where Bakersfield Fire Station No. 1 is now located at H and 21st streets? The first was called Bryant Grammar School until it burned in 1889 and the second was simply called the H Street grammar school. I learned this on the 'Kern County of Old' Facebook page, a wealth of information about our community.

 * ... MOVIE THEATERS: I have already weighed in on the idea of serving full meals and cocktails in movie theaters - that would be a resounding 'no' - but Carole Cohen told me about a better idea that she experienced in New Mexico recently. "I recently attended the movies in Santa Fe.  Lots of different food and beverages, including alcohol, served IN THE LOBBY, where tables and chairs were plentiful. Some items could be taken into the theater, but I didn't really see big food orders going in. I'm assuming this was mainly because, with reserved seating, no one was let into their individual theater until 10 mins before show time. (All seats were reserved, and tickets could be purchased by machine in the lobby, several days in advance, or through the usual means -
humans behind a counter.) The theater was always packed and their business model was obviously popular. It seemed much better suited to the Bakersfield market."