Bakersfield Life Magazine May 2011

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May 2011

www.bakersfieldlife.com

Mama Tosca’s

Food Dudes’ night out at Italian eatery

Black Friday

The ’52 quake changed the downtown landscape forever

Ultimate man cave This guy retreat has it all

Things of

Spring Jazz Fest, tennis, biking, flowers, margaritas …

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*Prices, amenities and square footage are subject to change without notice. See sales associate for full details on all offers. Offers may not be combined with any other offer. *Down Payments quoted are based upon buyer qualifying and obtaining School Facility Fee Down Payment Assistance Program (SFF)on homes shown above. Income and qualification limits do apply. All information is subject to change. Financing must be provided through Castle & Cooke Mortgage, LLC to obtain special incentives. All information is subject to change without notice.

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M A Y

2 0 1 1

F E AT U R E S

Sports legend

Kicking off our new feature on local sports legends, we tackle football star Frank Gifford. Brush up on your sports trivia by discovering where the legend was born, what high school he graduated from and the extent of his career.

46

The mighty ’52 quake

As recent earthquakes around the world dominate headlines, we’re thankful that we haven’t had a big temblor in years. For those who remember and for those who don’t, the 1952 quake (and aftershocks) rattled Kern County and destroyed several of the city’s iconic buildings.

Bakersfield Life

May 2011

54

Motherly love

To honor their moms this Mother’s Day, readers nominated the special woman who taught them strength, patience and unconditional love. Learn what makes each mother unique, and make sure to set some time aside for your mother or grandmother.

72

Man cave

For you guys who have been craving a space in the house all to yourself, take a page from Robbie Bishop. His manly sanctuary is the ultimate man cave, equipped with a pool table, bar and high-tech entertainment system.

Photo by Holly Carlyle

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D E PA R T M E N T S

Page 34

30 Food Dudes 34 Food and Wine 40 Going Green

Bakersfield Life

May 2011

44 Why I Serve 60 Personality 62 Ladies Who ‌ 67 Tech Watch 78 Community 84 History 86 Trip Planner 92 Snap!

106 The Last Word

Photo by Lois Henry

Photo by Greg Nichols

Photo courtesy of Sabrina Diana Rodriguez

12 Up Front 14 Letters to the Editor 20 It "Manners" A Lot 22 Happenings 24 Real People 26 Talk of the Town 28 Health and Wellness

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Bakersfield’s Premier City Magazine

Bakersfield Life™ magazine is published

by The Bakersfield Californian.

The magazine is inserted into The Bakersfield Californian on the last Saturday of every month.

To subscribe, please call 392-5777.

Publisher Ginger Moorhouse President/CEO Richard Beene Senior Vice President Revenue and Marketing John Wells Advertising Director Bryan Fahsbender Editor Olivia Garcia Assistant Editor Stefani Dias Features Associate Hillary Haenes Editorial Assistant Marisol Sorto Art Direction Glenn Hammett Photography Felix Adamo Henry A. Barrios Holly Carlyle Casey Christie Bill Dewey Jessica Frey Lois Henry John Harte Brian Hodes Alex Horvath Greg Nichols Tanya X. Leonzo Jan St. Pierre Carla Rivas John Reyes Rodney Thornburg Jose Trevino Contributing writers Allie Castro Gene Garaygordobil Lois Henry Lisa Kimble Stephen Lynch Dana Martin Jeff Nickell Luz Pena Jerry Prigmore Gabriel Ramirez Advertising Lupe Carabajal lcarabajal@bakersfield.com 395-7563 Reader Inquiries Bakersfield Life Magazine P.O. Bin 440 Bakersfield, CA 93302-0440 BakersfieldLife@bakersfield.com 395-7467 On the cover Wildflowers along the Whiskey Flat Trail outside of Kernville.

Photo by Casey Christie

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Bakersfield Life

May 2011

A time for moms When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.

— Sophia Loren, “Women and Beauty”

N

Nothing melts my heart more than hearing my 4-year-old son tell me out of the blue that he loves me.

At this young age, he is processing his thoughts and feelings and saying them out loud. It’s neat to see our children develop at this age. I take it back; it’s neat to see how our children grow at every age.

As mothers, we will never tire of hearing those beautiful words from our children, no matter their age. Those precious three words are like receiving a medal and letting us know that we have raised loving, wonderful children. Yes, our children are our most prized possessions, but we may not have realized that our children feel the same about us.

A series of reader nominations that were recently submitted to Bakersfield Life magazine confirmed our observation.

In preparation for Mother’s Day, we asked our readers to share with us why their mom is the best.

We discoverd that they couldn’t be where they are in life without their mothers. They shared stories of how their mothers’ love carried them over the years.

We also learned that the meaning of a mother goes beyond natural birth; it takes many forms. It’s a grandmother, an adopted mother. And she doesn’t have to be living for her son or daughter to feel her presence and strength.

I don’t want to give away the stories so I encourage you to read those special nominations and take some time to tell your mother what she means to you.

Or better, consider taking her to Mama Tosca’s where our Food Dudes recently visited with their lovely wives. Read about their experience on Page 30.

Speaking of mothers, we also feature a few articles that are centered on family in our Raising Bakersfield section. They include how to plan that awesome birthday bash to a list of great summer camps to keep them active.

Photo by Tanya X. Leonzo

May 2011 / Vol. 5 / Issue 8

I want to thank readers who have submitted nominations for our Why I Serve section. This page highlights local military women and men and provides an area for them to share their own Bakersfield stories. If you know of someone, please turn to Page 44 for details on how to submit your friends or relatives.

Also, we are introducing another new section in the magazine that highlights local sports legends. Every month, writer Stephen Lynch will provide some interesting facts about the particular athlete, along with some historical photos.

We debut the section in this edition by featuring the great Frank Gifford. If you know of a local sports legend that you would love for us to include, please e-mail us your submission to bakersfieldlife@ bakersfield.com and type in the subject line: “Bakersfield Life Sports Legend nomination.”

And for all the Cinco de Mayo celebrations, we thought we’d introduce you to a couple of sweet margaritas that you can taste-test at a few local restaurants in town.

Olivia Garcia Editor ogarcia@bakersfield.com

Commercial Division FOR LEASE

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Two parcels (490-020-11, 38.79 AC @ NE corner of Jackson + Palm) ( 489-020-10, 19.10 AC @ corner of Jackson +Palm)Each with a SFR home. Location ideal for long term hold with future development.

City of Wasco infrastructure located at North property line of 19.10 acres parcel.

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Joseph Ramos 246-8059

2441 F St. Bakersfield, Ca. 93301 $260,000

Westchester office/retail. 4,000 S.F. masonary building with 50 feet of street frontage. Formerly used as office but could be converted to retail. Off street parking at back of building. Owner will consider either purchase or a lease.

Belinda Capilla 303-8270

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Approximately 20 acres with access to Canal Water for Irrigation. This Site is Located North of Shafter Road East of Ashe Road and South of Houghton Road.

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Frank Simon: 301-1643

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UP FRONT Short Takes

ABLE program teaches independence

Photo courtesy of Lori Newby

In April, more than 136 golfers took to the course with clubs in hand for a good cause.

The ninth annual golf fundraiser benefits the Kern High School District’s Adult Based Living Experiences Program. ABLE helps young adults between the ages of 18 and 22 with intellectual disabilities to learn life skills and help them to become independent.

This year's golf tournament was in honor of Ryan Newby, who's family owns Newby Rubber — the event's main sponsor. Ryan, who had Lori and Ryan Newby cerebral palsy and died in 2007, had participated in the ABLE Program.

His mother, Lori, said she’s a strong believer of the program.

“I told my family Newby Rubber will always be a sponsor of this tournament,” said Lori. “I’ll put it in my will.”

Currently, there are five sites for the ABLE program, including BARC on South Union Avenue and the Bakersfield Adult School’s

It’s Named After

Mount Vernon Avenue campus. There's a staff of 16 teachers, each equipped with the knowledge, patience and skills to work with students with intellectual disabilities.

“They’re young adults, and we treat them as adults,” said Chad Blain, ABLE assistant team leader. “We have goals for them based on their needs. Our students live and work in the community and are very productive.”

ABLE provides job training and teaches skills on basic grooming and hygiene, independence and personal safety.

“I tried to get my son to let me put away the dishes,” said Lori.

“Although he was in a wheelchair, he was set on doing it because they had taught him how to do it.”

Students are trained to hold jobs anywhere from janitorial or gardening or positions at stores such as Goodwill and Burlington Coat Factory.

“My son, Trevor, started working at Burlington,” said Catherine Waldon. “I asked him, ‘What did you do today?’ He said 'I did everything they asked me to do.’”

For more information or to make a donation, please call Joey Johnson at 396-4420.

– Luz Peña

By Lisa Kimble

M

Midway between Caliente and Bakersfield lies the unincorporated community of Edison and its history entwined with the early development of power, transportation and citrus farming.

In 1902, the Edison Electric Company built a substation in the area known then as Wade. The power company, named after American electrician and inventor Thomas Alva Edison, considered the location a convenient spot for its warehouses where machinery and supplies were stored while work was done in the Kern River canyon. Before then, the equipment was delivered to east Bakersfield and hauled from there out to the power plant site.

Southern Pacific Railroad arrived the following year and the young town’s name was changed from Wade to Edison. About the same time, the A.N. Towne Company divided 40 acres to develop the community. A post office was established there with William T. Sterling as its first postmaster, and in 1909, the Edison Land and Water Company founded a citrus colony on the site.

Kern aviation history was marked in Edison on May 4, 1912, when Edith Emmons paid $100 for an 1,100-foot flight, lasting just 20 seconds, but making her the first airplane passenger in Kern County. The occasion drew locals who were eager to pay money to witness the event.

During the Depression, many families who trekked westward settled into housing camps set up for migrant farmworkers in and around Edison as the area’s farming became more diversified. One of famed Depression-era photographer Dorothea 12

Bakersfield Life

May 2011

Produce packing sheds now dominate the landscape in Edison.

Photo by Felix Adamo

Edison Highway

Lange’s most noted pictures was snapped at a camp in Edison in 1938. The two children of migrant parents originally from Texas, barefoot and in tattered clothing, came to symbolize the living conditions of families who had fled the Dust Bowl.

The post office, which was closed in 1929, reopened in 1946.

Today Edison has two schools in its Edison School District — Orangewood Elementary and Edison Middle School — and is home to a number of produce-packing sheds that flank the railroad.

By the Numbers

Pinot Palooza

May 6 and 7 at the CSUB Amphitheatre

Saturday, may 21

Bakersfield Jazz Festival 25 Annual Bakers2 Number of days of 250 Number of field Jazz Festival festival volunteers 5,000 Aver1,800 Proage number of attend- grams given out ees

14 Number of musical groups

50+ Pinots hors d’Oeuvres

by Moo Creamery Riedel Tasting Glass $25 Case Discount

36 Number of sponsors

playing this year

108 Number of musicians playing this year

12 Number of food booths and

tickets:

vendors

10 Artists 51 Number of showing their works scholarships given this year 1,032 Number of VIP table seats 1 Fireworks show 200+ Number of people dancing on Saturday night

Source: Doug Davis, director of the Cal State Bakersfield Jazz Program and organizer of the Bakersfield Jazz Festival

633-WINE

VIP Entry $99 General Admission $75 imbibe wine & spirits merchant wine bar wine storage 4140 truxtun avenue, at empire 661.633.9463 imbibewine.com

www.BakersfieldLife.com

13

UP FRONT

Dear Editor,

I was reading the April edition of Bakersfield Life, and just love so many things about this edition.

One in particular is the “Spring collegiate athletes” article. I think it gives our community something to be proud of. Kern County does not get recognized for outstanding education. You usually hear more about how K.C. has a very low percentage of people who are under educated. This article gives us all hope to see we have several students from local high schools on the right track to a continued education. I would like to add my daughter’s information in the event you decide to do this article again next year.

Monique Bellanger, Highland High (2008).

Monique is attending Point Loma Nazarene University on a track scholarship. She competes in the heptathlon (seven track and field events) and is a bio/chemistry major.

This article also helps highlight our local high schools athletic departments and lets our community become aware of the importance of athletes in our schools. This is so important during budget cut times.

Some students would never attend college without an athletic scholarship.

Thanks again, Olivia, for including the spring collegiate athletes in this edition of Bakersfield Life.

Keep up the good work.

— Simone Bellanger-Lopez

First, let me say that I enjoy your magazine very much. I like hearing good things about our city and its people. I am writing because of two athletes that were left out of Stephen Lynch’s article “Spring collegiate athletes.”

I am the golf coach at Bakersfield College. Two of our ladies are attending and 14

Bakersfield Life

Photo courtesy of Bob Paillet

Dear Editor,

Katherine James May 2011

Photo courtesy of Bob Paillet

Monique Bellanger

playing for four-year colleges. Ellen Krausse (Garces, BC) is a junior and playing at Cal State Northridge, and Katherine James (Liberty and BC), also a junior, is attending Augusta State. Both received scholarships because of their play on the 2009 Renegade team (second in the state).

I follow the careers of Ellen Krausse our local golfers (men and women), and if I can be a future source of information for future articles, please contact me. (On a sad note, Dana Arneson quit the CSUB team this year.)

— Sincerely, Bob Paillet Golf Coach, Bakersfield College

Amanda Klinchuch

Photo courtesy of Leslie Klinchuch

Photo courtesy of Simone Bellanger-Lopez

Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,

Our family really enjoys Bakersfield Life magazine. I just read the great article by Stephen Lynch about local athletes who are continuing their sport in college (great photos, too). We know several of these students. At least one student was missing from the women’s track and field list … our daughter, Amanda Klinchuch. She signed for Long Beach State during her senior year at Liberty High (2009). In high school, she was a three-time (2007-2009) All League Champion, three-time All Area Champion and threetime CIF State Championship competitor in pole vaulting. Amanda is now a sophomore vaulter for the Long Beach State track team. She broke her ankle midway through her freshman season last year, but is making a great comeback this season.

Amanda has been fondly known as the “pixie pole vaulter” … not quite 5 feet tall, yet she holds the Liberty High women’s track and field pole vault record of 12 feet. In addition to athletics, she has more than 10 years of experience in musical theater on Bakersfield stages, including Harvey Auditorium, Stars Theatre and Spotlight Theatre. Amanda is majoring in kinesiotherapy at Long Beach State. We are very proud of her!

— Regards, Leslie Klinchuch

The Bakersfield Californian publishes Bakersfield Life magazine monthly. If you have any questions or comments regarding our magazine, write to us at Bakersfield Life Magazine, P.O. Bin 440, Bakersfield, CA 93302, or e-mail us at bakersfield life@bakersfield.com.

We’d love to hear from you.

To submit material

Letters to the editor: We publish all letters that are signed and deemed appropriate for our readership.

Letters must be signed to be considered for a publication. Please type or print your name, as well as an address and a daytime phone number.

E-mail should include the writer’s full name and city. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity and space. Please submit letters to Olivia Garcia, Editor, Bakersfield Life Magazine, P.O. Bin 440, Bakersfield, CA 93302.

For e-mail, send letters to the editor to bakersfieldlife@bakersfield. com.

Calendar events: Please submit information in writing to Marisol Sorto, no later than the first of the month, two months prior to the month in which the event will take place. Contact her at bakersfieldlife@ bakersfield.com.

Snapshots: Please submit event information for coverage consideration to Olivia Garcia and Glenn Hammett at least one month prior to the event. Send event name, date, location, time, name of contact person and phone number to bakersfieldlife@bakersfield. com.

To advertise

Please call Lupe Carabajal, retail advertising sales manager, at 395-7563 or lcarabajal@ bakersfield.com or bakersfieldlife@bakersfield. com.

Say Aaaaahhhhhhhh.

WE’RE WE RE

Good news for the kids of Bakersfield—You’re going to be OK. Now that the brand new Children’s Medical Center at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital is open, Kern County kids can get state-of-the-art pediatric care close to home—and their parents can breathe a sigh of relief. We provide a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for newborns and preemies. We have specially trained pediatricians here 24/7, along with compassionate nurses and staff to care for kids. This summer, we’ll open the only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

for infants, youngsters and older children in the area. So, whether it’s simple or more serious, with Memorial’s new Children’s Medical Center you can rest assured…your kids are going to be OK. PEDIATRIC RESOURCE GUIDE P For a free 16 page guide on F kkids health and wellness, call: 1-877-854-4BMH 1 (1-877-854-4264).

(1

Memorial Physician Referral & Resource Line 1-877-854-4BMH Become a fan on Facebook Health Information Library: Access our free health information library at www.ItsOkBakersfield.org. or www.BakersfieldMemorial.org. You’ll find hundreds of health topics of interest to read about.

PRE-REGISTER TODAY! Save time and be better prepared for an emergency or hospitalization by pre-registering your child at www.ItsOkBakersfield.org or call (661) 327-4647 ext 4866.

420 34th Street Bakersfield, CA 93301

UP FRONT Short Take

‘Chicago’ comes alive at CSUB Music, manipulation and murder will take center stage this month as the CSUB Theatre Department produces “Chicago.”

Performances will take place on May 19, 20, 21, 27 and 28 at 8 p.m. and May 29 at 2 p.m.

“Chicago” delves into murder, manipulation of justice and the pursuit of fame circa the 1920s. Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, two vaudeville performers who have both ended up in jail for murder, employ a slick lawyer — Billy Flynn — to defend them while also catapulting their careers. The show contains adult themes and is not recommended for children under 13.

In terms of cast size, this will be CSUB’s biggest show with a 28-member cast and up to 50 students working on the production, including behind the scenes and in the orchestra pit.

Director Mandy Rees said she had been waiting to direct “Chicago” for years.

“First off, I love the music. It is jazzy, the tunes are memorable and the lyrics are clever. The whole piece is very theatrical, based on 1920s vaudeville, so seeing it live makes for a very exciting evening,” Rees said. “I'm also drawn to the irony of the piece. It makes a strong social statement about how society is fascinated by criminals and morally corrupt people and in the process celebrates them, a theme

still relevant today — in today's headlines think Charlie Sheen!”

Rees said they are aiming to capture the vaudeville feeling of the show with some scenic elements and lighting, using multiple levels to allow for some interesting staging.

“We have a larger ensemble than the typical production, so we can create some spectacular moments when we fill the stage with the full cast. We are certainly drawing ideas from past productions, but we are trying to put a fresh spin on every number by adding some unique touches and surprises,” Rees said.

Tickets are $5, students; $10 for general admission; and $8 for seniors over 60 and CSUB staff and faculty. For more information, please call 654-3150.

— Gabriel Ramirez

On the Street

What is the best advice your mom has given you?

“Anyone can have a baby, but it takes a real woman to be a mom and there’s no such thing as can’t.”

“Always try to do better in life.”

— Mary Beltran

“Family is No. 1.”

— Holly Wilson

— Mimi Seymen

“If you want something done right, do it yourself.”

16

Bakersfield Life

“Don’t get mad; get even.”

— Nichole Andriano

— Corinna Hernandez

“Your actions speak louder than words”

“Always do your best and never give up.”

— Rafael Cisneros

— Ilene Rickels

May 2011

“Always do your best even when things are hard to do.”

— Cheryl Prude

“Always tell the truth.”

— Nichol Kenney

25 random things you didn’t know about ...

Jimmy Watkins The 28-year-old started bike riding in 2005 to stay in shape for his job as a firefighter for the Kern County Fire Department. As he began to get more serious with riding, he started entering races and found out he was a pretty good sprinter. Watkins decided to try track cycling (run on a 250-meter oval track on a single-fixed gear bike, which means you cannot stop pedaling), since there’s a lot of sprint events that suit his athletic abilities.

After his first year of racing and qualifying for Elite Track Cycling Nationals, he decided to get serious, so he hired a coach and started training. The following year at the 2008 elite nationals, he won three titles. Since then, he’s won four national championships, a Pan-American championship, set three national records and one Pan-American record.

This year has been an exciting one for Watkins because he’s been competing at the World Cups to gain Olympic qualification points. He and his wife welcomed their first child 10 months ago, and Watkins thinks it would be such a great thing to be able to take his family to compete.

1. I was born and raised in

3. I graduated from Stock-

15. I hate being late.

16. I grew up riding horses.

17. I lived on a dirt road till I was 17.

18. I raced BMX when I

dale High School in 2000.

was younger.

4. My favorite movie is

19. I have two brothers and

“Step Brothers.”

one sister.

5. My height is 6’1.”

6. I weigh 218 pounds.

7. Born 8-26-1982.

8. My favorite dinner is

20. I worked on a farm for a

Bakersfield.

2. I started playing football in fourth grade.

T.L. Maxwell’s Gorgonzola filet mignon.

9. My favorite wine is Blackstone cabernet.

10. I branded my wedding ring by getting electrocuted at work.

11. I have no tattoos.

12. I fly radio control planes and

summer in high school.

21. I hate tomatoes.

22. I love tomato sauce.

23. I have a

serious sweet tooth.

24. I enjoy

motor sports.

25. I love being a father.

helicopters.

13. I drag race a ’48 Fiat altered, Photos courtesy of Brian Hodes, Veloimages

which does 7.30 at 180 mph in a quarter-mile.

14. I broke the same collarbone twice.

www.BakersfieldLife.com

17

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IT ‘MANNERS’ A LOT

An ode to mothers

M

By Lisa Kimble

May is poised to bloom with a bouquet of special occasions – from weddings to graduations, but none more important than Mother’s Day. This column would be remiss in not penning a love letter of thanks to mothers everywhere. The women who brought us into this world, wiped our tears, taught us to cook, and along the way made sure we minded our manners, as well as the ones who came into our lives midstream, and those with whom we don’t share a last name or gene pool, but who have “mothered” us through life’s storms.

Of all the gifts the mothers of our world can give, that of social graces should be counted among the most valuable. My own mother’s life lessons, 35 years’ worth, like a strand of cultured pearls, remain with me today. Twenty-one years ago I was doublyblessed to inherit a mother-in-law who continues to be the very embodiment of the art of loveliness with her thoughtful, handwritten thank-you notes and linen handkerchiefs.

So to all “mothers,” heartfelt appreciation for teaching us the importance of being polite and gracious, for molding us and shaping us, and that those little words like “thank you” and “please” do go a long way. Our world is all the richer for it. Happy Mother’s Day! Dear It ‘Manners’ A Lot, My pet peeve is trash, and not just at home but in the community. Knowing how important it is to keep our town nice and clean, it bugs me whenever I see people throwing trash wherever they feel like it, instead of using a trash bin. Sometimes I am tempted to say something but I don’t want to come out as rude.

What’s the best way to approach this?

Dear Reader, Take heart. You are not alone. Your pet peeve is becoming a community-wide concern. Not only is the littering disrespectful of our town, the environment and Mother Earth, but it is also ILLEGAL! In a number of states, the act of disrespect may involve law enforcement if officers are in the right place at the right time. California Penal Code Section 374.4 CLEARLY states that it is unlawful to litter or cause to be littered in or upon public or private party, and anyone found in violation of the infraction can face a penalty of a pricey fine. And that includes the throwing of a lighted cigarette from a vehicle.

You’re right, calling them out on their own rude behavior outright would be wrong, but a casual mention that they may have dropped something would certainly be appropriate Lisa Kimble

20

Bakersfield Life

February 2011

and non-confrontational. If that doesn’t work, I’d probably pick it up after them. I know schools of thought are sharply divided on this, but why not be the one to take the ‘higher road’ and set a positive example for our children?

Some states actually encourage witnesses to use their cell phone to contact law enforcement with a description of the car, plate and location. Here in Bakersfield, unfortunately with manpower stretched thin, unless the illegal dumping was creating an immediate hazard, the call would be considered a low priority according to the Police Department.

Dear It ‘Manners’ A Lot, I love going to the movies with my husband. It is like our ‘date night’ away from the kids. But there is nothing relaxing about sharing a movie theater with people who bring their children and allow them to cry nonstop. Isn’t there something that can be done?

Dear Reader, In a perfect world, all small children of movie patrons would not only be NOT seen, but not heard either. Before becoming a parent, I believed in this Utopia. Later I was able to empathize with the challenges of finding trusted, affordable child care, as well as the expenses of a night out at the show. I became more patient, but even that had its limits, so I can relate. Some theaters have crying sections, or family viewing rooms, but not all. First time parents wouldn’t dream of venturing out without their new bundle of joy. (Wait until the third or fourth child, when the goldfish will seem up to the task!) If that’s not possible, they should take turns with the baby out in the lobby. Even Oscar-winning movie soundtracks can’t overcompensate for a whaling child.

If the unruliness is coming from older kids or teens, rather than compounding it by attempting to do something yourself, which has backfired like popcorn on many a moviegoer who, in trying to get through the rest of the movie, was subjected to taunts and harassment by the offenders, get up quietly and ask the usher to deal with it. If he or she doesn’t, ask to speak to the manager on duty, and insist that if the matter is not resolved, you will expect a refund.

And the same goes for cell phone use. A movie theater is a public space where everyone’s presence should be respected. After all, it “manners” a lot!

Have a question about social graces or etiquette, agree or disagree? E-mail me at itmannersalot@bakersfield.com and visit me itmannersalot.blogspot.com for more advice.

HAPPENINGS

Find more community events at BakersfieldLife.com or submit yours via e-mail: bakersfieldlife@bakersfield.com

Sun. 1

Thur. 5

Fri. 6

Fri. 6

Sat. 7

Platinum Weddings Bridal Show, presented by Kern County Bridal Association, noon to 3 p.m., DoubleTree Hotel, Ballroom, 3100 Camino Del Rio Court. $15; $25 per couple. weddings2011.com or 633-9200.

Hoffmann Hospice 17th annual Voices of Inspiration Dinner, featuring Marcus Luttrell, entertainment, dinner, raffle, auction, doors open at 5:30 p.m., DoubleTree Hotel, 3100 Camino Del Rio Court. $100.

410-1010.

First Friday Downtown, featuring live music, art openings, specialty shops, galleries and boutiques, artists will set up their artwork, 5 to 9 p.m., Downtown Arts District. 634-9598.

Party in the Park CSUB Alumni Park, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Wine and beer tasting with proceeds benefitting student scholarships. $50 in advance, $60 at the door. 654-3211.

Merle Haggard, 8 p.m., Bakersfield Fox Theater, 2001 H St. $35 to $85. vallitix. com or 322-5200.

Sun. 8

Sun. 8

Thur. 12

Fri. 13

Vicente Fernandez, 7 p.m., Rabobank Arena, 1001 Truxtun Ave. $48 to $169 plus fee. ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000.

Mother’s Day Music Fest, noon to 7 p.m., Kern County Fairgrounds, Budweiser Pavilion, 1142 P St. Free admission and parking. 327-9711.

39th annual CSUB Spring BBQ, 5:30 to 9 p.m. $25 pre-sale, $30 at the gate.

Proceeds benefit the CSUB student-athlete scholarship fund. gorunners.com or 654-3473.

Sixth annual Driller Football Hall of Fame Banquet, social hour, silent auction, 6 p.m., Marriott Hotel at the Convention Center, 801 Truxtun Ave. $125. 393-4027.

WEEK 5

WEEK 4

WEEK 3

WEEK 2

WEEK 1

Can’t-miss events in May

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Bakersfield Life

May 2011

Sun. 15

Thur. 19

20-21

Italian Picnic, with games, bocce tournament and more, noon to 6 p.m., Italian Heritage Hall, 4415 Wilson Road. 831-0867.

Third Thursday, 5: 30 to 8:30 p.m., Central Park at Mill Creek, with other entertainment and activities along Mill Creek. 325-5892.

Third annual Bakersfield’s Biggest, Baddest Barbecue Championship, 5:30 to 9 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, Kern County Fairgrounds, 1142 S. P St. bakobbq.com or 331-3900.

Mon. 23

27-29

15th annual Valley Fever Benefit Golf Tournament, 11:30 a.m. registration and lunch; tee off at 1 p.m., Bakersfield Country Club, 4200 Country Club Drive. $150 per person.

393-7204

CSUB Roadrunner Baseball vs. Cal Poly, 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 1 p.m.

Sunday, CSUB campus, Hardt Field, 9001 Stockdale Highway. $4 to $7. 654-2583.

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REAL PEOPLE

Kira Wiggins San Joaquin Community Hospital’s Wellness Center director makes sure you have a healthy recovery

Kira Wiggins is the director of San Joaquin Hospital’s Wellness Center.

U

By Luz Peña

Photos by Henry A. Barrios

Usually when new patients come into Buck Owens Wellness Resource Center at San Joaquin Community Hospital, they’re often unsure of what to expect.

Little do they know that they’ll be working alongside Kira Wiggins, who’ll be their champion and guide them to a pleasant recovery and healthier lifestyle.

“I’ve always lived a life of wellness,” said Wiggins, the director of the wellness center for the past three years. “Nutrition has always been important to me as staying active. My mother always made sure we ate healthy.”

Wiggins said the center was created to help people on an outpatient basis after they’ve suffered from things like a heart attack or have been diagnosed with diabetes.

Sandy Fahsbender, the wellness center’s office manager, describes Wiggins as a kind-hearted person with an infectious do-good personality.

“She is definitely a type of person that is good and kind to peo24

Bakersfield Life

May 2011

ple. It kind of rubs off on you and you want to be good and kind too.

All her patients just love her,” said Fahsbender. “They walk away with getting more than they thought they would. She wants them to understand what she was trying to tell them. It doesn’t matter if it takes one or two hours with her.”

Wiggins, a registered dietitian, says she likes to “walk the walk” with her patients even if that means she has to pierce her finger with a lancet to show a diabetic patient how to test their blood sugar or sticking herself with a needle to show them how to inject themselves with insulin.

“I try to live by my example. I try to put myself at their level,” she said. “I put myself in their shoes. I do (my job) from my heart, not from a book.”

And she sets quite an example: On an average day, Wiggins goes for a three-mile run in the morning, bikes herself to work, then practices yoga at home or teaches it at Inner Body Works and goes for a walk in the evening with her dog, Muñeco, also known as Mune.

Her colleague Leslie Elliott, who's the senior territory business manager for LifeScan Inc., said don’t let Wiggins’ quietness fool

Kira Wiggins also teaches a yoga class at Inner Body Works. you, because once you’ve met her, you’ll have an instant friend and someone who will advocate for your health and well-being.

The pair have worked together for years. LifeScan makes the blood glucose monitors that patients use at the wellness center.

“She’s dedicated, energetic and creative. She is very dedicated with patients, she is creative with her job to think of ways to help people and she is energetic because she will be up at 6 a.m. and will still teach a yoga class at night,” said Elliott. “She truly wants to help people to be healthier, it’s a passion to help her patients to improve their lives. We are fortunate to have her insight, passion and energy to improve the life of people (here locally).”

When Wiggins is not at work, exercising or participating in the Kern County Diabetes Coalition, she’s cooking at home with her husband, Jeremy. Wiggins is practically a vegetarian with fish being the only meat she eats.

Her two favorite dishes are a black bean salad, which is a tostada topped with yummy yet nutritious stuff like black beans, avocado, salsa and cilantro. The other is an eggplant manicotti.

The trick to this diabetic-friendly dish is using eggplant slices instead of pasta.

“I like to try recipes that I’ll recommend to my patients,” said Wiggins. “It has to be healthy but also it has to taste good.”

Its maybe hard to believe, but Wiggins does have some down time. She likes to curl up with a good book like “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” series or the latest ones on diet or nutrition.

“I like quiet time and I like to have it with my husband,” Wiggins said. “It's all about finding the healthy balance.”

www.BakersfieldLife.com

25

TALK OF THE TOWN

Bill Nation Captain-Area Commander, Bakersfield California Highway Patrol Compiled by Gabriel Ramirez What are the big issues facing the Kern County area?

For the Highway Patrol, the biggest issues we face concern traffic in Kern, specifically the morning and afternoon commute. Also included is inclement weather, which means dealing with long-term closures on Interstate 5 over the Grapevine and State Route 178.

What are your goals for the CHP this year?

Reduction of fatal collisions, injury collisions and driving under the influence incidents. Increase of seat-belt compliance. Decrease in distracted-driver violations.

Tell us about your background: I grew up in San Jose attended St. Francis High School in Mountain View, then De Anza College and San Jose State. I have been with the California Highway Patrol for 26 years. The biggest highlights of my career include: being a motorcycle officer for 10 years and recently working with the FBI in Washington D.C. for six months. I have been married for 21 years and have two children — my daughter is a senior in high school and my son is a freshman in high school.

How is the state budget affecting the local CHP division?

The biggest challenges include replacing older vehicles, being able to purchase new equipment and filling vacancies.

What programs or projects is the CHP undertaking?

Currently, statewide we are installing the Mobile Video/Audio Recording System in our patrol vehicles. We are also installing a new radio system in our patrol vehicles. It is called Consolidated Patrol Vehicle Environment. Basically a radio system that will allow us to communicate with allied agencies. Also in the works is a new area office. Groundbreaking could start next year. We are looking at property at State Route 99 and State Route 119.

What other traffic issues or concerns do you have?

To sum it up the California Highway Patrol’s measuring point is the mileage death rate on the California highways, which we take very seriously. Therefore, our biggest goals are the reduction of fatal collisions and DUI- related issues.

26

Bakersfield Life

May 2011

Photo by Felix Adamo

What sections of highways are becoming a major concern?

Traffic congestions on State Route 58 between State Route 99 and State Route 184. Also State Route 99 between Panama Lane and Olive Drive.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Friendly Foods Organic cooks share why their recipes are better for you

By Dana Martin

I

In the fertile fields of the southern San Joaquin Valley, folks wanting fresh produce flock to the world’s largest organic food farm, Cal Organics in Lamont. That’s right—the largest organic farm in the world is right in Kern County’s backyard, and Wendy Naus is likely one of the company’s best customers.

Naus, who owns Nature’s Food Market on “G” Street in Bakersfield, says she has been living a healthy lifestyle for almost 31 years. “My husband Chuck and I have been into health and teaching healing in our church for 30 years. I’ve done years of cooking schools and make all raw desserts.” (See recipe on following page.)

“Raw” is exactly what it sounds like and more. A raw diet is completely plant based with no cooking allowed (thus, no loss of nutrients). Naus teaches raw food classes every third Sunday in her store and claims that eating this way is not only less expensive, it’s healthier, too.

“It’s so much better for your body to be on a plant-based diet.

Our bodies know how to digest it. Cooked foods, especially meat, are heavy and hard to digest and sit in the stomach,” said Naus. “Look at your plate. How much of the food is alive and is going to give you life? How much of it isn’t?”

Naus acknowledges that eating raw (the strictest form of vegetarianism) isn’t for everyone but insists that making even small changes can improve your lifestyle.

“My motto is to do the best you can. If you can’t get an organic apple, then peel the skin. Organic farmers use different kinds of spray—but they are still organic. There is a huge difference in flavor.

Carrots and tomatoes are the types of vegetables that absorb what’s in the ground. Organically grown carrots and tomatoes are richer in color and taste sweet,” said Naus.

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Bakersfield Life

May 2011

For some, eating organic foods is just the logical next step to adopting a total raw, vegan or vegetarian lifestyle.

Amber Ghilarducci is also committed to eating organically and for many of the same reasons as Naus, her mother. But Ghilarducci made her decision after living the “other” lifestyle.

“We grew up eating vegetarian, but I did not have appreciation for it,” says Ghilarducci. “When I went away to school I gained weight and started not feeling as good. My face broke out. And when I went back to my mom’s house (and her cooking), I’d get to feeling better.”

R E C I P E S Super “C” Smoothie

1 cup chopped parsley 2-3 lemons, juiced 2 limes, juiced 1 lime, for garnish 1-teaspoon sea salt ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

(Serves 4) Ingredients: 4 cups fresh frozen pineapple 2 oranges, juiced 2 grapefruits, juiced 1 lemon, juiced 1 lime, juiced 1-inch fresh ginger Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Garnish with a slice of fresh orange and lime. Serve immediately.

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Let this marinade for 2-3 hours or overnight in the fridge. This is delicious and loaded with high alkaline, disease fighting, immune builders.

This drink is power packed with super winter fruits that are loaded with extra high doses of Vitamin C, that help to build the immune system which is especially important during the cold and flu season. These fruits also work as amazing fat burners. If you need to intake more greens for the day, add a handful of spinach or cilantro!

Veggie Wraps

As a busy wife and mother of two young children, Ghilarducci says it isn’t always easy sticking to the strict parameters of an all-raw, organic diet, but you make it work the best you can and it pays off.

“You’re saving yourself money in the long run on doctor bills,” she said, when considering all the chemicals in non-organic and processed foods. “A lot of people don’t realize they don’t feel good. They don’t have the vitality they could have.”

Ghilarducci says her husband didn’t eat organic or raw foods growing up but that he likes what she makes. “It can be flavorful.

There are so many recipes. People don’t realize it’s so easy and there is so much to eat!

I can look at any cookbook and make any recipe into a vegan and organic recipe.”

To prove it, both Naus and Ghilarducci prepared an entire meal using only the freshest, organic ingredients from living, raw plant-based foods grown in the San Joaquin Valley.

Spread 2 Tablespoons of hummus evenly on tortilla or veggie leaf. Place evenly on side of tortilla closest to you a row of carrots, then on top of carrots a row of beets, then on top of beets a row of spinach. Carefully roll end of tortilla over the top of the spinach and tuck and roll end over end. Cut with a sharp knife a diagonal cut in the middle. Place on a platter and serve. Get creative by adding other veggies such as: shredded jicama, sliced avocado, chopped kale, shredded apple, etc.

Broccoli Dill Salad (Serves 6-8)

Ingredients: 4 cups chopped broccoli 4 cups chopped kale 2 cups chopped dill

Photo courtesy of Wendy Naus

Super “C” Smoothie

Ingredients: 4 Created Whole Tortillas or 4 Large Collard Green or Broccoli Leaves 1 cup Lilly’s or Wildwood Probiotic Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Shredded carrots Shredded beets Fresh spinach

Photo courtesy of Wendy Naus

Photo courtesy of Wendy Naus

(Serves 4)

Dark Chocolate “Ganache” Mousse with Fresh Raspberries (Serves 4)

Ingredients: 2 cups soaked cashews ½ cup Pure Grade “B” maple syrup 2 tablespoons raw blue Agave nectar ½ cup Cacao Powder 2 tablespoons extra-virgin coconut oil 1-tablespoon lecithin granules 1-tablespoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon almond extract 1 tablespoon lemon juice ½ cup water pinch sea salt 1-cup fresh raspberries Place all ingredients, except the fresh raspberries, in a high-speed blender and blend until fluffy. This takes a few minutes and you will need to stir the sides of mousse carefully while blending to reach desired consistency. Place 6-7 fresh raspberries in a glass dessert dish, then add mousse and garnish top with more fresh raspberries and a sprig of fresh mint. This is so decadent and delicious, yet the nutritional value is beyond belief! (Antioxidants, calcium rich, magnesium, etc.) You can enjoy this mouthwatering dessert guilt-free!

www.BakersfieldLife.com

29

FOOD DUDES

Mama Tosca’s Ristorante Italiano

An admired, delectable treasure Photos by Greg Nichols

David Luter It’s May and Mother's Day is coming soon. So for this issue, the Food Dudes were graced with the presence of angels, our wives, and we went to one of the finest Italian restaurants in town, Mama Tosca’s.

Now I’ve been wrestling with the best way to describe Mama’s and I think I’ve got it. Do you remember that time as a kid, when you went to your grandma’s house and she made these dinners with 30

Bakersfield Life

May 2011

Back row, from left: Kevin McCloskey, Chris Hanson, Toni Rienzo, Bill Trivitt and David Luter. Front: Owners Luigi and Tosca Rienzo.

recipes that had been in the family for generations and were just outstanding? You’d eat so much you couldn’t move from the table.

Or when you went over to your friend’s house and his mom would cook this food that was just so mouth-watering, all the guys wanted to eat there because it was that good? This is how I feel every time I visit Mama Tosca’s.

Mama Tosca’s began in the Laurelglen shopping area at Ming Avenue and Ashe Road by brothers Luigi and Toni. In 2001, they made the move over to The Marketplace and haven’t looked back.

With dining areas ranging from the outside patio (which is beautiful this time of year), the more elegant main dining room, or the banquet rooms, which can hold up to a party of 50, Luigi and the crew at Mama’s can handle the needs of most any group. If the dining room isn’t what you're looking for head into the bar and see Toni for a couple glasses of wine, an appetizer and just unwind. So when you’re thinking of where to take your wife, your mother, or that special someone, think of Mama Tosca’s. They are open for dinner

Monday through Saturday and do lunches during the week.

Bill Trivitt Appetizers at Mama Tosca’s are a great way to start off an evening. Our group began with a wide sampling from the menu and some that you can special order. Being a party of eight, we ordered five different selections: Italian sausage in marinara sauce, calamari fritti, bruschetta, Mama’s carrots, and roasted garlic with brie, all of which were outstanding.

The Italian sausage comes layered with marinara sauce that can be used for dipping. The sausage itself is the sweet Italian variety, not spicy, so everyone can enjoy it. The calamari is breaded and fried to a golden brown and served with a marinara sauce. The dish is an assortment of rings and the little ones that look like the actual squid, tentacles and all. These little beauties were prepared perfectly and were not rubbery as calamari can sometimes be. Mama Tosca’s bruschetta is wonderful. Fresh tomatoes, garlic and herbs grace the top of toasted French bread. It is light, flavorful and perfect for spring. This appetizer was a favorite of everyone in our group.

We had a couple of appetizers that were not on the menu, but the fabulous staff will prepare them for you if asked. The first was Mama’s carrots, a plateful of sliced carrots

that are marinated in tasty vinaigrette. I could have eaten the whole plate, but with seven other people, I had to share. I’ve saved the best for last: Mama Tosca's roasted garlic and brie. They takes freshly sliced garlic roasted in olive oil, and presents it over a fine brie on top of toasted French bread. We have been enjoying this one for many years.

Chris Hanson Menu? Who needs one at Mama’s? We all had them and browsed through the trove of Italian staples alongside some unique dishes that would have definitely filled our “Toscan” cravings. However, the specials announced by our waiter, Javier, were the entire menu needed for the Dudes and their wives!

The Luters both enjoyed seafood entrees.

Martha had salmon in a lemon caper sauce while David dined on seafood linguine, filled with mussels, calamari and shrimp.

Both dishes were obviously prepared with care and the generous portions proved very satisfying! Bill and Amy opted for more carnivorous choices. Bill’s rack of lamb was simply perfect in both taste and presentation. I am glad that I was able to get a taste of Amy’s osso bucco because before I knew it, there was only a marrowless bone left on her plate. Both meats were very tender and flavorful. Kevin chose the filet mignon,

Appetizers

Continued on page 32

Rack of lamb Dessert tray

Seafood linguini www.BakersfieldLife.com

31

The Food Dudes were joined by their wives at Mama Tosca’s. From left: Bill and Michelle Trivitt, Amy and Chris Hanson, David and Martha Luter and Kevin and Tamara McCloskey.

Continued from page 31

but wavered between the house-made Béarnaise and gorgonzola sauces. Opting for the gorgonzola sauce fit the steak impeccably.

Tamara decided to keep it simple with chicken fettuccine alfredo.

Though it did not appear on the menu, the Mama Tosca’s kitchen proved accommodating and demonstrated a true sign of a top-notch restaurant. They also accommodated Michelle’s request for lobsters Cognac. Delicate morsels of lobster in a pink cognac cream sauce over linguini are a definite treat.

After making my way around the table, fork in hand, sampling everyone’s chosen dish, I did sit down to a magnificent veal scallopini. Traditional and pleasing, I left nothing on my plate. All our entrees were delectable and enjoyed to the fullest.

Kevin McCloskey Mama Tosca’s has been a staple in Bakersfield fine dining since 1982, and I have been patronizing them for the last decade. With this kind of longevity, many of you have probably had the pleasure of their hospitality, but the rest of you are definitely missing out.

Over the years, I have found that the danger in eating at such a great Italian restaurant is in filling up on the first two or three courses and skipping dessert. But however you have to rationalize it, do not make this mistake.

As we admired the dessert tray, it was immediately obvious that each of us had already decided on our favorites. Amy and Chris shared the Butterfinger pie, as perfect an example of this ice cream treat that I’ve ever had. Michelle and Bill indulged in the chocolate mousse and raspberry a la creme respectively, and Tamara chose the triple layer chocolate cake. All three would provide perfect closure to your meal.

For me, there was really no choice at all. I needed a dish of Zabaglione (pronounced “zah-by-own”), and David wisely followed 32

Bakersfield Life

May 2011

Osso bucco

my lead. Ever since my first taste, 10 years ago, this light, delicious treat has been my absolute favorite dessert in Bakersfield. At Mama Tosca’s, this Italian custard is lightly dusted with cocoa powder and has a splash of fruit puree at the bottom of the dish. I have tried this delicacy wherever I’ve found it, in town and beyond, but Mama's set the bar too high. To date, no one else has come remotely close to matching it spoon for spoon. If Mama was my mom, I’m sure she would have cut me off from this treat long ago for my own good, or limited me to just Christmas and birthdays. Lucky for me I’ve got a birthday coming up, and Christmas begins earlier every single year.

Tamara, Amy, Martha and Michelle A big thank you to the family at Mama Tosca’s and our awesome husbands for a wonderful evening of fun and great food.

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FOOD AND WINE

Margarita season With Cinco de Mayo around the corner, it’s time to indulge with a margarita ‌ or two

By Gabriel Ramirez

34

Photos by Jessica Frey

Bakersfield Life

May 2011

Mexicali Restaurant Irene Ramirez, manager

What is the secret to a great margarita? Wow, consistency.

Whether you like them blended, on the rocks or with lots of salt and green olives, sometimes you just need a margarita to hit the spot.

It might be true that many of us don’t need a reason to have one, but if you want an excuse to start sampling those salty tequila-infused concoctions, then guess what? Cinco de Mayo is a perfect excuse to try the popular margaritas we are featuring.

Agave Mexican Grill Omar Ruiz, owner

What is the secret to a great margarita? Premium tequila and lime juice.

What is your most popular margarita? Granada Margarita.

What is in it? La Pinta Pomegranate infused tequila, fresh lime juice, Sunkist Sweet & Sour, Patron Citronge.

Blended or on the rocks? On the rocks because you get more tequila flavor.

I prefer my margarita to be: handmade

What is your most popular margarita? Cadillac Margarita.

What is in it? Tequila, Triple Sec, lemon juice and no premix.

Blended or on the rocks? It’s a matter of choice.

I prefer my margarita to be: strong and smooth.

La Mina Mexican Restaurant Marco Briseño, manager

What is the secret to a great margarita? You have to have a good margarita mix, otherwise it’ll be too sour or too sweet. The tequila gives it flavor but it’s really in the margarita mix, which has to be the No. 1 thing.

What is your most popular margarita?

Strawberry Margarita.

What is in it? Tequila, Triple Sec and sweet and sour mix with natural strawberries.

Blended or on the rocks? Definitely on the rocks. If you want the full flavor, it has to be on the rocks. If you blend a margarita it waters it down.

I prefer my margarita to be: premium.

Continued on page 36 www.BakersfieldLife.com

35

Continued from page 35

Don Perico’s Martin Ortiz, manager

What is the secret to a great margarita? A good margarita depends on the tequila.

Los Aguacates Mexican Grill

What is your most popular margarita? Acapulco Margarita.

Mario Garcia, manager

What is the secret to a great margarita? The tequila. I prefer Caballero, an imported tequila from Mexico. The secret is basically having the same amount of Triple Sec and tequila with Grand Marnier on the side.

What is your most popular margarita? MVP Margarita.

What is in it? Caballero or any quality tequila, Triple Sec and sweet and sour.

Blended or on the rocks? On the rocks gives you the best flavor because it is not watered down.

I prefer my margarita to be: the best one out there.

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Bakersfield Life

May 2011

What is in it? Sauza Tres Generaciones Tequila, Triple Sec, sweet and sour, Chambord Raspberry Liqueur.

Blended or on the rocks? On the rocks, because when you blend a margarita you water down the flavor. When it is on the rocks you really can appreciate the tequila.

I prefer my margarita to be: on the rocks, sweet, made with the best tequila, because I know tequila is the main ingredient.

The Padre Mark Dondanville, food and beverage manager

What is the secret to a great margarita? The taste and being out of the box.

What is your most popular margarita? Cucumber Jalapeño Margarita.

What is in it? We start by soaking the cucumbers and jalapeño in tequila for a week. We then strain it. We muddle cucumber and jalapeño with ice and add the tequila, Triple Sec, house mix, shake and serve on the rocks.

Blended or on the rocks? On the rocks.

I prefer my margarita to be: strong, yet sophisticated.

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37

SPORTS LEGEND

Frank Gifford BHS, BC alum was the first local sports star to make it big on the national stage

I

By Stephen Lynch

It isn’t hyperbole to say that Frank Gifford is a football legend. In fact, there probably isn’t a better term to describe the gridiron career of the former Bakersfield resident. In a city that has produced numerous big-time athletes over the years, Gifford is without question the most accomplished and most revered.

He’s the first sports star from Kern County to make it big on the national stage. And he stayed there for nearly five decades. From his humble beginnings at Bakersfield High to the bright lights of Los Angeles and New York, Gifford excelled wherever his football career took him. Eventually that was the College and Pro Football Hall of Fames.

Following high school played one year at Bakersfield College before moving on to USC where he was three-year letterman and 1951 consensus All-American.

Drafted in the first round (No. 11 overall) of the 1952 NFL Draft by the New York Giants.

Played 12 seasons (1952-1964) with the Giants in which he amassed 3,609 rushing yards, 5,434 receiving yards and 87 touchdowns. Led the NFL in rushing yards twice (1956 & 1957) and receptions and receiving yards three times (1956, 1957, 1959).

Gifford facts Born August 16, 1930 in Santa Monica.

Photo courtesy of Bakersfield High School

Selected as a First Team All-Pro four times (1955, 1956, 1957, 1959) and to eight Pro Bowls (1953-1959, 1963)

Graduated from Bakersfield High School in 1947 after leading BHS to a valley title in football his senior year.

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Bakersfield Life

May 2011

Was the 1956 NFL MVP. That same year New York defeated the Chicago Bears 47-7 in the league championship game. Played in four other title games Sat out the entire 1961 NFL season after receiving a vicious hit from Eagles linebacker Chuck Bednarik during a 1960 game.

Replaced legendary Keith Jackson as the play-by-play man for Monday Night Football in 1971. Gifford remained in the MNF booth until 1998.

Inducted into the College Hall of Fame in 1975. Two years later he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Has three children (two sons and a daughter) from his first marriage. His daughter, Vicki, married Robert Kennedy's son Michael.

Married television talk show host Kathie Lee Gifford on October 18, 1986. The couple has two children together; a son name Cody and a daughter named Cassidy.

Has written four books including “The Glory Game: How the 1958 NFL Championship Changed Football Forever,” “Gifford on Courage” and “The Whole Ten Yards.”

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39

GOING GREEN

Organic and green products

Organic quinoa

Considered to be the “mother of grains,” though actually a seed, quinoa has the highest protein content of any cereal-type food on the planet.

Approximately $4 per pound, Lassen’s Natural Foods & Vitamins, 4308 California Ave., 3241264, lassens.com.

Compiled by Hillary Haenes To help you maintain a healthy and green lifestyle, we contacted several stores around town and asked what products they recommend that are either organic or green. And by purchasing some of these products, you can also support others locally and globally.

Seventh Generation laundry detergent

Espoma Garden-tone Fertilizer

Effective and safe, this laundry detergent is biodegradable and hypoallergenic. $14.99 at Orchard Supply Hardware, 6465 Ming Ave., 397-3800 or osh.com.

This all-natural, long-lasting plant food formulated for vegetable gardens is enhanced with Bio-tone beneficial microbes to ensure superior plant growth. $7.99 (4 lb. bag) at Orchard Supply Hardware, 6465 Ming Ave., 397-3800 or osh.com.

Hemp powder or hemp seed

Hemp contains 20 amino acids including all nine essential amino acids and has high amounts of fatty acids and fiber. Two or three tablespoons of hemp powder will provide enough protein for one day. Hemp powder 16 oz., $14.29; hemp seeds, $11.95 per lb., Nature’s Food Market & Juice Bar, 1918 G St., 327-4430, become a fan on Facebook.

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Bakersfield Life

May 2011

Raw Spinach or Kale Cheezie Chips

This delicious plant-based snack provides an excellent source of vitamins, fiber, iron and calcium. Say goodbye to deep-fried chips and munch on this healthy alternative. $4.89 per bag, Nature’s Food Market & Juice Bar, 1918 G St., 327-4430, become a fan on Facebook.

LED light bulbs

These light bulbs use less energy than conventional bulbs and can last up to 20,000 hours compared to 3,000 hours for incandescent bulbs, which comes in handy, especially in hard-to-reach fixtures. $9.99 to $51.99, depending on the type, at Orchard Supply Hardware, 6465 Ming Ave., 397-3800 or osh.com.

Reusable bags

Trader Joe’s has been selling its canvas bag for more than 30 years.

The store offers a variety of colorful, strong and sturdy reusable bags that hold lots of groceries. .99 cents to $6.99 at Trader Joe’s, 8200 Stockdale Highway, 8378863, traderjoes.com.

Organic workout clothes

Inspiring and comfortable, this organic outfit is free from pesticides, herbicides or fungicides.

The shirt is from Tees for Change and is made of an organic cotton and bamboo blend. The company plants a tree for every T-shirt purchased. The capri pants are made of 100 percent organic cotton from Blue Canoe. T-shirt, $42; capri pants, $49 at Yoga Space, 1201 24th St., 323-YOGA (9642), bakersfieldyogaspace.com.

Continued on page 42

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Continued from page 41

FEED bags

The stylish eco-friendly bags are made of high-quality, 100 percent organic cotton and natural burlap.

Each FEED bag has a different purpose, but the FEED 1 bag at Greenshops will provide one child in Africa a school lunch for an entire year.

FEED Project 1 Bag, $59.99; small pouches start at $25, Greenshops, 4821 Stockdale Highway, 834-6477, greenshops.com.

Wild Alaskan salmon oil

This 100 percent wild-caught salmon oil is an essential fatty acid (ETA) that is often referred to as a “good fat” because it helps nourish the brain, eyes and kidney tissues as well as helps prevent heart disease. $1 per day, Lassen’s Natural Foods & Vitamins, 4308 California Ave., 324-1264, lassens.com.

31 Bits jewelry

Each piece of jewelry is handmade using 100 percent recycled newspaper, magazine and other local materials. The company (created by two women in Bakersfield) is using fashion and design to empower women around the globe to help alleviate poverty.

They work with women until they have graduated from the program and attain a sustainable income within their community. Currently, 31 Bits works with 63 women in Gulu, Uganda, by purchasing their designs on a monthly basis and providing them with an income. $10 to $45, Greenshops, 4821 Stockdale Highway, 834-6477, greenshops.com.

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Bakersfield Life

May 2011

Organic strawberries

These USDA organic certified strawberries are a great source for magnesium, vitamin C, dietary fibers, omega-3 and potassium.

They also carry a lot of riboflavin, which is the B2 vitamin. Strawberries are packed with antioxidants and sweet, juicy flavor.

Prices vary with season, Lassen’s Natural Foods & Vitamins, 4308 California Ave., 324-1264, lassens.com.

It’s all new

WHY I SERVE

Sabrina Diana Rodriguez U.S. Army National Guard Age: 28 Family: Children, Anthony, Vincent, Ariel Perez Rank: Private First Class, E-3 Assignment: Operation New Dawn, 92F petroleum supply specialist Stationed: Joint Base Balad, Iraq

What I miss the most about my hometown: What I miss back home is my favorite radio station: Hot 94.1! I liked listening to Romeo In the Morning because he always had crazy things to say and Flawless with his rhyming skills, plus I always had luck at winning good prizes.

I have been in the military for: One and a half years.

Why I joined: As I was growing up, I had family members in the service and I wanted to be part of that community as well. I have a sister that is serving and another sister and her husband that have retired from the Army.

Why I continue to serve: I continue to serve happily because I love the support I have of many Americans back home. It makes me feel so good that I can do my job and people back home appreciate what I do.

U.S. Army Airborne Private First Class Sabrina Rodriguez, stationed in Balad, Iraq. ing) and volunteering to serve in Iraq.

When I return to Bakersfield, the first thing I’m going to do is: Cruise around to see how much the city has changed since I have been gone.

Even though I’m thousands of miles away, I stay connected to my family by: Telephone, Skype and letters.

Something I’d like to do this year: Spend every second I can with my children.

My best military accomplishment or memory so far: Completing basic training, AIT (Advanced Individual Train-

Message to loved ones back home: Anthony, Vincent and Ariel, I want you to know that you have been my strength at

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Bakersfield Life

May 2011

Photo courtesy of Sabrina Diana Rodriguez

Favorite activity to do back home: Taking my kids to dinner and a movie.

making this big change in my life. I am so proud of you for being strong while I am away and helping each other out like brothers and sisters are supposed to do. See you when I get home. I love you.

Love, Mom. — Know a Kern County native who is proudly serving in the military? E-mail us at bakersfieldlife@bakersfield.com with the message subject line: Why I Serve. Please include an e-mail, phone and/or Facebook link to reach the nominee.

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Earthquake damage to St. Francis Church on the northwest corner of Truxtun Avenue and Eye Street.

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Bakersfield Life

May 2011

Photo courtesy of the Kern County Museum

The ’52 quake changed downtown’s landscape

Photo courtesy of June Klopp

The Beale Memorial Clock Tower at Chester and 17th Street in 1952, prior to the earthquake. The large building on right is the Haberfelde Building.

Gone Here yesterday today

By Lisa Kimble

In a matter of seconds spanning a little more than a month, a seismic wrath, the likes of which hasn’t been seen here since, devastated downtown Bakersfield in the hot summer of 1952, changing main street as most of the city’s 125,000 residents at the time knew it and inadvertently triggering a city’s rebirth in the process.

Also known as the Kern County Quake, it struck in the predawn darkness of July 21, 1952 at 4:52 in the morning. The 7.3 trembler along the White Wolf fault killed 12. The Paloma refinery burst into flames, transformers and water tanks toppled, power disappeared, and the towns of Arvin and Tehachapi were wrecked.

Damage in Bakersfield was deemed “light,” but residents were about to become accustomed to weeks of aftershocks until the afternoon of “Black Friday,” August 22, when whatever hadn’t already been cracked by the earth’s thunderous rolling just 32 days earlier would most assuredly become scarred or doomed.

Continued on page 48 www.BakersfieldLife.com

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The Beale Memorial Clock Tower The Beale Clock Tower, one of Bakersfield’s beloved landmarks, was the city’s Lady Liberty, a symbol of sentiment and local pride that stood in the center of the intersection of 17th Street and Chester Avenue and struck the hour for nearly a half century.

The 64-foot-tall brick structure was similar to one Truxtun Beale had seen and admired in Spain. He gifted it to the city in memory of his mother, Mary Edwards Beale.

The July quake dangerously weakened the tower, and a minute after the temblor, the clocks abruptly stopped. “Clock Tower Damage Light” read one of the front page headlines of the next day’s paper. But it was the August 22 aftershock that sealed her fate.

Mortar between the bricks about 12 feet from the tower’s top were loosened, and while steel ties saved it from further damage, it was demolished.

“There were a lot of city officials who wanted to replace

Brock’s Department Store on Chester and 20th Street.

downtown’s structures like the Clock Tower in the post-war with more modernized buildings,” said architectural historian Chris Brewer, great-great-grandson of Col. Thomas Baker.

Only the original clock works, bell, wrought iron stairway, railings and arch grillwork were saved. In 1961, a restoration committee began work on building a replica at Pioneer Village using some of the original bricks.

Brock’s Department Store At 1918 Chester Avenue, Brock’s Department Store was the geographical and retail center of town and the only reinforced building to sustain major damage downtown. Established by Malcolm Brock, it was a shopping institution with its popular lunch counter and elegant Christmas displays.

The July quake blew out the store’s plate glass windows. The August jolt did the same. There was shear failure at the second column from the west along the south face of the building, as well as distress on the wall’s mezzanine story. Quake-resisting elements were unbalanced and resulted in a twisting motion known as torsion.

Jim Day, The Californian’s managing editor, had just put the

While its store was being renovated, Brocks occupied two circus tents, which were erected behind the present Westchester Bowl.

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May 2011

Californian file photo

On Black Friday at 3:42 p.m. a 5.8 magnitude quake struck, killing two and injuring 35 others. In 10 seconds, the core of downtown Bakersfield resembled a war zone. Two hours later, it was a ghost town shrouded by dust created by the rubble of antiquated unreinforced masonry buildings.

In all, 396 structures were damaged, 90 torn down, and 210 required significant repairs. The price tag for all the destruction was estimated at $25 million.

The value of the loss in history was incalculable.

The timing of the quakes was not lost on city fathers who had been eager to replace the historic structures with more modernlooking buildings for some time. Join Bakersfield Life for a look back at some of our city’s notable places shaken by the earth’s velocity 58 years ago.

Photo courtesy of the Kern County Museum

Continued from page 47

Photo courtesy of the Kern County Museum

Hotel El Tejon, as it looked in 1926, stood on the corner of 17th Street and Chester Avenue.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brooks

paper to bed and was standing across the street from Brock’s when the ground began to move. “Bricks were falling, and cornices from buildings, and broken glass was spraying from shattered store windows,” he wrote in the paper’s next edition.

Unlike Lerner’s Shoe Store around the corner, Brock’s did not collapse, although there were serious cracks, especially at the southern wall, which received most of the impact. About $300,000 worth of merchandise was moved from the four-story building to a circus-like tent where goods were displayed in cages across the parking lot. “John Brock very wisely erected a huge tent so his operations were not as interrupted as say Lerner’s,” recalled Bakersfield businessman John Pryor.

Walls were rebuilt and retrofitting was done to the structure that still stands at the corner of Chester and 20th Street, still closely resembling the iconic anchor to Bakersfield’s main street that served local shoppers for six decades.

Haberfelde Building Noted architect Charles Biggar designed the Haberfelde Building at the northeast corner of 17th Street and Chester Avenue.

The landmark building was constructed in 1927 by then-mayor and Ford dealership owner George Haberfelde. The five-level, Sullivanesque-style building of masonry and reinforced steel was actually two independent structures, the result of a major addition right after the original building was erected. In appearance, occupancy and fire code adherence, the two were considered one.

However, the absence of adequate free space between the two caused considerable non-structural damage as they pounded together during the quakes, creating a widening spread of cracks on the south side. “The Haberfelde was made of concrete and there were heavy steel beams holding that building up, which is undoubtedly why it held together pretty well,” according to Brewer.

Today the Haberfelde building still accents the downtown skyline with retailers and restaurants on the ground level and offices on the upper floors.

The Tegeler Hotel in 1911.

El Tejon, Tegeler and Padre hotels Downtown was home to a number of fancy hotels, including the Padre at 18th and H streets, the Tegeler a block away at 19th Street, and the Hotel El Tejon across from the Haberfelde on 17th Street.

Their histories are as colorful as they were ornate. The Tegeler was designed by Orville Clark and built in 1914 with originally five stories, a basement café, and a roof-top-converted garden.

The El Tejon was constructed in 1926 and a year after the quakes KERO-TV began broadcasts from there, including Burleigh Continued on page 50 www.BakersfieldLife.com

49

Photo courtesy of the Kern County Museum

Kern County Courthouse, left, and Bakersfield City Hall, at right.

Both buildings were torn down after the 1952 earthquake.

Continued from page 49

Smith’s News. The Padre, built in 1928 and designed by John Cooper, dominated downtown’s landscape with its eight stories.

The quakes weakened construction joints at the top of the first story columns of the Padre, which also lost some of its exterior ornamentation. The El Tejon sustained damage to the walls between wings on the upper stories, and there was a horizontal crack to the chimney on the west side as well as to the walls around the rooftop water tank.

Vertical cracks were visible to all three panels in the front of the Tegeler and on its south wall. “I was working for PG&E at the time next door, and I remember seeing people coming down the stairways at the Tegeler,” recalled 86-year-old Alex Buechler. Adjacent lower-rise buildings on 19th Street were largely unaffected.

The El Tejon eventually succumbed to redevelopment when Bank of America announced in 1967 it was acquiring the property. “The El Tejon was a really nice building and my husband and I enjoyed going there to their nightclubs,” Bakersfield resident Nancy Fieber, who was a newlywed at the time of the quakes, remembered.

The Tegeler, which survived a fire in 1987, is a residential hotel today. The Padre, which was purchased by Milton ‘Spartacus’ Miller two years after the quakes, reopened to the public last year after extensive renovations. “It is fantastic that we still have the Padre, as there aren’t many from that era still around,” said Kern County Museum Curator of Collections Lori Wear. “The quakes took off some decorative pieces from some of the buildings and they lost some of their character.”

City Hall and County Courthouse A big chunk of Bakersfield’s architectural history tumbled 50

Bakersfield Life

May 2011

down at the corners of Truxtun and Chester avenues. Kern’s original courthouse was built in 1876 at the southwest corner, and at the time of the quake served as city hall. A newer, reinforced courthouse designed by Frederick H. Meyer and built across the street in 1912 was a majestic three-story Colonial Italian Renaissance. It contained the library in its basement and the imposing fixture was the crown jewel of the city center.

The quakes shook the ancient city hall to its foundation and ravaged the courthouse beyond repair. “At the time of the quake the city considered the courthouse a monstrosity that was dated in its architecture,” Brewer said.

Officials and employees of five departments were temporarily displaced, including the Police Department. Some worked in tents outside the damaged buildings and others moved their offices to the Bakersfield Main fire station which was rigidly designed to resist shock.

Today, a mid-century modern building with interior garden courts stands on the site of the original courthouse. It is home to Bakersfield City Hall and was built with money from a $1 million bond issue. An $11 million courts and administration center complex was erected on the site where the 1912 courthouse once stood.

St. Francis Church and First Baptist Church Ten churches had to be abandoned by the end of the summer of 1952. First Baptist Church, known as the Bell Towers at Truxtun Avenue and L Street, was the only religious structure of its era to survive the ’52 quakes, thanks to its reinforced concrete and Spanish tile shingles. Others, like St. Francis of Assisi, weren’t so

Photo by John Harte

The former First Baptist Church at Truxtun Avenue and L Street.

lucky.

The church, an elaborate gothic-style structure with two magnificent spires which formed the front corners of the building facing Truxtun at I Street (since renamed Eye Street), was dedicated in 1908. The initial quake in July loosened up the steeple. “I remember St. Francis had beautiful spires and at least one toppled completely,” recalled Fieber. Damaged beyond repair, workers pulled the spires into the street. The Tabernacle was moved to a temporary location at the school convent where the congregation attended mass in the cafeteria. The priests took up residence in the O’Hare house on Dracena as the result of heavy damage to the rectory.

“I have heard many of the older priests share their memories of the devastation to the cathedral-looking church of St. Francis. Not only were they displaced, but thousands of Catholics made a make shift church on the grounds of the new St. Francis School until the completion of the new church on H Street,” recounted Monsignor Craig Harrison, St. Francis pastor.

John Pryor remembers another place of worship buckling under the earth’s movement. “The First Congregational Church at 17th and G streets was made of unreinforced brick, and I remember the east wall of the church hanging out from under the roof as a result of the August temblor,” he said. But there were miraculous tales as well. The Tiffany stained-glass window of the Ascension of Christ and the marble altar at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, both gifts from Mrs. William Tevis, survived and were moved to the new church nearby.

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Continued from page 49

Bakersfield High School Schools did not escape the fury either. Bakersfield High School’s Warren Hall, formerly Bakersfield Junior College, survived, but some buildings on campus dating back to the high school’s beginning in 1893 was damaged. The quake chipped the exterior corners of some structures, and the question loomed of whether schools would be ready for classes with the new school year just weeks away.

BHS alone received $1.5 million in damage. “Some of the buildings on the F Street area had to be removed,” Brewer said.

“The brick buildings suffered quite a bit of damage. Harvey Audi-

Kern General Hospital seen from Flower Street prior to the earthquake.

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May 2011

Kern General Two hospitals were evacuated following the ’52 quake, including Kern General, built in 1925 on Flower Street. Two-thirds of the all masonry building was destroyed by the July 21 quake.

The wing’s floors were concrete and the exterior walls were made of unreinforced brick bearings. Only one building which was designed to resist shock sustained no damage. Damage to the other wards made the facility a total loss and immediate evacuation was ordered.

With power knocked out, those patients in labor were wheeled near a window for better lighting. Steel columns and tie rods were added to the southeast corner of the “D” wing for bracing, and no additional damage occurred. However, fire walls were pulled down, as was exterior ornamental work. Cracks were evident in the interior corridors. “Kern General lost a number of wings to condemnation and had to rebuild as they were deemed u uninhabitable,” Brewer added.

It cost $3 million to rebuild Kern General, and today, Kern Medical Center as it is now called, is a state-of-the-art teaching hospital and medical facility.

Photo courtesy of the Kern County Museum

Bakersfield High School received extensive damages during the 1952 quake.

Californian file photo

torium was made of concrete and steel and was heavily reinforced and as a result it did very well.”

Thanks to a $17 million bond issue, BHS was retrofitted and rebuilt, including its south Industrial Technology building and administration building. Bakersfield College was rebuilt on a new site on Panorama Drive. Lowell School at 10th & “H” streets was condemned and made way for the new St. Francis Church. A newly repaired wall section at Hawthorne Elementary collapsed after the Aug. 22 hit. A $6 million dollar bond was approved to build a modern, air-conditioned new high school, Foothill, which served as a construction model for others around the state.

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Readers pay tribute to the heart of the family

As children growing up, we never quite understood the rules set by our mothers, and it got more complicated when we became the “somewhat independent� teenager and young college student.

Then heading into adulthood, we slowly began to appreciate the lessons taught by our mothers.

Meanwhile, our mothers watched us grow, quietly glowing in our accomplished moments, always encouraging us and holding onto faith in our trying times.

Mothers. No one can replace them.

Sometimes we may forget to thank them for all the unconditional love they have given us.

Deep down inside, however, our mothers have always known.

In recognition of Mother’s Day, we asked readers to share personal stories of what makes their mothers and grandmothers so special.

Here are their tributes:

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Bakersfield Life

May 2011

Jessica Acevedo

Sons before anything Jessica Acevedo We love our Mom, Jessica! She is the best!

What Carson loves the most about you are your kisses and genuine love. Ashton loves that you make him feel special by taking him to the store and getting him a build-a-bear and book! Dad loves you and thinks you are the best and is thankful the Lord has blessed his boys with such a wonderful mom.

Happy Mother's Day! Love, — Ashton & Carson Acevedo

The strength of a mother Anna Dobrzanski My mother, Anna Dobrzanski, is more than just a good mom. She's a fantastic grandmother. Growing up with my brother and sister, I always knew that my mom was

Anna Dobrzanski

caring, giving, strict, and a great role model although I never acknowledged it. It's not until I had a child of my own that I see what a wonderful job she did.

My mom loved us (there was no doubt), but she also adored our father. We learned that we are not the center of the universe - but were witnesses to a very strong marriage. That gave the three of us what every kid wants the most - stability. Now, as a grandmother of eight grandchildren, she is reaping the rewards of her hard work with us kids. She is able to enjoy each of her little monkeys and then send them back home.

She and my dad love spending time with the grandkids, but they also enjoy their time together as a couple. My mother taught me that a strong marriage is the foundation to a successful, solid, strong family unit. I love her for this. — Lara Riccomini Continued on page 56 www.BakersfieldLife.com

55

Gladys Benskin

‘Nan Naw’ is larger than life Gladys Benskin

Darlena Alvidrez

Continued from page 55

The love of a mother Darlena Alvidrez My mom, Darlena Alvidrez, is the best because instead of trying to have a baby girl, she adopted me and waited several months and went to court to finally become my mother. She raised me as if she gave birth to me; she never once made me feel as if I was adopted. She is my best friend who has always been there to help and guide me through the paths I have taken — some good and bad. I hope to be a good mother as she has been to me. She had one biological son named Joey and became a foster mother to Rudy; they are my two older brothers. She was a hard worker. She worked at Payless when I was little. In 1996, she opened a store in Tulare then later opened one in Pismo Beach. She was always on the road, but no matter what, we came first. I must say we are proud children to have a mother like her.

Love you mom!

— Sarah Alvidrez 56

Bakersfield Life

May 2011

When we were going through hard times as kids and our parents had divorced, grandma (“Nan Naw”) was always there for us. Not only did she raise 11 children of her own, she also raised four grandkids, including one with special needs. She helped raise great grandkids, too; as a child, I can remember her taking in, at one time or another, numerous friends of the family when they were down on their luck. At times, we were sleeping two-totwo bunk beds per room (not counting the pallet on the floor and couch!), but it was OK because we had food in our belly, a roof over our heads, and a loving household.

Nan Naw may not have delivered me, but what else do you call someone who worked as a nurse’s aide at all hours of the day to provide food, shelter and clothing for you and others than by the term “mom”? Time has taken away my biological mother, as well as many of her brothers and sisters, and who was there for them during the long years of their illness? Nan Naw. Who was there for us when we were grieving and needed solace? Nan Naw. Who continues to listen to our problems and offer advice, while battling breast cancer? Nan Naw. She is larger than life to many of us, indomitable and strong, a perception that would probably make her laugh.

Time has moved many of us away from her over the years, but I always knew that Nan Naw was only a phone call away, and time has a habit of moving us back together. Nan Naw was always there for me, in good times and in bad, and since there is no holiday for living saints, I will accept Mother’s Say as an acceptable alternative for honoring a woman who has given me, and many others in our family, far more than we can ever hope to thank her for or repay.

Nan Naw, you are like a second mother to me, and I speak for many in the family in saying that we all love you!

— Erik Bartley

A mother wears many hats Maryjane Mangaser Maryjane is wonderful a mother of seven kids and grandmother of 26 kids. She means the world to me. Always make time for her family although her family is not only blood. It is someone who is in need.

She is a special education assistant. But she has worn many hats over the last several years including working with student, cooking, tailoring, playing referee, being a good wife, etc. Whatever we needed her for, she put that hat on. Most of all, she has been a friend and has never given up on any of her kids. She had six girls and one boy with different personalities. She’s given her time to so many kids. She went back to school in the early 90s to get her GED. Then she enrolled in college. This woman double majored and graduated with honors from BC. She put in hard work and time.

One thing she has shown me is to never give up. Who I am today reflects on the strength and values my mom gave to me.

She always tells me that things can only get better and to not give up. No matter how life looks, she’s always there to say, “You’ll make it.”

Maryjane Mangaser When we were young, we didn’t think our mom knew anything. Now as a mother of 5, I know better.

Thank you mom for all of the things you gave up — the nights you stayed up and most of all, for never giving up on us.

You are not only the best mom in Bakersfield, you are MY MOM! — Paula Rodriguez

Marsha Bloxom

Admiring one special mother Marsha Bloxom My mom is the best mom all around and deserves to be honored. Her honesty, integrity, loyalty, devotion, respect and the ability to do it on her own are all the things that I admire about her.

Continued on page 58

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My admiration of her surpasses anyone I know. As a single mother, she has taught me to be independent, strong and genuine.

She has always been there for me with a calm, cool smile that lets me know how much she loves me, as well as all of her family.

She is a member of the Red Hat Society and is active in the community, as well as an employee of the PBVUSD for more than 35 years. She clearly shows her grace on the dance floor and touches everyone she meets in a positive and magnetic way. She is the best role model. She simply is the best all around.

— Robin Foster-King

Rosie Ontiveros

Missing you, Mom Rosie Ontiveros

Merleen Johnson

The greatness and patience of a mother Merleen Johnson My mom is an embodiment of love and altruism. It’s in her gentleness. It’s in her patience. It’s in the way she doesn’t lose her temper. I can see her love in the way she listens, the way she’s interested in what we’re interested in, the way she’s patient even when we make a mess (of our rooms or our relationships). It’s in the way she welcomes our friends into our home with tenderness and care, almost as if they were family, too. It’s in the way she sets an example for us by living an upright life. She doesn’t expect us to “do as she says not as she does.” She just does it.

She never stops believing in us. She never sleeps when we can’t. She looks out for our safety. She helps with everything from our math problems to our life problems. She stays unwaveringly positive.

I have the great blessing of working alongside my mom at Lightspeed Systems, and more than ever, I understand that she is a woman who I can look up to. She isn’t a gossip. She works hard.

She’s encouraging. She’s creative. She’s an excellent writer.

She values her family above her career, but she’s pretty successful at both, if you ask me. She’s deserving of nothing less than being described as a Proverbs 31 woman, and “when I grow up,” I hope and pray that I’ll be more like her.

— Alison Johnson 58

Bakersfield Life

May 2011

Mom, I am thinking of you on “ Mother’s Day.” Although I never thought I would need anyone as much as I need you, you have taught me that relying on someone doesn’t have to mean giving up my own strength and independence.

Together, we were both strong for one another. Thank you for your wisdom and gentle support, but for most of all thank you, for your love.

— Bobby Ontiveros

Esther Garcia

She taught me everything Esther Garcia My mom, Esther Garcia, is the best because she taught me everything I need to know to face all difficulties in life.

Thank you, Mom. I love you and miss you.

— Noe G!

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REMEMBER THIS Say nothing, sign nothing, and always ask for a lawyer first!

1318 “K” Street, Bakersfield, CA 93301 Fax: (661) 326-0936 Cell: (661) 301-0123 www.lawtorres.com Graduate of The National Criminal Defense College & Institute for Criminal Defense Advocacy

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59

PERSONALITY

Touching people’s lives Darlyn Baker of Interim Healthcare finds joy, family in career

S

Some registered nurses like Darlyn Baker will say they always wanted to be a nurse as a child, but Baker will be the first to tell you, that wasn’t true in her case.

Baker, who is the director of Interim Healthcare, recalls a different type of motivation. She’s originally from a small town in Ohio, and both her parents had limited education. Her motivation was to leave the small village with a career that didn’t require a lot of demands.

“I didn’t want to be school for a long time and didn’t want to have to learn a foreign language,” said Baker with an infectious laugh. “It was a 36-month program and I didn’t have to take Latin.”

However, her nursing career tells a different story.

One of a person devoted to the health and well being of those around her. In 1994 and at the age of 49, Baker left her career as an RN at Mercy Hospital to open Interim Healthcare.

“We deliver the help families need. I thought (when I started the business) I can help them do something that I’ve had years of experience in doing,” said Baker.

“Like a home health provider, which is home care that’s directed by a physician, I’ve had years to practice how to take care of a patients, but families most times don’t.”

Currently, Interim has a staff of 200 employees, and it’s family supported. Her husband Chuck is in charge of the finances, son Bryon, is chief operations officer, while she is the director. Baker oversees the variety of services offered below: — Home health provider, which is care as directed by a physician.

— Care Giver, who provide assistance for activities of daily living.

— Supplemental Staffing for nurses and CNAs. — Senior Placement, which helps families, who are unable to take care of their aging parent to find a place within their budgets and parents likes.

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May 2011

Darlyn Baker

Photo by Felix Adamo

By Luz Peña

— Caring Corner, a daycare facility located on Wible Road, which is for children who are in fragile health, like those who are nourished through a feeding tube or have a tracheotomy to breath.

Baker’s work ethnic and personality have made her a fan among her employees. Angie Cave- Brown, who’s a RN nursing supervisor at Interim, said this isn’t the first time she worked for Baker. In fact, Baker was her boss during her time at Mercy.

“She is a leader. As a boss, she has the attributes of honesty, integrity, is an inspiring individual and extremely intelligent. She has eidetic memory. She can look at something, then just know what it said and has great recall,” said Cave-Brown. “On a daily basis, I learn something from running a business, how to care and treat and to be kinder or nicer to friends. I learn something in all aspects of my daily life. “ Baker said she’s has kept a long career as a nurse because she never has seen it as a job.

“I love it. I see it as a hobby,” she said with enthusiasm. “I love my job because I’m about family. We help families, my husband and son work with me and my employees are like family.”

When Baker is not working she is either traveling or being a devoted grandmother to her grandbabies.

She also loves to decorate. Her office and building at Interim is decorated to have a cozy feel. She even had an artist paint a water fountain and stream on the wall.

“I want it to feel like home while they’re on the job,” she said. “I want it to be warm and inviting.“ Baker hopes that all employees learn something from her or she in some way can nudge them to be the best they can be. Most often, her employees, who are not in the healthcare field or those, who have

a health-related career, will either gravitate to health care or advance themselves’ further into health care.

“I like helping others see their potential. Most often people don’t realize their potential,” said Baker. “If I worked with someone, I would help guide them and encourage them.”

Natalie Avila, HR manager for Interim, said she enjoys working with Baker because Interim has a strong family feel. Plus Baker has inspired her as a person and in her career. She fondly describes her as “a confident, compassionate and knowledgeable woman.”

Adds Avila, “As boss, she’s approachable, resourceful and makes the environment very fun. She has (board) games (for us to play) and decorates the office keep the morale and environment fun. She works to keep it very balanced. I’ve worked here for 12 years. It is a great company to keep working for and it’s a family company.”

A Nurse’s Prayer Let me dedicate my life today to the care of those who come my way.

Let me touch each one with healing hand & gentle care for which I stand.

And then tonight when day is done let me rest in peace, if I have helped just one.

We think NURSES are special, especially OURS!

395-1700

847-7342

Darlyn Baker, RN & Family Owned

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www.BakersfieldLife.com 61

LADIES WHO‌

Play tennis Photos by Jessica Frey

Corey Keathley Dental hygienist, office of John Alexander, DDS

Kelly Geis

Kori Harrison

Homemaker

Human resources manager, Weeks Wholesale Rose Grower

Aces, volleys and slams. These dynamic doubles players know all the right moves on the court.

Q

What got you interested in tennis?

Geis: Watching Wimbledon every year with my grandparents, I fell in love.

Harrison: A family friend introduced me to the game and I’ve loved it ever since.

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Bakersfield Life

May 2011

Jenny Vaughan Homemaker

Vaughan: My daughter was taking lessons and I decided to take lessons, too.

Keathley: What initially got me interested in playing was the opportunity for a family sport.

My husband, Duane, and daughters Kimberly and Michele played, so we needed one more player for doubles.

Q

Most memorable moment on the court?

Geis: When I sent a ball smashing up the line and won the point for my team!

Harrison: Playing in Fall USTA Southern California Championships, and my partner and I were down five games to two in the second set and ended up winning seven games to five and won the match.

Vaughan: It is not a single moment, but all the friends I have met playing.

Q

Where is your favorite place you have traveled to play in If you had a chance a tournament or to to meet your favorwatch a live match? ite pro tennis player, Geis: I haven’t had the opportunity to travwho would it be?

Keathley: My ritual before a match is getting there. Pumping up music helps also.

Q

Geis: I would enjoy meeting John McEnroe. He has so much passion for the game.

He has played with so many legends and he has witnessed first hand the evolution of tennis through the years. I would love to sit and chat with him about his career and the game in general.

el yet for a tournament. However, I did get to play against my husband in the Bahamas this year! My dream is to go to London and watch a match during Wimbledon!

Harrison: My favorite tennis pro is Serena Williams; she is not only a great tennis player but also a great entertainer.

You never know what you’ll see when you watch one of her matches. My first question would be “Do you want to go hit?”

Vaughan: Federer, I would ask him to sign an autograph for my mom; she is a huge fan.

Keathley: The tennis pro I would like to meet is Roger Federer, and I would ask him if he could get me courtside tickets to the French Open.

Corey Keathley Keathley: My most memorable moment on the court is winning a tough match with my doubles partner Cara at Indian Wells for USTA finals.

Q

Do you have a ritual you do before a match? If so, what is it?

Geis: I make sure I eat a great breakfast and turn my iPod to my favorite playlist!

Harrison: Prior to a match, I always try to work out on volleys, ground strokes, service returns and those that play with me know I always chew gum.

Vaughan: No, I just try not to be late.

Q

Do you prefer to play singles or doubles?

Why?

Geis: Singles are fun, but not very many women play. Doubles would have to be my favorite because I get to work with my partner and feed off her energy. Having a partner and learning to work together is a positive challenge. I like learning how our strengths and weaknesses can work together to make us better players.

Harrison: I am a doubles and mix doubles player. I love the speed of the doubles game, the quick net exchanges, having a target at the net, the love of doubles strategy and of course, giving your partner a high five after the last point is won.

Vaughan: Doubles, I like the social aspect of doubles.

Keathley: I mostly play doubles. It’s good fun and good friends with more opportunity for strategy.

Kori Harrison Harrison: My favorite tournament I’ve played in was the USTA National Championships in Sacramento 2008 and Las Vegas 2009.

Vaughan: I went to the Paribas in Indian Wells with a group of friends. It was beautiful and the tennis was fantastic.

Keathley: That’s easy, my favorite place I’ve traveled to watch tennis is London, England at Wimbledon last summer.

Q

How many years have you been playing tennis?

Geis: I have been playing for two and a half years.

Harrison: Eight years.

Vaughan: Five.

Keathley: 12 years.

Continued on page 64 www.BakersfieldLife.com 63

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Q

Where do you play in town?

Geis: Seven Oaks and In Shape Laurelglen.

Harrison: In Shape Laurel Glenn, Seven Oaks and Bakersfield Racquet Club.

Vaughan: Stockdale Country Club.

Keathley: I play tennis at The Bakersfield Racquet Club and at Stockdale Country Club.

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Kelly Geis

Q

How many days a week do you hit the courts?

Geis: Two days a week on a regular basis and during Inner Club I play four.

Harrison: In a seven-day period, I play at least five days.

Vaughan: Four.

Keathley: I hit the courts four days a week.

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Raising Bakersfield 2 0 1 1

Plan the perfect

BIRTHDAY PARTY Great summer camps!

Mommy makeover 7 ways to say ‘I Love You, Mom’

Bakersfield Museum of Art presents California Fiber Artists: Fiber Optics Simple Complexities: Angus Wilson Paintings Cathy Breslaw Explorations: Space and Light Kern County Quilters: A Common Thread

March 24 - May 29, 2011

e Summer Art Camp begins June 13.

Visit www.bmoa.org for a schedule.

Open Tuesday-Friday: 10 a.m.  4 p.m.

Saturday  Sunday: Noon - 4 p.m.

1930 R St., Bakersfield, CA 93301 661-323-7219 www.bmoa.org Bakersfield Life 2011 Raising Bakersfield

Photo by Felix Adamo

Pump It Up

The ultimate

birthday

bash Check out some cool spots for having that perfect party for your kid

Bakersfield Life 2011 Raising Bakersfield

I

By Gabriel Ramirez

t always seems like summer is the time of year when there are more birthdays, and even if that may not be true, it definitely is the best time of year to have a birthday party because you really do have the option to have it indoors or outdoors.

If you are looking for some new ideas or new places to throw some of these celebrations, Bakersfield has a variety of venues for you to choose from.

Pump It Up

2841 Unicorn Road 392-8800

Pump It Up is Bakersfield’s own inflatable party zone. Bounce houses and inflated obstacle courses line the rooms at this north Bakersfield venue.

Party packages range from $195 to $225, depending on the number of attendees, for two hours. You get one hour and 20 minutes of play time and 40 minutes in the party room. The package includes invitations, paper products and a coordinator.

“This is a private facility for just your family and invited guests,” said Karla Smith, manager. “It is a lot of fun for kids and adults.”

Photo by Casey Christie

Monster Mini Golf

Monster Mini Golf 4751 White Lane #C 397-8400

Monster Mini Golf has 18 holes and 35 games. The cost for a party is $175 for 12 kids and $250 for 16 kids, which includes a private party room for 90 minutes, a T-shirt for the birthday boy or girl and a chance for them to place their handprint on the glowin-the-dark wall. You could also rent out the entire venue for two hours for $350.

“Monster Mini Golf offers an atmosphere you are not going to see anywhere else. With our attention to detail they will know it’s their special day,” said Kyndle Fischer, manager.

The location also provides plates and cups for any of the food you wish to bring.

Build-A-Bear Workshop 2701 Ming Avenue Suite 115 877-789-BEAR

At Build-A-Bear workshop, you can throw a bear bash for just $10 per child with a minimum of six children. This price allows the attendees to build a $10 bear, get a free birth certificate, and it includes $2,000 in virtual money that you can use to play with your bear once you bring it to life online.

All attendees get party favors, which range depending on age and the guest of honor also get a free gift of their choice and a picture frame of all the kids at the party with their bears.

“Here at Build-A-Bear, we offer a chance for all the kids to have a really great memory,” said Susan Abelardo, chief workshop manager. “It’s a memory they will always share because they will get to sing songs, play games and parents can just sit back and watch.”

Color Me Mine

9000 Ming Avenue #H3 664-7366 www.Bakersfield.colormemine.com

Color Me Mine offers a variety of party packages some of which include “Princess and Pirates” and “Ultimate Party Package.”

The Ultimate Party Package allows for a close studio party for up to 50 painters for $125 per hour with a minimum of two hours plus the price of the pottery.

The “Princess and Pirates” package cost $26 per painter with a minimum of eight and you can choose either theme. The package comes with a party room for two hours and all painters can choose from any of the $18 items and will receive a goody bag. The birthday child will also be given either a tiara or pirate hat.

“This is a great place because rather than going to a pizza place where you might leave with nothing, here you get to create your own masterpiece and have fun with your friends also,” said Lavinia Sfetcu of Color Me Mine. “It is something they can cherish forever.”

Skull Harbor

3000 Mall View Road #1061 872-7420

Skull Harbor has an actual 40-foot pirate ship inside its venue along with halls and walls that look like caves. For $325, 10 kids and $15 for each additional child, party goers can get dressed up as pirates with costumes, air brushed tattoos and bandanas and can have sword fights, play cannon ball games and search for treasure for about two hours.

The venue provides everything from decorations, entertainment and invitations to party favors, photos, cake, pizza, drinks, utensils and even coffee and cookies for parents.

“Well there is nothing like this that we have found in the country,” said Erika Dixon, owner. “This is definitely unique and fun. I created it because I wanted a place that when kids walked in the room they felt like they were part of something special.”

Halle Rose’s Fantasy Tea Party 3000 Mall View Road #1077 872-5110

For $295, any little girl can be a princess and attend a fancy tea party with nine of her best friends. The attendees get to choose from 150 gowns, don high heels, get their hair, nails and makeup done and even parContinued on page 6 Bakersfield Life 2011 Raising Bakersfield

Californian file photo

Camelot Park has three different party packages to offer those celebrating a birthday. The three packages are $22.99, $16.99 and $10.99 per children and all include 10 tokens, a reserved area for 90 minutes, a host, a personal cheese or pepperoni pizza and beverage. The difference in the prices is due to the number of outdoor activities included in the price. For the $22.99 package, you get unlimited outdoor rides for the entire day, which includes the batting cages, miniature golf, bumper boats and go-carts.

Camelot Park also has 70 games in its game room.

“Camelot Park is tons of excitement for all ages and it’s affordable,” said Juan Serrano, assistant general manager.

Camelot Park Continued from page 5

www.johnspizza.com

ticipate in a fashion show.

The birthday girl gets to sit in a princess chair during the big tea party, which includes three courses of hors d’oeuvres served on silver trays.

“This is becoming a Bakersfield tradition because moms who came here as little girls are now starting to bring their little girls back,” said Erika Dixon, owner. “It is very important to us that this experience is everything and more than they were waiting for. I have heard many young girls say this was the greatest day of their life.”

Pizza, pizza and more pizza are just some of the benefits of having a party at John’s Incredible Pizza Co. Party packages range from $19.99 to $12.99 per guest. The package includes a private party room for almost two hours, a party host, an all you can eat buffet, a drink, 70 credits, 100 redemption tickets and two rides.

“I would definitely say it’s a great place because you don’t have to do anything,” said Mandy Mojica, party central supervisor.

“You reserve and we take care of the rest. We are incredible!”

John’s Incredible Pizza Co.

Camelot Park

3709 Rosedale Highway 859-1111

1251 Oak Street 859-1812

We need each other.

Adoption 661.631.6006 KCDHS.org Last year the Kern County Adoption Agency created forever families by completing 285 adoptions and 149 Legal Guardianships.

Opportunity. Options. Empowerment.

Bakersfield Life 2011 Raising Bakersfield

Gamestor

8000 McNair Lane #103 836-3333

If you feel like you are too old for a bounce house then an Xbox 360 party might be right for you.

Gamestor offers two hour Xbox 360 parties for $125 for a 12-system room and $175 for an 18-system room. The venue has over 300 games for attendees to choose from, which includes 30 copies of Call of Duty Black Ops. Basically you are getting video gaming on a massive level.

“Gamestor is a great because it is something different,” said Gil Garcia, owner.

“How cool is that to have an Xbox 360 party? It is definitely the quietest party a parent will ever experience.”

Battlefield Live Bakersfield 588-7410

Battlefield Live Bakersfield is a mobile special combat adventure game that uses high tech laser tag equipment—also known as laser tag. The interactive birthday party comes to you and is a no-projectile adventure.

St. Francis of Assisi Church Msgr. Craig F. Harrison, Pastor

6:00 am.....................................................Mass in the Church 8:00 am....................................Childrenʼs Mass in the Church 8:00 am...............................................Mass in the Parish Hall 10:00 am....................................Childrenʼs Mass in the Church 10:00 am...............................................Mass in the Parish Hall 12:00 Noon..................Latin Solemn High Mass in the Church 12:00 Noon.............................Spanish Mass in the Parish Hall 3:00 pm.................................Vietnamese Mass in the Church

H Street

http://www.stfran.org

661-327-4734

For $375, you get a low level field with 30+ obstacles for two hours, 12 laser shooters, helmets and vests. Also included are two hosts, a mission commander and a medic.

“It’s the only birthday party that is completely interactive,” said Steven Bennett, owner. “We show you how to use the equipment and work together through the field; it’s just the best interactive combat adventure.”

McMurtrey Aquatic Center If you are looking for an outdoor party, but you want to stay cool then take a dive at the McMurtrey Aquatic Center.

Parties at the center are only available on the weekends during the summer months from 6-8 p.m.

To rent out the activity pool, which includes the water slides and the spray toys, it cost $240 for up to 50 people. The center will also provide the lifeguards and you can coordinate to have the snack bar open during your event on a pay as purchase basis.

“Having a party here is just fun,” said Jessica Grogan, clerk. “You get to enjoy everything we offer to the public for your own private group.”

Photo by Casey Christie

1325 Q Street # 100 852-7430

McMurtrey Aquatic Center

The Wild

8500 Harris Road 663-3753

The Wild offers jump houses, play centers, scooters, rocking horses and more for party packages that range between $125 and $400.

A $125 includes admission for 10 chil-

dren, invitations, paper goods, one hour in party room and unlimited playtime in play area.

If you wanted to close the doors and have the venue to yourself for three hours then it would cost $400 for 120 children.

“This is a safe environment were you don’t have to worry about the weather,” said James Acton, owner.

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Bakersfield Life 2011 Raising Bakersfield

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Boys and Girls Club

Camps Plenty of fun for the summer

S

By Gabriel Ramirez

ummer is right around the corner and if your children have managed to avoid the ever-so enticing lure of summer school then you might be looking for something for them to do. Many Bakersfield groups and organization such as NOR, The Bakersfield Music Theatre and CSUB offer a variety of camps targeting different interests.

Bakersfield Life 2011 Raising Bakersfield

American Kids Sports Center Summer Sports Variety of sports, basketball, baseball and soccer—all indoors, gymnastics, swimming, arts and crafts, martial arts and dance Ages: 4 to 18 years Dates: Every day in the summer Monday through Friday Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or half days of 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Cost: $37 for full days and $27 for half days.

You can also pre-purchase 20 days for a 20 percent discount.

Deadline to register: none, walk-ins allowed with $4 fee To register: 589-2100 or www.americankidssports.com

Boys and Girls Club Kids Camp “Great Summers Start Here”

Arts and crafts, fitness, computers, sports, performing arts production of Willy Wanka Jr. and fieldtrips Ages: 5 to 17 years Dates: June 6 to August 19, Monday through

Friday Time: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Cost: $30 registration fee, full-day program $135/week, half day $85/week, scholarships available Deadline to register: none To register: 325-3730 or www.bgclubsofkerncounty.org

relaxed learning environment.

Ages: Kindergarten through sixth grade Dates: June 13-July 7, Monday through Thursday (No camp on July 4) Time: 1 to 4 p.m.

Cost: $325 per camper before May 13; $375 per camper after May 13 (Discounts and payment plan available) Deadline to register: June 6 To register: www.csub.edu/extension or 661654-2441

CSUB Roadrunner Reading Camp

“A Summer Adventure in Art�

Art Camp

Children build skills in phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension through small group instruction by experienced teachers in a relaxed learning environment.

Ages: Kindergarten through sixth grade Dates: June 13-July 7, Monday through Thursday (No camp on July 4) Time: 9 a.m. to noon Cost: $325 per camper before May 13; $375 per camper after May 13 (Discounts and payment plan available) Deadline to register: June 6 To register: www.csub.edu/extension or 661654-2441

Children learn to draw, paint, and create three-dimensional art using a variety of mixed media such as pencil, pastels, watercolor, modeling compound, and even vegetables.

Ages: 6 to 12 years (Must have completed first grade to enroll) Dates: June 13-July 7, Monday through Thursday (No camp on July 4) Time: 9 a.m. to noon for ages 10-12; 1 to 4 p.m. for ages 6-9 Cost: $325 per camper before May 13; $375 per camper after May 13 (Discounts and payment plan available) Deadline to register: June 6 To register: www.csub.edu/extension or 661654-2441

Roadrunner Math Camp

Children master math facts and increase mathematical reasoning through small group instruction by experienced teachers in a

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Younger players can arrive with little or no previous soccer experience and leave a skilled young soccer enthusiast. Experienced children will learn technical skills and group drills.

Ages: Pee wee 3-4 years; Half-day 5-11 years; Full-day 7-14 years Dates: June 20-24; July 11-15 Time: Pee wee 8-10:30 a.m.; Half-day 8-11:30 a.m.; Full-day 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (drop off as early as 7:30 a.m.; pick up as late as 5 p.m.)

Cost: Pee wee $150; Half-day $180; Full-day $225 (Discounts available) Deadline to register: None, but $20 extra for walk-ups To register: Contact Simon Tobin at 654-2428 or stobin@csub.edu

Roadrunner Wrestling Camp

Two concurrent camps include Competition Camp, which features technique sessions and lots of live matches, and Technique Camp, which is geared more toward technique but also has some live wrestling at the end of each day. There are two levels of Technique Camp: beginner and advanced.

Ages: 9 to 18 years; 7th to 12th grade for Competition Camp; 4th to 12th grade for Technique Camp

Continued on page 10

2011 Summer Camps June 13 to July 7

Monday through Thursday Three Camps to Choose From 45 Hours of instruction in Each!

Reading Camp (Grades K-6) Math Camp (Grades K-6) Art Camp (Grades 2-6)

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$325 per camp/per child if registered by May 13th $375 per camp/per child after May 13th Multi-Camper/Multi-Camp Discounts Available before May 13th For More Information Call 654-6350 or visit our website at www.csub.edu/extension Camp Registration Deadline June 6 - Register Now! Bakersfield Life 2011 Raising Bakersfield

Continued from page9 Dates: July 31-Aug. 4 Time: 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. (overnight option available) Cost: $120-$380 Deadline to register: July 1 To register: For Competition Camp, call Brian Cobb at 661-900-9016. For Technique Camp, call Gerry Abas at 661-203-4727.

Women’s Basketball Individual Skills Camp

This camp is designed to develop each player’s fundamental basketball skills an overall playing ability with fun sessions of instruction and competition.

Ages: 4-17 years Dates: June 20-23 Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Cost: $150 before May 1; $175 after May 1; $230 for two siblings Deadline to register: None To register: Contact Mandi Carver at 6546027 or acarver@csub.edu

Women’s Basketball Team Camp

This camp is being offered to junior high, high school and club basketball teams. Each team will play a minimum of five games, plus learn individual skill work, time and score situations, and practice time.

Ages: 7th to 12th grade

Dates: June 24-26 Time: Teams will be notified when schedule is complete Cost: $375 per team; $550 for two teams Deadline to register: None To register: Contact Mandi Carver at 6546027 or acarver@csub.edu

5 meter Water Polo Camp

The camp offers a competitive learning environment for athletes looking to elevate their game and learn from accomplished coaches.

Camp will offer position training to focus on your skills at your position. The camp is also open to beginners looking to develop the fundamental skills to play the game of water polo. Register as an individual or as a team.

Ages: 8-18 years Dates: July 10-13 Time: Drop off 4 p.m. Sunday; pick up at 3 p.m. Wednesday Cost: Day camp $250; extended day camp $295; overnight camp $395 Deadline to register: June 1 for early registration To register: Contact Jason Gall at (877) 8247656 or jgall@csub.edu or visit www.5meter. com

Nor Recreation and Parks District

Games, sports, crafts, swimming, movies, tennis, kids science, karate, and much more!

Ages: 7 to 12 years Dates: One-week sessions each week from June 6 to July 29 (no class on July 4) Monday through Friday Time: 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Cost: $120/week or $110/week for NOR residents Deadline to register: one week prior to each session.

To register: Contact John Henderson, 3922010 or www.norfun.org Address: Greenacres Park (2014 Calloway Drive)

Summer Discovery Camp for Kids Arts, crafts, science projects, music activities Ages: 4 to 5 years Dates: Session 1-June 14 to 30, Session 2-July 12 to 28 (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Cost: $160/session or $150/session for NOR residents Deadline to register: one week prior to each session.

To register: Contact John Henderson, 3922010 or www.norfun.org Address: Greenacres Park (2014 Calloway Dr.)

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cooking Ages: 3 to 5 years Dates: Session 1-June 14 to 30, Session 2-July 5 to 21, Session 3-July 26 to August 11 (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) Time: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Cost: $130/session Deadline: one week prior to each session.

To register: Contact Sonia Quill, 392-2020 or www.norfun.org Address: Riverview Park (401 Willow Dr.)

Summer Sports Camps Sports training

Bakersfield Museum of Art

Photo by Felix Adamo

Continued on page 12

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Continued from page 11 Ages: 6 to 15 years Dates: various Time: various Cost: $134/session $124/session for NOR residents Deadline: one week prior to each session.

To register: Contact John Henderson 3922010 or www.norfun.org Address: Greenacres Park (2014 Calloway Drive)

Bakersfield Music Theatre Summer Workshops 2011 “High School Musical Jr.” Based on the Disney Channel’s smash high “High School Musical,” this adaptation lets you bring all the fun and excitement of the movie to the live stage. Performances at the Harvey Auditorium.

Ages: 6 to 18 years Dates: Morning session June 13-June 30 Monday through Thursday and July 5 through July 15 Tuesday through Friday with performances July 15 and 16. Afternoon session June 6 through June 30 Monday through Thursday and July 5 through July 8 Tuesday through Friday with performances July 8 and 9.

Time: Morning sessions 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and afternoon sessions 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Cost: $365 for new students and $330 for returning students.

To register: 716-0316

Summer Workshops 2011 “Cinderella Kids” The timeless fairytale meets the magic of Disney in this adaptation of the treasured animated film. Performances at Education Center Auditorium.

Ages: 6 to 18 years Dates: July 18 to August 12 Monday through Friday with performances August 12 and 13.

Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Cost: $365 for new students and $330 for returning students.

To register: 716-0316

Bakersfield Recreation and Parks District Camp King

Swimming, sports, arts and crafts, dance and special events.

Ages: 6 to 12 years Dates: June 6 to July 21 Monday through Friday Time: 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Cost: $42 To register: 326-FUNN

Camp Fun at Silver Creek

Theater production, extreme science, cartooning, pottery, cooking and more.

Ages: 1st to 6th grade Dates: June 6 through August 12 Monday through Friday Time: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Cost: $100/week full day and $63/week half day Deadline: six business days before week begins To register: 326-FUNN

Basketball Camp

This exciting camp is designed to teach participants the fundamental skills and strategies of basketball.

Ages: 5 to 18 years Dates: June 6 through July 28 Monday through Thursday Time: 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Cost: $60 To register: 326-FUNN

All-Star Camp

Join this camp and learn the fundamentals and strategies of the game of softball.

Ages: 5 to 10 years Dates: July 18 to July 28 Monday through Thursday Time: 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Cost: $60 To register: 326-FUNN

Annual Open House

BBQ & Golf Tournament Sat. April 30th 4:00-8:00 p.m.

K-8TH Grade 2416 Dean Ave., Bakersfield, CA 93312

For more info or a campus tour call (661) 589-4703 Visit our website at www.cc-school.net

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Bakersfield Life 2011 Raising Bakersfield

Join Bowling Camp and learn the techniques, rules, etiquette, and strategies of the game while improving your score.

Ages: 5 to 17 years Dates: June 7 to July 26 Tuesdays Time: 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Cost: $60 To register: 326-FUNN

Skateboarding Camp

Description: Sign up today for this exciting camp with an expert instructor!

Ages: 5+ years Dates: July 11 to July 21 Monday through Thursday Time: 9 to 11 a.m.

Cost: $60 To register: 326-FUNN

Bakesfield Musuem Of Art Experience Art

Art fundamentals, graphic design, architecture, fashion, cartooning, comics, animation and more.

Ages: 7 to 12 years Dates: June 13 to August 5 Monday through Friday Time: 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Cost: $290 for four weeks To register: 323-7219 or www.bmoa.org

Side by Side

Come and experience great art projects that you can repeat at home and enjoy a wonderful time with your child. Children also learn social language skills, problem-solving, and kinesthetic awareness. All children must attend with an adult.

Ages: 3 to 6 years Dates: June 6 to June 10 Time: 9-10 a.m. or 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Cost: $70 for non-members and $60 for members To register: 323-7219 or www.bmoa.org

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Say goodbye to stubborn post-baby weight with the

Mommy Makeover

W

By Allie Castro

e all know that our moms have sacrificed a lot of things to make our lives safe, easy and happy.

Thanks to modern medicine, their physique doesn’t have to be one of those sacrifices. For those moms who want a little extra help with getting their bodies back after having children, Bakersfield’s Beautologie offers procedures to help moms regain those pre-baby bodies.

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Bakersfield Life 2011 Raising Bakersfield

Dr. Darshan Shah, who splits his time between his Malibu and Bakersfield practices, has an all-in-one package called the “mommy makeover.”

“About 85 percent of our patients are moms who are looking to get their body back after kids. What happens when you have kids is you get stretch marks, loose skin on [the] belly, and after breastfeeding, breasts deflate, get stretch marks and get smaller and saggier. Sometimes it’s also hard to lose weight from certain parts like the thighs or love handles.”

To remedy these effects, the mommy makeover includes a little

something for each of these difficult-to-maintain areas. quick, easy and carries a lower price tag.

“We do a breast augmentation, which also helps eliminate stretch For those that are a little wary of going under the knife, there are marks and gets that youthful perkiness back. For tummy, we do plenty of happy Beautologie patients around town to ask for refereither a mini- or full-tummy tuck combined with liposuction on the ences, as Shah estimates they do one to two mommy makeovers per areas that they’re having trouble losing baby fat from,” Shah said. day.

Sound overwhelming? It’s really not, said Shah.

Moms who are in need of minor help, Beautologie also offers “Believe it or not, these procedures go really well together. Most things like laser treatments to reduce cellulite, skin darkening as a people go home that day as it’s an outpatient result of pregnancy and varicose veins, as well procedure, and the downtime is about two to three as for hair removal treatments. They also offer days of just laying around in bed. After that, we Botox and Restalin treatments to help fill in fine ask you to take two weeks off from a desk job, but lines and wrinkles. most people are still up and around during this Shah recommends one thing to every mom time.” who is considering getting a little help with He added, “Most people are back to normal those problem areas: “Moms should make sure everyday life in two weeks. People do really well they’re going to a real plastic surgeon that is with it because we do so many procedures that we trained in plastic surgery. There’s a big differknow what to do to help them recover quickly.” ence between plastic and cosmetic surgeons; There are also financial benefits to bundling cosmetic surgeons have not had the same formal these procedures together. The mommy makeover educational training. It’s all about safety. You “usually runs around $10,000. Because we’re don’t want to cut corners.”

Dr. Darshan Shah doing it all together at one time it helps save on He advises Beautologie has an outstanding the cost.” Shah estimates that a mommy makeover success rate, with 90 percent of patients leaving usually saves the patient between $2,000 and $5,000, as each procecompletely satisfied. For those who want help getting that post-baby dure generally costs from $4,000 to $7,000 when done individually. body back into pre-baby shape, consider the all-in-one mommy “That’s why people take advantage of it,” he said, adding that it’s makeover.

“About 85 percent of our patients are moms who are looking to get their body back after kids.”

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A facial is a great way to give Mom a little “me” time.

7 ways

care

to let mom know you

O

By Allie Castro

ne day a year, we set aside a day to thank the woman in our life that we really should be thanking every day. So to make up for the other 364 days, here are some great ideas for how to treat Mom on her day off:

1. For the mom who needs a little “me” time Treat her to some of the great facial treatments at Bella Donna salon. Esthetician Rochelle Maldonado recommended, a relaxing “Get Away From It All” facial or an “Out with the Old Skin, in with

16

Bakersfield Life 2011 Raising Bakersfield

the New Skin” microdermabrasion treatment, which promotes new cell growth in the skin and takes care of fine wrinkles, acne, blackheads, scars, discoloration and evens out skin tone.” She also recommends her custom lashes which look natural, and add length and volume for two to three weeks. Mother’s Day specials include three microdermabrasion treatments for $150 (a $210 value), “Take me to Hawaii” enzyme facial for $35, and $10 off a set of Hello Diva lashes (regularly $80).

Make Mom a fan of the spray tan like Koleen Budney, esthetician at Side Street Salon. She said, “Since the summer months are approaching, everyone loves a tan. All-organic tanning solution and extender Spray di Sole is the hottest new trend in Southern California.

It will leave you looking and feeling amazing!”

Take advantage of the Brighton steals going on at Christine’s.

Purchase a Brighton necklace and bracelet (a favorite look for women of any age), and you’ll get a pair of earrings of your choice. And for the fashionista mom, head over to Lolo’s next door for monogram necklaces and Seven for All Mankind jeans.

Go custom with local jeweler Julia Ball, who said her jewelry is designed to both “compliment current fashion trends as well as the classic wardrobe. My goal is always to provide a little luxury for every style and budget.” Her top picks for Mother’s Day are anything floral, a trend she says is feminine and flirty. And as a special Mother’s Day deal, all gold, diamonds and 22k vermeil will be 20 percent off.

Purchase at Bella at the Marketplace, or online at luvjules.com.

2. For the mom who is tired of cooking — get her out of the kitchen!

The Country Rose Tearoom has been treating guests to their gourmet menu since 1988 in Bakersfield and is planning a treat of

their own for local moms. The restaurant will be offering a take-out dinner menu to take the stress out of Mother’s Day without necessitating an outing. “We’re going to have several selections available that will make Mom breathe a sigh of relief without breaking the budget,” said owner Bonnie Thomson. Call the café at 322-5965 for complete details and be sure to pick out your favorite dessert (Red Velvet Cheesecake, Death by Chocolate and more!)

3. For the mom who can’t get enough of the kitchen The Vitamix blender is a great addition to any mom’s kitchen, making healthy eating fun, and more importantly, fast, according to Rosemary Witham, sales associate at our local Williams-Sonoma. “For the moms who are constantly on the go, this blender does everything from making ice cold, healthy breakfast smoothies, to making a gourmet soup for dinner,” said Witham. She also recommends the Nespresso Pixie Espresso maker; “It’s small enough to put next to her bed so her coffee is ready before she is!” The store will also be offering cooking classes for you and Mom to enjoy together (added bonus: 10 percent off store purchases for attendees!)

4. For the active mom The Yoga Space will be offering two great classes on Mother’s Day. One is a restorative yoga class, which owner and director Paula Brown recommends because of its restful and rejuvenating style. The other is a flow class, which she says is more active and will “keep the body and breath moving and leave you feeling centered.” They’re also offering a new student special, which for $27 gets you two weeks of classes (normal price is $14 per class).

Continued on page 18

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Photo by Henry A. Barrios

Restorative yoga at Yoga Space is restful and rejuvenating.

5. For the mom with a sweet tooth Lil B’s Sweet Tooth has become a fast favorite in town for its wide variety and nostalgic products. Manager Jon Baker said, “In designing our store we had one thing in mind and we made that our slogan: ‘delights for all ages.’ For gift ideas, Baker suggested their “delicious gourmet chocolates, nut clusters and paws. “We even have chocolate roses. But if you want to think out of the box, we recom-

mend taking Mom on a trip back in time and find out what candies she loved as a kid and get those. We recently brought in gift boxes of candies from the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. We customize gift bags and baskets, too, so there’s a lot of ways to show your mom just how sweet she is with candies from Lil B’s.”

6. For the mom with a garden Kids should think outside of the usual bouquet this Mother's

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Bakersfield Life 2011 Raising Bakersfield

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Day advised White Forest Nursery owner Jerri White. “Traditionally we give cut flowers away, but they don’t last long and are fairly expensive. We like to see living bouquets. A shrub that blooms a lot, for example, roses on a shrub are great way to go.” And if you’re looking to add a little labor of love into the equation, White said, “after roses, there are marigolds, sweet alyssum, petunias and salvia.

These are bedding plants, which are plants that will bloom continuously from Mother’s Day to November or so. They have a big impact for very little labor.” They’re also a fraction of the cost of a cut flower arrangement, with bedding plants starting at $3 for a pack of six, and rose plants starting at $11. And for the novice gardener, White advised, “When you go to the nursery have them ask for success pack, planting mixes, fertilizers, soil to get the plant growing easily, quickly almost every time.”

For the wine expert or the wine novice. Imbibe Wine — a full service wine and spirits merchant with its own wine and beer bar — is the perfect place to pick up your next Mother’s Day gift.

Imbibe’s staff is ready to help you pick out the perfect wine for Mom based on her personal preferences, or if you want to make the choosing part of the experience, a wine tasting card for the store’s wine bar is the way to go. Imbibe also offers wine education classes, or you can purchase tickets for you and Mom for their May event Pinot Palooza, which will feature hors d’oeuvres from Moo Creamery and of course, plenty of pinot.

Photo by Felix Adamo

7. For the mom with a taste for the finer things

A wine tasting card at Imbibe gives Mom the chance to sample many different wines.

Bakersfield Life 2011 Raising Bakersfield

19

DBA

Downtown Business Association

Third Thursday will be the perfect blend of the artistry of First Friday and the Family Friendly atmosphere of The Downtown Street Faire.

It will entertain, educate, and acquaint Bakersfield with the Mill Creek area.

Mark these dates on your calendar: (All events from 5:30pm–8:30pm)

“Get Fit and Have Fun at the Health and Safety Faire” – May 10th “Go Green at the Summer Home Faire” – June 16th

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“Christmas in July” – July 12th

“Hot August Nights” – August 18th

Contact Cathy Butler for more information: 661-325-5892 Subscribe to the DBA Weekly Newsflash: www.BakersfieldDBA.net Follow us on Facebook : Bakersfield Downtown Business Association Twitter : BakersfieldDBA

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TECH WATCH

Motorola Atrix 4G

Photo by Casey Christie

Jose M. Hernandez Jr. In-Shape Health Clubs lead housekeeper

Why did you purchase the Atrix 4G? The Atrix is my first smart cellular phone. I’ve never experienced a cell phone that can handle so many tasks all at once without failing; not to mention, it’s a PC that fits in my pocket. On QuickOffice, while I’m listening to music, I can switch to previous apps with ease.

The Atrix 4G is unique because of the: Security feature (finger sensor), the connectability with PCs/laptops and it talks (it tells you who’s calling).

Is it a phone or a mini, mobile laptop? It’s a go-go-gadget “cellytop.”

This gadget is ideal for: Everyday tasks.

Favorite features of the Atrix: The security features and voice command.

Top five favorite apps: The apps I use are QuickOffice, MP3 music downloads, VEVO, drink and cocktail recipes and Facebook.

What cool accessories can be purchased to make your Smartphone brilliant? I’m looking forward to getting the commander hands-free and dock station. www.BakersfieldLife.com 67

AROUND TOWN

Free wheelin’ in Bakersfield Cyclist embraces car-free living

A

By Hillary Haenes Photos by Felix Adamo Avid and amateur cyclists might take the challenge to go outside and ride each day this May in honor of National Bike Month, but for one local, it’s become a way of life.

Five years ago, Ramon Jacquez made the extreme choice to live car-free. And since his decision, he has enjoyed his biking adventures around the community as well as a tour of Central California.

“I always walked to school as a kid, so it just made sense for me to rely on myself and not an automobile. The lifestyle of being car-free just came naturally,” Jacquez said.

To some Bakersfield residents, the idea of not driving a vehicle as a means of transportation in a

Ramon Jacquez is car-free. He rides his bicycle to get everywhere and volunteers for the nonprofit Bike Bakersfield.

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May 2011

Ramon Jacquez and Nicholas LaMar ride their bikes down 21st Street. city that has foggy winters and scorching hot summers can be mindboggling. There’s also the assumption that Bakersfield is spread out, and there’s too much traffic, but to Jacquez, riding his single-speed bicycle to get to his daily destinations is the norm. Because he has learned to map out his day, nothing is further than a seven-mile ride.

“I was seeing all these commuters riding in major metro cities. I got a bike, and I went out and went searching for that. I thought there has to be people out there in my age range. I didn’t find the culture I was looking for — it needed to be created,” Jacquez said.

He saw people riding mountain bikes on trails, BMX bikes on tracks and road bikes around town, but he didn’t find a large population of people commuting to and from work or running errands, and that’s what he wanted to do on a daily basis.

“If you want to see a change, Bike Festival and you have to lead by example, and the Sixth annual so what I did was ride my bike Downtown Criterium every single day,” Jacquez said.

When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. May When he first started riding, 14; 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 15 things seemed far, but it didn’t Where: Mill Creek Park, 600 take long for his daily commutes 21st St. to become a routine. Jacquez plans Cost: Race fees range from his activities, making it easier to $15 to $25 get anywhere he needs to be. He’s Information: Visit bikebaalso learned to stop downtown to kersfield.org or call the Bike Bakersfield office at 321-9247. rejuvenate himself with a healthy snack and water. After trial and error on a hot day while wearing pants, he now dresses in layers to ensure a comfortable ride.

While there is a 32-mile bike trail that stretches east and west throughout Bakersfield, you will rarely find Ramon traveling on it.

He sparingly uses what he calls the multi-use trail.

“It’s a recreation trail. I use the street because that’s why the street is there. I feel if I clog up the bike trail, people won’t want to use it — it’s more than just a bike trail,” Jacquez said.

He’s a member of a tight-knit group of cyclists known as the Ride Continued on page 70

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Continued from page 69

Fast Crew whose motto is to ride fast everywhere and every day.

Jacquez also volunteers for the nonprofit bicycle advocacy organization Bike Bakersfield, which promotes bicycling as not only a safe and environmentally friendly alternative form of transportation, but also a fun one at that.

“Our goal is bicycling for everyday transportation, so every day that someone uses their bicycle to go to work, school, the grocery store, meetings or out to eat, we see success. Ultimately, we would like to see Bakersfield obtain at least a 20 percent mode share of trips being made by bicycle,” said Bob E. Smith, founder and board president of Bike Bakersfield, who rides his bike on almost a day-today basis and averages about 100 miles per week.

In 2005, when Smith started the nonprofit, his idea was to help many problems in Bakersfield such as air quality, obesity rates and low median income while taking advantage of the positives like great weather and generally flat terrains. Last year, volunteers contributed more than 3,200 hours helping with events, office work and in the bike kitchen where 161 bikes were repaired and recycled, according to Smith.

Each week, Bike Bakersfield strives to educate the youth with bicycle assemblies at elementary schools to inform kids how to properly maintain a bike and safely play. And for First Fridays, Jacquez has hauled a pop-up tent, a table and info box on a trailer attached to the back of his bike. To reach the older demographic, the organization visits high schools to encourage and support bike clubs as well

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Bakersfield Life

May 2011

Jacquez prefers riding on city streets over using the bike path. as research routes for people to take to work, school or the store.

“You learn how to ride a bike as a kid and it takes you somewhere. You start off as a kid riding your bike around the neighborhood and you come home and you have a story to tell. You are continuing that freedom you felt as a child,” Jacquez said.

Last summer, Jacquez revisited those childhood memories of being free and adventurous when he rode to Berkeley with a backpack on a track bike. He achieved this in a little more than 300 miles in three days and stayed with friends along the way. Before this ride, the most he had ridden in one day was 60 miles, but with the company of another person.

“I was nervous about riding so many miles back-to-back. I did it solo, riding by yourself is exhilarating, but you do a lot of self-reflection,” said Jacquez. “You get to a point when you say, ‘I’m done for the day. But I have to keep going.’ I actually planned the trip in four days, and I finished in three. The only training I had was riding to work every single day.”

Like Jacquez, there are other serious riders out there who have chosen the lifestyle of not being caged in a car and who want to make a difference in the cycling community by generating more awareness.

“The fact of the matter is that Bakersfield doesn’t have enough bike lanes and many of the lanes are poorly maintained and too small. I feel that if Bakersfield were more accommodating to cyclists, more people would ride as a means for transportation,” said Nicholas LaMar, a member of Ride Fast Crew who owns a car but rides his bike anywhere from 15 to 30 miles a day. “Riding my bike gives me a feeling of being attached to the community, allowing me to see the beauty that the world has to offer, even if it is shopping malls and tract homes.”

Take advice from these ambitious cyclists and join them this month to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the spring outdoors instead of being trapped behind the wheel of your car.

“I believe that by riding his bike everywhere, Ramon is showing that he is an independent thinker. When 92 percent of all trips in Bakersfield are made in an automobile, for someone to decide to bicycle everywhere diffidently shows that he is thinking for himself and not following the crowd,” Smith said.

HOME AND GARDEN

Robbie Bishop and buddies crack open a beer and enjoy a manly show on Bishop’s new flat-screen TV.

The ultimate man cave Flat-screen TVs, billiards and beer, this lounge has it all

By Hillary Haenes Photos by Holly Carlyle

T

Three TVs, comfy leather recliners, a fully stocked bar, a pool table and urinal all in one room. What more does a man need?

Such sanctuaries, often referred to as man caves, are where guys go to relax sans the interruptions from everyday commitments and are fast becoming the latest trend in home improvement.

Just ask Robbie Bishop, account manager at Brenntag Pacific.

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May 2011

After five years of envisioning the ultimate lounge in his head and looking at numerous homes in search of the right game room, Bishop finally put his creative ideas to action last year. The result — a custom 1,200-square-foot room built onto his home; that’s been the ideal spot to share with his buddies and teenage son.

He looked at more than 50 homes with a price tag ranging from $400,000 to $2 million before deciding it was best to build.

“I couldn’t find what I wanted. They were so small. When I found something, it was 600- to 700-square-feet — something I would outgrow,” he said, plus the game rooms would need to be retrofitted to suit his wants.

The main reason for building such a large addition to his home was to have plenty of wall space to showcase his prized possessions from one of his hobbies: hunting.

“I was completely out of room in my office and Shelle didn’t want the animals to run amuck throughout the house, so I built a man cave,” Bishop said.

His office had outgrown the collection of deer, foxes, elk, coyotes, bears and pigs he has hunted all over the country, so Bishop and his wife, Shelle, agreed to make more room to accommodate his furry friends and to hide his gun collection. He had a built-in bookshelf put in that’s actually a secret wired and alarmed gun safe. The three 38-caliber revolvers on the outside of the bookshelf are blank-firing guns he ordered from a movie prop studio. Bishop took the guns to a gunsmith

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and had him bascule the barrels so that they lowing room for double doors from Bishop’s could screw into the bookshelf and be used backyard patio since the animals couldn’t fit as a latch to open the safe. in a regular-sized doorway.

“I just didn’t want them in the main part “It was kind of a challenge. It was the of the house. I like it — it gets him out of my first game room I’ve ever done. I usually do hair,” said Shelle Bishop. “And when he and tract houses and remodels. This is by far the his friends are loud and nicest thing I’ve done as obnoxious, they are in far as general contractthe man cave and not in ing,” said Dereke Gemy house.” recke, owner of Central Bishop wanted an California Construction. original room, so that It took three months when a person walks of getting general ideas through the grand, on plans, and another five custom-fit iron door that months of fine tuning for weighs one ton, they see the project. He joked, “I something different they don’t think I’d want to wouldn’t see anywhere build a house after this.” else. The transition from Bishop said that 10 or the inside of his home to more daily decisions went stepping in his man cave into designing the layout, Shelle Bishop actually feels like one is fixtures and decor of his entering a real cave: the man cave. temperature drops, the walls are no longer “The actual tough part comes when you flat, but rounded like rocks and the texture of have to make the day-to-day decisions. Your the floor simulates like a gravel dirt floor. mind starts going and basically what it boils “Everybody just totally trips out when down to is how much you want to pay,” said they see it,” Bishop said about his man cave Bishop who spent thousands of dollars over that reminds his guests of the Claim Jumper his budget just to cover the extra details. restaurant or something they saw at DisneySpecific features Bishop wanted were land. strictly knotty pine wood fixtures from door The entire room was designed to have all jams, baseboards and ceiling beams to the of the walls insulated from the outside in to powder-coated bar rail that matches the other allow for three-quarter-inch plywood from black, oil-rubbed bronze fixtures. inside the dry wall, so that Robbie wouldn’t Two shipments of knotty pine were have to look for a stud when he hung his looked over to select the best pieces of wood animal heads. Another consideration was alContinued on page 74

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to give the ceiling a more rustic look.

“Every beam was strategically placed because we didn’t want it to be a plain Jane ceiling,” Bishop said.

The central focus of the man cave is the spacious rustic knotty pine bar equipped with six special-ordered wooden chairs and a chiseled edge granite countertop along with a poolside-serving window, which is Bishop’s favorite area in the room.

“A lot went into that. I was really picky about it,” Bishop said. He wanted three or four people to comfortably fit, so nobody would walk around and bump into each other at the sink trying to use the garbage disposal or reaching for another cold beer. The weathered copper lights above the bar bring to the rustic motif and resemble something you’d see at the end of a fishing pier.

One of the best bar features Bishop prides himself in creating is the countertop that has more than 80 real $2 bills and several blanket bills that are 100 years old. Robbie originally thought of sealing in hunting tags or family photos, but he wanted something that would appeal to future owners.

“I was trying to think of what I would put under there that would age with time and anybody who looked at it would like it,” Bishop said.

The bar has 20 logs, which Bishop estimates to weigh up to 8,000 pounds, and were all brought in by hand. The three wooden posts supporting the bar were about two feet too tall and had to be cut down once inside.

“To do something different like that, you have to be creative. A

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Bakersfield Life

May 2011

More than 80 $2 bills line the bar’s countertop.

A prop gun serves as a latch to open a hidden gun safe.

lot of people don’t do that anymore,” said Stephen Boles, owner of SWB Construction, whose team finished the carpentry on the bar, ceilings and bookshelf.

All the logs above the bar (in the bathroom and above the TV) were cut and fabricated in Montana, then shipped to Bishop. To go along with the outdoorsy decor, Bishop wanted an aged tin roof to cover his bar. One of his buddies owns a ranch in Paso Robles and on his property, there’s a farm that’s more than 70 years old. Having envisioned a bar with a rustic roof, Bishop contacted his friend and asked if he could pay to replace the old roof with new sheets of metal.

“I paid to have the roof taken off to get the old metal. It was a win-win deal,” Bishop said.

With a 60-wine bottle, temperature-controlled refrigerator fully-stocked with not only wine, but Corona and Bud Light, his friends are sure to have a blast, especially relaxing and watching sports like UFC fights or football games on Bishop’s new flatscreen.

For the Super Bowl, the two extra TVs came in handy, especially the 10-inch flat screen above the automatic, touchless urinal because nobody missed a play. Bishop got the idea to put a TV in the bathroom from visiting the ESPN Zone.

Also in the bathroom, Bishop installed a shower since the plumbing was already set up for it. When Bishop decides to move, the future owners have the option of converting the man cave into a mini apartment since everything needed to live is out there. If the man cave gets stuffy, air can circulate with a fan that is operated by a belt and pulley system. And if that’s not enough, the three-ton, 16 Seer air conditioner will cool the room down within 10 minutes.

The other focal point in the room is the impressive entertainment center with the 55-inch TV, 17-speaker surround sound from the same Klipsch manufacturer that makes the IMAX theater speakers and tinted glass to hide all of his tech equipment. Bishop generated the idea after seeing Matt Lauer conduct interviews behind a large fireplace with a wooden beam above the mantle at the winter Olympics.

As for seating, Bishop chose four plush leather chairs, not only because they recline, but also he liked the fact that there are two drink holders per chair. Next to the TV, is a tabletop arcade video game system that has more than 60 classic games like “Frogger,” “Ms. Pac Man” and “Centipede.”

“A majority of the time, it really is a place to escape from the rest of the house where it’s quiet. It’s a place for my buddies and for my son and his buddies,” Bishop said. www.BakersfieldLife.com

75

HOME AND GARDEN

Five must-haves in a man cave

play games, get the PS3 because of the Blu-ray capabilities. The Xbox 360 does not have a Blu-ray player, it has a DVD player. If you’re going to play a lot of video games, and especially if you’re an online gamer, we generally would recommend the Xbox 360.

It all starts with the game console.

Whatever system you buy, please get an HDMI cable to use on your HD TV.”

Gamestor Gil talks techie gadgets Reported by Hillary Haenes When it comes to electronics, Gil Garcia is the man. He owns The Gamestor (located at East Hills Mall and on the corner of Gosford Road and White Lane in southwest Bakersfield) and has plenty of knowledge on the latest must-have high-tech equipment. For guys who want a simple man cave, but with quality entertainment, here are the five essential items, the reasons you need them and Garcia’s thoughts on man caves.

1. Xbox 360 or PS3?

Some of the most common questions Garcia receives from customers include: What should I buy? What do you guys recommend?

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May 2011

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2. So many TV choices...

Garcia: “To be brief, get an HD TV LCD flat screen with a minimum support of 720p resolution.

You can buy these sets relatively cheap right now. I would start with a 36-inch, but recommend a 40-to 60-inch TV. Most games and movies are written with a support of a minimum of 720p resolution. So, if you’re on a budget and looking for a secondary man cave TV, start there. If you can afford a better TV, I would purchase a 1080p supported LCD/LED TV. We’re talking about the smaller budget gamer man cave, but if you want the ultimate

experience, get a 55-to 65-inch 3D full LED TV, with the purchase of high-end 3D glasses.”

3. What about sound?

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Garcia: “I believe if you want to build a man cave, it has to include a great Dolby Digital Stereo. There are many stereos to get, but start with a 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Stereo.”

(5.1 is in reference to the number of speakers the sound will go through.)

4. Pump up the volume!

Garcia: “When shopping for your man cave speakers, make sure you pick up a minimum of six speakers (two front speakers, a good center channel, two rear speakers and a powered sub woofer).

You will not regret it! I recommend a good pair of headsets for late night gaming and movie watching so you don’t wake up the family.”

5. The right furniture to purchase Garcia: “Then you kick back and relax on your couch or La-ZBoy, which is last on my list for the making of a great man cave.”

What are your thoughts on man caves?

Garcia: “In my opinion, every man needs a little cave to dwell in. Sometimes we, as men, need to escape for a little bit, especially, if one has a stressful work environment. The importance of my man cave is for me to spend time with my two boys.”

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Photo courtesy of the Barrientos family

COMMUNITY

The measure of devotion Wounded Heroes Fund to honor two local veterans at May 1 event Wesley Leon-Barrientos

O

By Jerry Prigmore

On May 1, the Wounded Heroes Fund Kern County Chapter will hold its third annual Salute to Local Heroes at the CSUB Outdoor Amphitheater in celebration and support of local veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

Two local veterans to be honored are Casey Schaubschlager and Wesley Leon-Barrientos.

In the savage fighting in Ramadi and Fallujah during the darkest days of the Iraqi insurgency, U.S. Marine Cpl. Casey Schaubschlager and his brother Marines were so continually battered by daily combat that Schaubschlager can’t even say how many times he was wounded.

“We got mortared three times a day like clockwork. Morning, noon and night,” he said.

It was a buried, remotely triggered artillery shell that finally sent him home for good with 40 to 60 percent hearing loss and traumatic brain injury.

Schaubschlager still contends with the invisible wounds of survivor guilt and post-traumatic stress and likely always will. He has had to fight for medical care for combat injuries and still hasn’t received his Purple Heart. But for Schaubschlager, who considered himself a career Marine, the premature end to his Marine Corps 78

Bakersfield Life

May 2011

career may have been the bitterest loss of all.

“If it wasn’t for them retiring me out, I would still be in for my 20 years. I was what they called a ‘lifer,’” he said.

Schaubschlager is open about his difficulties in coping with that loss and readjusting to civilian life. He’s gradually healing from his seen and unseen wounds with the support of a loving wife and the same determination that saw him through his three combat tours of Iraq. And he credits the Wounded Heroes Fund with helping with everything from groceries to finding jobs.

“They actually approached me. They just felt like they wanted to help me, so they did. They were ‘forcefully helpful,’ in a good way, though,” he laughed.

His work at the Kern County Veterans Center, volunteering with the Wounded Heroes Fund and pursuing a degree in psychology with an eye toward helping other vets have given Schaubschlager a renewed sense of purpose in a post-Marines life that, until recently, he’d never even imagined. His advice to other vets?

“Keep the faith, keep the hope, and don't let your head hang low. At first, I let my pride get in the way. Don't let your pride get in the way of getting the help you need,” he said.

For U.S. Army Cpl. Wesley Leon-Barrientos and his fellow

Photo courtesy of Casey Schaubschlager

101st Airborne Division “Screaming Eagles,” death and injury were a daily reality in Iraq’s infamous “Sunni Triangle,” as were enormous mental stresses and ironic twists of fate. He once flipped a coin with a close friend to determine which one would have to take up the dreaded rear position in a convoy escort.

“I lost, and he got to go in the front truck. The front truck got hit and he died right there.”

That was the first of many incidents over the course of three combat tours that might have shattered a less resilient man, but not Leon-Barrientos, who earned five Army Commendation Medals and three Purple Hearts. The third was for an IED attack that cost him a broken jaw, two crushed vertebrae and both of his legs. But he believes there are reasons for everything — even for that. He gestures to his two-year-old pixie of a daughter, who was born during the time he’d still have been in Iraq had he not been wounded: “I see a lot of reasons. I see one right now. She wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t lost my legs,” said Leon-Barrientos. “I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Leon-Barrientos’ friendliness and upbeat attitude are remarkable in light of all he’s experienced. He is lavish and effusive in his praise of the way the people of Kern County support their veterans, especially through the efforts of the Wounded Heroes Fund, which protected his mother’s home from foreclosure while she remained with him during his year-long sojourn at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C., and helped build his family a home of their own.

“If you’ve never had anything that you’re thrilled about, proud about, and honored to do in your life, there’s nothing better than volunteering with and donating to the Wounded Heroes Fund,” he said.

Casey Schaubschlager

Please join the Wounded Heroes Fund to thank and support these remarkable young men and their families and many others like them for their service and sacrifices. For more information, or to learn more about Casey Schaubschlager and Wesley Leon-Barrientos and their fellow vets, call 324-7453 or visit thewoundedheroesfund.org.

www.BakersfieldLife.com

79

COMMUNITY

Health Careers Center

Tifany Porto instructs students with the help of a mannequin.

T

By Luz Peña

Tired of working at her job at pay-day loan company, Lichicka Williams needed a change.

Williams, 31, wanted a career in health care and tried to get into classes at Bakersfield College — only to find herself getting lost in the hordes of students trying to get into the same courses.

So she decided to look online and found the Bakersfield Adult School Web site, saw Health Care Worker program listed and that is when she found her new career.

“I’m older and I have children. I need that stability,” said the mother of four. “The benefits of this program are there’s stability and I can explore my options within it.”

The Health Careers Center is at the F Street campus of the Bakersfield Adult School. The main campus is on South Mount Vernon Avenue. The Health Care Worker program began two years ago and enables students to run the gamut of careers in the medical field such as a receptionist, registration clerk, radiology aide, transportation aide, operating room workroom clerk/aide, and laboratory aide.

Williams enjoys the demanding class work divided in two parts — classroom learning and on-site job training. She hopes to con80

Bakersfield Life

May 2011

Photo by Jose Treviño

Bakersfield Adult School program allows students to work and go to school at the same time

tinue her education at Health Careers Center and take a class in medical coding and billing, once she graduates in March.

“It's not hard but it's challenging. I like being able to help others and learning the technical skills,” she said, about her class work. “You have to take it one day at a time and set goals for yourself.”

Students enrolled will receive an intense course load filled with insightful information about their particular field in the curriculum. Careers in the program include vocational nurse, medical assistant, nurse assistant, health care worker, home health aide, medical billing and coding and in the future, pharmacy technician.

Classrooms are setup to look like a hospital room — complete with mannequins with removal body parts and organs and hospital beds with blankets and privacy curtains. This is to help students familiarize themselves and get comfortable with their future job setting.

For funding and grants justification purposes, the Bakersfield Adult School uses the Labor Market Survey. According to the survey, health care jobs are in high demand way past the year 2012.

Many students like Williams and Mary Russell like the afContinued from page 82

Continued from page 80

fordability of the classes. On average, the cost to attend Bakersfield Adult School is more than two-thirds less than a private college or trade school.

Russell, 51, is a medical student and likes the classroom dynamics.

“I love the medical terms and vitals,” she said. “It's great to have different age levels working together, study together and enjoying the classes together.”

Russell chose to become a medical assistant because she said she has two of the key traits needed for the job.

“The medical profession has always been an honorable profession,” she said. “I enjoy helping people, it's a fulfilling profession. I'm already compassionate and I think you have to have that.”

Other students, such as Eric Swarts, 38, likes that you can maintain a full-time job while having a full course load. Swarts is an ER tech at the Bakersfield Heart Hospital and is looking to broaden his career horizons. He’s currently studying to be a licensed vocational nurse (LVN).

“Other schools require you to attend school full time and encourage you not to work at all or just to work part time,” he said. “The program here is a hidden gem because I’m able to work full time and go to school full time.”

Although Bakersfield Adult School has a Health Careers Center, it offers classes for other careers like in business or computers. Plus it offers classes for the following: English as Second Language (ESL), GED, High School Exit Exam, and ones for high school students, who are behind on credits to graduate.

Eric Swarts is studying to become a LVN.

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May 2011

Th e

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HISTORY

Five pioneering women of Kern County

By Jeff Nickell, Kern County Museum director

K

Kern County is home to many amazing pioneers who shaped this area into something beautiful. With Mother’s Day around the corner, it was a good time to profile five pioneering and prosperous women in Kern County that you have probably not heard about in the past. By the way, a person did not have to come from meek beginnings to be a pioneer.

Margaret Fairchild, at one time, was the owner of the Kern Standard newspaper.

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Harriet Gilbert Van Orman Harriet Taylor was born in Jonesboro, Tennessee on Sept. 26, 1835. She married Robert Gilbert, an owner of significant land in Texas, in 1854 and the couple had two children. In 1859, the Gilberts moved to California traveling via the Butterfield Stage lines. They made stops in San Jose and Porterville before finally making their home in what would later become Bakersfield on Sept.

26, 1860 (yes, on her birthday). The Gilberts were some of the first to move to the area. At some point before 1870, Robert divorced Harriet (or just left her).

She took claim of a quarter section of section eighteen near Bellevue (or approximately in the area of where Cal State Bakersfield is — give or take a bit).

Harriet also became a shareholder in the Bellevue Canal making it possible for her to grow alfalfa on the property.

She eventually married Norton Van Orman and the couple lived at 17th and K streets. The History of Kern County

by Wallace Morgan indicates that in 1914, Harriet still resided there and it was her intent to live there “until her earth life ends.” Morgan further states that Harriet has “witnessed the remarkable transformation of the community from a desolate, unpeopled spot to a large city teeming with industry and surrounded by fertile, well-tilled soils.”

Photos courtesy of Kern County Museum She passed away on May 5, 1917 at the age of 83.

Ella Kinton Ella Kinton was one such lady that bucked the trend. She was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania on May 14, 1863. After reaching adulthood, she moved to California in 1890 and chose Rosamond as her new home. In 1891, she began homesteading 160 acres a few miles west of Rosamond on what is now Willow Springs Road. She lived there for five years, drilling two wells, and making other improvements. She then sold 20 acres for the Hamilton Mill site. She was appointed postmaster of Rosamond in 1895 and served in that capacity until 1909. According to Wallace Morgan, she moved back into the town of Rosamond in 1896 where she had a mercantile store built. All I can say is she must have been one tough lady and quite the businesswoman. She passed away Jan. 17, 1944 in Ventura nearly reaching her 81st birthday.

Katharyn W. Ellis, M.D. Dr. Katharyn Ellis earned her medical degree from the Women’s Medical College of Cincinnati in 1893. She came from well-to-do family but still helped to work her way through medical school by working as a school teacher. Her first practice was in Covington, Kentucky where she met her husband to be James F. Ellis. Mr. Ellis was an attorney. The couple moved to Butler, Kentucky and then Evanston, Wyoming where Dr. Ellis “clientele included patients for miles in every direction, the conduct of so large a practice entailing many physical hardships, yet bringing rich returns in the satisfaction of realizing a helpful service

to humanity (History of Kern County).”

In 1901, Dr. Ellis moved to the town of Kern (East Bakersfield) and opened a practice on Baker Street. Being an astute businesswoman, she also invested in property including a 50 acre orange grove in Porterville. Dr. Ellis had one son, Leland who graduated from Kern County High School (BHS) at 16 years old.

Margaret Fairchild Margaret Fairchild’s parents, Stephen and Catherine, came to San Francisco in 1862. She was born in the late 1860s. Her father had a thriving construction business but died in 1869 and then her mother passed not long after that. She was raised in the family of Daniel Sullivan (a wealthy man). Margaret attended schools in San Francisco and upon graduating high school showed an interest in the newspaper business. After learning the ins and outs of the business, she relocated to Bakersfield to work for the Bakersfield Democrat. She then went to work for the Kern Standard. Wallace Morgan states that “her success in this work was phenomenal.”

Margaret became a half owner of the paper and eventually bought out the owner, W.D. Young. She ran the paper for two years before selling it. It was at that point that she married Charles Fairchild (at the time he was serving as the freight and passenger agent for the Southern Pacific Railroad in Old Town Kern) with the ceremony taking place in City by the Bay. The couple resided in Bakersfield with their children at the corner of Pine and 20th streets.

simple. smart. space to grow in should be fast.

Growing a business is challenging

a great

Old Town Kern much how it looked when Mary Mitchell Stapp came to the area with her father.

Mary Mitchell Stapp Mary Mitchell was born in Bracken County, Kentucky about 1854 with her mother dying giving birth to her. She was raised by her father Isaac Mitchell. He was a farmer in Indian and Illinois before moving to Bakersfield in 1884. Upon arriving in Bakersfield, Mr. Mitchell worked mainly in real estate, but he passed away in 1901. Mary also worked in real estate. Wallace Morgan states in History of Kern County that Mary built several residences including a large rooming house and also owned the corner of Kentucky and King Streets. She married William Stapp who was ten years her junior (he outlived her). Morgan also said “Mrs. Stapp is a splendid type of womanhood and though she fills a man’s position in business she has retained all the finer elements which represent refinement and culture.” She passed away on June 7, 1926.

Note: Information for this article was taken from Wallace Morgan’s History of Kern County published in 1914. Those you who are interested in Kern County’s history should go to the library and take a look at it. It is a fascinating book. Ancestory.com was also used. Thanks to Sarah Woodman, the museum’s Public Program Manager for her help with this article.

5300 District Blvd.

661.397.5300 Mon-Fri 9am to 6pm www.floydsos.com

www.BakersfieldLife.com 85

A portion of the so-called “blue garden,” which can be viewed by former owner Ganna Walska just outside the guest house she occupied for most of her years at Lotusland in Santa Barbara.

Lotusland: A secret garden revealed Santa Barbara landmark is a must see, and you’ll need to make reservations now!

By Lois Henry

A

As if there aren’t enough great things to do in Santa Barbara already, here’s one more to put on your list — Ganna Walska’s Lotusland.

Don’t let the hippy dippy name scare you off. Ganna Walska was a person, and a very intriguing one at that.

Lotusland is her legacy, a botanical garden hidden in the exclusive enclave of Montecito. OK and don’t let “botanical garden” scare you off either.

You’re not going to wander around wondering what the heck that plant with the $10-name is, and why you should care.

Extremely knowledgeable and fun docents lead tours, so you’ll 86

Bakersfield Life

May 2011

Photo by Lois Henry

TRIP PLANNER

know what you’re looking at and why it’s important, such as the plants they have that are extinct in the wild — little stuff like that.

If you’re not the gardening type, Lotusland also has an interesting history complete with its own beautiful and eccentric siren, Madame Walska.

I heard about Lotusland late last year and booked my tour with two chums for mid-March. It’s closed from Nov. 15 to Feb. 15, so keep that in mind.

Before we embarked on our tour, though, we hit the famed farmer’s market in town and loaded up on the most deelish strawberries I’ve ever had. Then Gail, who knows all things SB, took us to the quaint and historic La Arcada mall between State and Figueroa streets where we had brunch at Jeannine’s and then browsed through Encanto (hard to describe as they have a lot of this and that — all of it way cool) and the Renaissance consignment shop where I saw (but did not buy) Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Armani and more on the skirt rack.

When we were done poking around, we headed off for our 1:30 p.m. tour. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect (is is Santa Barbara afterall!) and the walk was just what we needed after gobbling up our scrumptious Jeannine’s brunch.

Our docent Hillary Trenton really kept things moving as she seamlessly reeled off the property’s history, gave plant facts and dropped juicy Madame tidbits.

Postcards of a young Madame Ganna Walska. were fabulously wealthy and she had a knack for ending up with big chunks of that wealth.

She loved the opera and had an onagain, off-again singing career between husbands.

Docent Trenton let on that Madame, as she’s called, didn’t have a “strong” voice and was actually more well-known for her

Photo by Lois Henry

Lotusland started off as a plant nursery after Ralph Kinton Stevens started it in 1882. It seems the property was destined for public display as Stevens’ gardens were renowned in his own time, attracting visitors from miles around.

It was Stevens who first planted lotus flowers, which Madame Walska later named the property for. Even the reservoir Stevens built is still in use, serving as the pond in the Japanese Garden.

By the way, there are 26 distinct gardens on the 37-acre property. My absolute favorite was the cactus garden, but there’s something for everyone!

The Gavit family bought the property in 1916, and built the house that still stands today. They also put in a formal garden, to which Madame Walska added her own unique touches after she bought the property in 1941.

Madame Walska is a whole story unto herself.

She was a dark-haired beauty born in Poland in 1887. Her real name was Hanna Puacz, which she changed, choosing Walska because she loved the waltz.

She married well — and often — racking up six husbands in all. The first four

many marriages and extreme wealth.

It was her final husband who introduced her to the property she would eventually transform. She got rid of the husband, but kept Lotusland.

She threw herself into renovating the grounds and quickly found her greatest artistic forte — gardening. She hired the best

Continued on page 88

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You must make reservations well ahead of time to schedule your tour.

You can email reservation@lotusland.org or call (805) 969-9990.

The gardens are open Wednesday through Saturday with two tours each day, one starting at 10 a.m. and the other at 1:30 p.m.

Tours take about two hours and you should wear comfortable walking shoes, have some water and wear sunscreen.

Cost is $35 per person.

Photo by Lois Henry

If you go

One of the many unique cactus plants in the most recent garden added to Lotusland in 2004.

designers and worked closely with them for years creating and recreating each garden.

As Docent Trenton told us several times, Madame Walska’s signature design characteristic was mass plantings of spiky and dramatic species.

She definitely liked some hard to love plants, like the weird and creepy “weeping cactus” she had planted at the entrance of the house. Seriously, these things have to be seen in person.

She also loved surprise and delight visitors by creating natural “walls” between gardens. The effect really works. When you leave the formal garden with its clipped hedges, playful animal topiaries and giant clock, you’re stunned to “enter” a starkly beautiful and rugged garden made up entirely of different cactus species. It is exactly like going from one room dark and lush into another that’s suddenly bright, open and sharply defined in gray-green.

Unfortunately, Madame Walska never got to see this garden. She died in 1984 at the age of 97. The cactus garden was completed in 2004.

Over her many years at Lotusland, Madame Walska regularly opened the grounds for tours and events. To continue that tradition after her death she created the Ganna Walska Lotusland Foundation, which still operates Lotusland today.

When I was there in March, the lotus flowers weren’t in bloom.

But you can enjoy their spectacular beauty this summer as they always blossom just in time for Madame Walska’s June 26 birthday.

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Photo by Bill Dewey, courtesy of Ganna Walska Lotusland Foundation

Continued from page 87

The original estate’s swimming pool, built in the early 1920s and flanked by shallow ponds, is Lotusland’s major water garden.

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PRODUCTS AROUND TOWN Toms at Tangerine

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Just in time for Summer Fun! Whether you stay and play locally or in your travels abroad, Waxing Poetic Voyager insignia collection will pair well with your summer whites and brights. 2011 additions in stock now! Come in and personalize something special for you or your loved one.

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Perfect Ponies for your baby girl

It is pool party time!

Summer is fast approaching and we have the perfect bathing suits for your pooch! Help your four legged friend make a huge splash at your next party by the pool!

We have trendy swim trunks for the boys and bikinis for the girls.

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Bebe Doos Perfect Ponies are an instant cute hairdo for your baby girl. Whether you have a baby with little to no hair or a baby with a head full, these baby headbands with ponytails or pigtails are a quick adorable style!

They are available in blonde, frosted, dark brown and black with curls. Exclusively available at JM’s Just for Children, located at 930 Wible Road in Bakersfield. Visit JM’s online at jmsjustforchildren.com or call 834-7277.

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The Birkenstock soft footbed - shock absorbers for your sole

The Birkenstock Soft Footbed features an extra layer of cushioning foam built into our legendary footbed. A unique foam layer built from millions of microscopic air bubbles is inserted between the top layer suede footbed liner and the layers of cork and jute that make up the rest of the footbed. This ensures a cushioned yet firm foundation for immediate comfort and full arch support, built on the most solid foundation in footwear.

See the new soft footbed by Birkenstock at Guarantee Shoe Center, 2101 Chester Ave.

Guarantee Shoe Center 90

Bakersfield Life

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THE PROMENADE Step into spring

Bakersfield’s Largest Selection Of The World’s Finest Quality Pianos

Put away those boots and closed-toe shoes until next fall. It’s time to enjoy Bakersfield’s spring and summer weather with some new styles from Divaz Desirez. We have a great selection of spring and summer fashions for your feet. A pair of new shoes from Divaz Desirez will not only make your feet feel good, they’ll look good too. Come by and see these and many of our other spring and summer shoe styles at Divaz Desirez, 4560 Coffee Road (Coffee and Hageman by BlockBuster in the VONS center) 679-7278.

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Music School Voted Best Music Lessons by 97.7 The Breeze Radio Station In The Mom’s Choice Awards!

Birthday party plate!

Commemorate your birthday party or other special occasion with a hand-painted commemorative plate from Color Me Mine. If you have your child’s birthday party at Color Me Mine, a hand-print birthday party plate is included in your party package! Have fun

• Music & Movement Classes

and relax! Enjoy the company of friends and family in Color Me Mine’s party room while painting ceramic keepsakes that will last forever! Color Me Mine at the Marketplace, 9000 Ming Ave., 664-7366. bakersfield.colormemine.com.

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All new Wrinkle Concentrate

At Lashes and Mustaches only — all new Winkle Concentrate from bareMinerals Skincare! Complex and youthrestoring peptides with skin-loving benefits that helps to visually diminish lines and wrinkles. Want brighter, smoother younger-looking skin? Experience the extraordinary results of the new bareMinerals Skincare. Shop Lashes and Mustaches in the Stockdale Tower, 5060 California Ave. #100. 836-9775.

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91

CASA Kick off Celebration Feb. 25 Held at Lloyd’s Aviation Photos by Carla Rivas View these photos and more online at BakersfieldLife.com

Tracy and Bob Montgomery

Michael and Juliana Dooley

Reg and Michelle Thurley

Esther Brandon and Dr. Wafik Abdou

Leslie Golich and Alexis Roy

Bette Horn, Susie Geiger and Carla Musser

Carol and Reed Adamson and Karen Miller

Linda Hood, Fred Drew and Marcia Dickey

Marie and Bryan Batey, Dave Kilpatrick and Shannon Grove 92

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May 2011

International Women’s Day Awards March 8 Held at Seven Oaks Country Club Photos by Jan St. Pierre View these photos and more online at BakersfieldLife.com

Lila Perez and Sophia Adjaye

Cidney Henderson and Victor King

Angeles Lopez and Romona Ozuna

Manuel Barrera and Paula De La Riva

Diane Bashirtash and Oumaly Afshar

Robin and Rusty Schafer

Erin Hawkins and Diane Williams

Nima and Bob Ha’eri

www.BakersfieldLife.com

93

African American Network for Kern County Historical Celebration March 5 Held at the Beale Library Photos by John Reyes View these photos and more online at BakersfieldLife.com Albert Leung and Denise Barnes

Jamaal Tolbert and April Reed

Linda Fiddler and Javier Reyes

Inetha Beed, Dorothy Daniels and Mary Helen Barro

JOURNEY OF FAITH TO THE HOLY LAND

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January 29th thru February 9, 2012

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* Plus taxes, per person based on dbl. occ.

661-589-8950 jazzercise.com • 800-FIT-IS-IT

Thorner School Chess Tournament March 5 Held at Thorner Elementary School Photos by John Reyes View these photos and more online at BakersfieldLife.com

Stephen and Michael Bush

Fred Payne and Cole and Tony Lidgett

Claudina Marquez and Julian Alva

Ellen Quon and Wade Tavorn

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JJ’s Legacy Golf Tournament March 7 Held at Seven Oaks Country Club Photos by John Harte View these photos and more online at BakersfieldLife.com

Sandra Madera, Kathleen Hostert, Margaret Wylie and Jason Hower

Darrell Thompson, Mark Carrol and Rick Sawyer

Ken and Charlotte Vaughan, Susan and Grady Buck

Josh Thompson, Warner Kind, Ross Marchbanks and Brian Mullhofer

Lori and Bob Malkin, Drew Johns and Travis Brasher

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John Wells, Duane Williams, Ted Nicholas, Lin Frasier and Bryan Fahsbender

California Women Lead 2011 Women of Distinction Feb. 24 Held at Stockdale Country Club Photos by Jan St. Pierre View these photos and more online at BakersfieldLife.com

Nada York and Patti Johnson

Leonard and Jackie Denney

Pam McCarthy and Betty Straw

Lois Watson and Diane Williams

Stephanie Baker and Donna Hylton

Olivia Garcia, Nancy Chaffin, Wendy Wayne and Stefanie Bye

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Jennifer Henry, Stana Bright, Joann Nunn and Summer Cunningham

Red, White and Wine April 8 Held at Bakersfield College Photos by Jan St. Pierre View these photos and more online at BakersfieldLife.com

Don Bonnar, Karen DeWalt and Don and Annette Londquist

Jerry Hedges, Ray Maranda and Chris Maranda

Al Caetano and Dennis Frick

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IES Engineering Systems, Inc. Open House March 24 Held at IES Engineering Systems Photos by Jan St. Pierre View these photos and more online at BakersfieldLife.com John Holbrook and Ashley Wolfer

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Bakersfield Life

May 2011

JERRY HERNANDEZ 661-331-5952 Hablo Espa単ol

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101

Youth Connection Evening at the Derby April 16 Held at Seven Oaks County Club Photos by Jan St. Pierre View these photos and more online at BakersfieldLife.com

Kris Grasty, Dena Brashear and Deanna Araujo (back)

Garret and Julie Randolph

Sheri and Gary Bunk

Joan Abercrombie and Pattie Otts

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Linda Vernon, Bruce Jay and David Milazzo

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Ira, Patsy and Jason Cohen

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www.BakersfieldLife.com 103

19th annual Cioppino Feed March 26 Held at Garces Memorial High School Photos by Rodney Thornburg View these photos and more online at BakersfieldLife.com

Kevin Fahey and Keith Stonebraker

Steve and Patricia Loyd and Donna Cross (back)

Jodie Hare, J.P. Zoch and Kathya Cardona

Rudy Carvajal, Jim Darling and Angie Paquette

David and Catherine Gay, Judy and Mike Neal

Kim Hamilton and Gary Grillette

Suzan Smith, Ben Stinson and Nina Palmer

Kevin and Laura Fahey

Molly and Matt Clark, Kevin Burton, Rogers and Esther Brandon 104

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May 2011

Look refreshed &

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GORDON MITTS, M.D.

PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGEON American Board of Plastic Surgeons

(661) 324-7208 • 2525 H Street mittsplasticsurgery.com www.BakersfieldLife.com 105

THE LAST WORD

Fred S. McAtee Attorney, sole practitioner, Certified Family Law Specialist It is important to give back to the community because: This is where I grew up, came back to practice law and raise my family. Bakersfield has been good to me.

I have been involved with CSUB wrestling since: I followed my high school wrestling coach Joe Seay to Cal State back in 1973-74. There was no gym, workouts were in the science room and at the YMCA. We traveled via an overstuffed van, slept on the floor in crowded rooms and did our own laundry. We often wrestled with no one in the stands. After going away to law school, I returned to Bakersfield and started helping financially with the wrestling program. In the mid ’80s, a nonprofit corporation known as the Coyote Club, came to life. This small grassroots club of wrestling supporters was instrumental, along with athletic director Rudy Carvajal and coach T.J. Kerr, in getting the wrestling program elevated to Division 1 approximately 23 years ago.

Favorite part of my job as an attorney: Helping people in very tough times.

In family law, you deal with emotions, psychology, business, real estate and overall finances. You kind of have to be a jack of all trades. Of course, there is nothing happier than doing an adoption.

My first job: A Sunday paper route, mowing lawns for 50 cents and picking peaches.

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Bakersfield Life

May 2011

An Evening with Stephen Neal

Fight for Wrestling

When: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

May 3 Where: Stockdale Country Club, 7001 Stockdale Highway Admission: $75 in advance; $100 at the door Information: Janis Varner, 587-8157

Something few people know about me: I was a race walker and placed fourth nationally. I wanted to make the 1976 Olympics and there was talk of the trials being at Bakersfield College. Unfortunately, Steve Prefontaine was killed and the trials were in Oregon. My training came to an abrupt end with the severe strain to my foot after a patron at Pizzaville, where I was working, decided to jump off of a table onto my foot injuring it.

On my bookshelf, you’ll find: Horse, soccer, gardening, trumpet, law and medical books.

When: Doors open at 5 p.m.; fight starts at 6 p.m. May 20 Where: CSUB Icardo Center Admission: $25, general admission and up to $150 for ring side seats Information: Craig Tobin, 397-7017

Photo by Alex Horvath

Recent efforts to help CSUB wrestling: When it became apparent that the CSUB wrestling program was in jeopardy due to budget cuts, along with golf and tennis, the wrestling community came together again. In a short period of about three months, with many meetings, countless hours of a lot of dedication, the wrestling community arose again. In 2010, Coach Kerr retired to give up his salary to help save the program.

With headliner Stephen Neal, and the hard work of now head coach Mike Mendoza, Larry Morgan, former wrestler Craig Tobin and supporters Janis and Vernon Varner, an elite auction brought in over $120,000.

My favorite local place to have lunch: Mercy Southwest Hospital on Fridays with my wife where she is an RN. Often with our busy schedules, it gives us a time to catch up and plan our weekends.

Three things that define Bakersfield to me: First, it is a great place to raise a family. Second, mild evenings provide opportunities to extended family outdoor activities.

Finally, the overwhelming commitment by the Bakersfield community to come together in times of need, whether it be for CSUB wrestling, Relay for Life, CALM, MARE or helping a homeless family in a recent fire.

Announcing the All New 2012 Civic.

2012 Civic HF Sedan

The ninth-generation Civic has been revealed for a sneak peek prior to its release later this year. Every model in the new Civic lineup will deliver enhanced fuel efficiency, with two vehicles estimated to

See the Exciting New 2012 Honda Civic at Kern County’s Award-Winning Honda Dealer, Barber Honda

achieve higher than 40 mpg on the highway[1]. An all-new model joins the lineup—the Civic HF. In the tradition of the Civic CRX HF, this new model will be the most fuel-efficient, gasoline-onlypowered Civic in the lineup, with a targeted EPA-estimated highway fuel-economy rating of 41 mpg[1]. The all new lithium-ion batterypowered Civic Hybrid leads the way with a targeted EPA-estimated city/highway combined fuel efficiency of 45 mpg[1]. The Si returns with a stylish new look and even more power and better efficiency

2012 Civic EX-L Sedan

from its new 2.4-liter engine.

2012 Civic EX-L Coupe 4500 Wible Road

at the Entrance to Bakersfield Automall

834-6632 Se Habla Español

www.barberhonda.com [1]Based on 2011 EPA mileage estimates. Use for comparison purposes only. Do not compare to models before 2008. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.

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