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The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, October 28, 2010
Eye Street
Catch a ‘Clue’ — as in performances at Frontier
W
ith the season of mystery, scares and suspense, Frontier’s fall production of “Clue” is the perfect fit for Halloween. The cast offers a mixture of humor, dismay and apprehension as they scramble about trying to find out their evening’s mystery. “This show is full of action, literally, and is sure to keep the audience laughing and on their toes,” said Haley Sullivan, who plays Mrs. Peacock. The show takes place in an old mansion that is unfamiliar to its new guests. As the show progresses, the guests find out the true meaning of their dinner party and become determined to survive against all odds. Director Abby Friedman’s reason for bringing “Clue” to the Frontier stage was because she had watched the movie all the
“Clue” When: 7 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday Where: Frontier High School Performing Arts Center, 6401 Allen Road Admission: $6; $4 for students and children
time as a child and loved it. “I wanted to bring that love to my students,” Friedman said. The comedy is familiar and can be enjoyed by an audience of all ages. What better way to get into the Halloween spirit than with a murder mystery? — Frontier High
Organ central: City’s first-class instruments land convention BY SUSAN SCAFFIDI Contributing writer
B
akersfield will host a music convention in the summer of 2013 that enhances its reputation as a music town. Not a country music town — an organ music town. Bakersfield will be the site for the 2013 regional convention of the American Guild of Organists, a professional organization for organists with 20,000 members in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia. Region 9, which includes Bakersfield, also covers much of the Western U.S., plus Hawaii, Australia and Taiwan. AGO member and convention organizer Phil Dodson said the AGO national committee approved the Kern County chapter's application to host the 2013 convention. “They make the decision based on the kind of instruments available for top-notch artists to play,” Dodson said. Dodson noted that Bakersfield is home to four widely different and unique instruments that make the city an ideal location for a convention of this type. What does Bakersfield have that would motivate people to cross the International Date Line to get here? “We have organs that range from the Baroque all the way to modern,” Dodson said. Dodson listed four instruments that should intrigue musicians. The AeolianSkinner organ at Olive Drive Church, originally built for Harvard University, is one of the largest pipe organs west of the Mississippi. St. Paul's Anglican Church at 17th and B streets boasts a classic English-style organ. “It's mellower, has more of a cathedral sound (than the Aeolian-Skinner),” Dodson said. Dodson said St. John's Lutheran Church on Buena Vista Road will have its Baroque organ ready to play by the time the conventioneers arrive. That organ has been in storage while the church builds a proper sanctuary for it.
“It's very much like hearing Bach playing the organ in 1740,” Dodson said. “It's all mechanical action. The only thing electric is the blower.” Conventioneers will also get to see the very latest in technology with the Austin/Rodgers custom four-manual pipe/digital hybrid, which uses the latest MIDI technology to add real-sounding instruments to traditional pipes. Bakersfield Convention and Visitors' Bureau marketing and sales specialist Chris Huot has already been working with Dodson to advise about available hotels, attractions and leisure activities, which AGO requires in the application. “As we get closer to the event, we'll start talking about specifics,” Huot said. “Coordinating after-hours entertainment, seeing they have literature, coordinating largegroup transportation.” “As much as they're into what they're here for, they're still looking for stuff to do that's outside of their agenda,” Huot said. Huot said conventioneers of all types are usually drawn to Basque restaurants, the antique rows, the Crystal Palace, the open terrain around the county and the “Black Gold” exhibit at the Kern County Museum. “We've actually had a lot of people who are unaware that Kern County has an oil industry,” Huot said. “That 'Black Gold' exhibit has been really an eye-opener for them.” Huot said part of his job will be to keep Dodson informed of new developments over the next three years. Dodson estimates some 300 people will attend the regional conference, which is expected to last four or five days. Huot acknowledges it’s not a large convention, but is welcome nevertheless, as conventioneers will run up hotel and restaurant tabs and buy gasoline and personal items, generating business and tax revenue. “Size doesn't matter,” Huot said. “They're still spending money; they're bringing new money into the economy and that's always good.”