Bakersfield Life Magazine October 2010

TM

October 2010

www.bakersfieldlife.com

COLLEGE ATHLETES Bursting with pride as our students shine

HOME& GARDEN

Tips to keep it all in top shape

WALL OF HOPE

Paying tribute to local breast cancer survivors

ALL REVVED UP BHS grad Justin Cheadle is a mainstay on the Cal Bears’ offensive line.

Dealers share fuel-efficient, fabulous picks for 2011

T HE B E S T L O C AT I O N S

T H E B E S T VA L U E

THE B E S T PARKS

THE B E S T POOLS

VILLAGE GREEN

Homes from the low $200’s Stockdale Hwy. & Renfro Rd. 661-387-6427 VillageGreenToday.com

UNIVERSITY PARK Homes from the high $100’s Ming Ave. & Gosford Rd. 661-663-3810 UniversityParkHomes4Sale.com

BRIGHTON PARKS

Homes from the low $200’s Stockdale Hwy. & Jewetta Ave. 661-829-1775 BrightonParks.com

LIBERTY

Homes from the mid $100’s Panama Ln. & Ashe Rd. 661-836-6623 LibertySilverCreek.com

THE VILLAS at Seven Oaks

Homes from the high $400’s Ming Ave. & Grand Lakes Ave. 661-665-0683 TheVillasAtSevenOaks.com

664-6039 • C a s t l e Co o k e H o m e s. c o m

“TOO MUCH SUN MADE ME SELF CONSCIOUS” LAURA, ACTUAL PATIENT

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Photo by Michael Pimentel

O C T O B E R

Extraordinary Pizza and No Compromise

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34

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Star athletes

This fall will be packed with students who are making significant gains on the sports field. And we're not just talking about our local colleges. Across the nation, university athletes hailing from Kern County will be excelling in their fall sports while receiving all the love and support from families and friends back home. Learn more about these talented, the sky-is-the-limit star athletes in our annual spotlight of fall college athletes.

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Bakersfield Life

October 2010

Eleven ways to find that perfect car

In these tough economics, smart buyers are being selective over the kind of car or truck to purchase. They want something affordable and great on gas yet stylish, tech-savvy and trendy.

They also want comfort and safety and room for friends. We have the answers for you. Inside this issue, we explore 11 awesome cars that answer many of those features and more. We talk to the auto experts who rave about what makes certain cars special and unique. If you are looking to buy, this is the issue for you.

54

Celebrating 18 years of hope

For 18 years, Links for Life has engaged the community with its ability to assist the women and families affected by breast cancer with programs, services and support. Bakersfield Life teams up again with this amazing organization to bring you the Wall of Hope, a collection of more than 200 local women who have survived breast cancer and serve as an inspiration to us all. You, too, can be a part of the special tribute by participating in one of the Links for Life events during this month. They include Light the Town Pink!, Pretty in Pink Luncheon and yoga classes. Together, we can make a difference.

SPECIAL SECTION

Home & Garden

XIt’s that time of the year for the Valley’s largest fall home show to be held at the Kern County Fairgrounds in late October.

Our Home & Garden section provides you with the highlights of this significant three-day event. In addition, we provide you with wonderful tips on how to improve your home and garden during this fall season. We explore ways to rearrange your rooms, prepare for fall flowers and outsmart your meter with solar.

WE’RE ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT YOU

Keeping a community happy and healthy isn’t easy. We know that.

And we know it takes more than a hospital to do it. It takes partners who care as much about the welfare of Kern County as we do.

That’s why Bakersfield Memorial Hospital seeks out great organizations that help us help you. Like Children’s Miracle Network, which raises millions for the kids who come to us for medical care.

Kohl’s Cares for Kids, which donates profits from merchandise to programs that help young people avoid injuries, diabetes, asthma and

obesity. And Ronald McDonald House Charities, which offers families a nice place to stay on campus when their children are hospitalized.

This community built our hospital back in the 1950s—and you can rest assured that we’ll always be here for you. Building partnerships to help us serve the community we all live in….every minute, every day.

So, if you’ve got concerns, ideas, or plans for the well-being of the community we all love...It’s OK. We want to hear from you.

KNOW GOOD HEALTH?

Play the “Memorial Game of Life” at www.ItsOKBakersfield.com You could win some great prizes!

420 34th Street Bakersfield, CA 93301 (661) 327- 4647 | www.BakersfieldMemorial.org

Become a fan on Facebook

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O C T O B E R

2 0 1 0

D E PA R T M E N T S 12 It's Named After

Discover the history behind one of the city's oldest family-run businesses, the muchloved Luigi's Delicatessen.

16 Happenings

So much to do. So little time. October is packed with plenty of fun, entertaining events for you.

18 Real People

Take a walk inside chic children's boutique Ellie Jaye's in downtown Bakersfield and learn about the father-and-daughter duo who make it happen.

Editor Olivia Garcia explores life on the road with a 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe.

24 Food Dudes

Our food aficionados take a trip to Lengthwise Brewing Company and boy, there is much to share!

76 Chris

Ballard

Photo by Casey Christie

20 On the Road

28 Food & Wine

As we say good-bye to warmer weather and hello to cooler times, wine columnist Paul Ulrich gives suggestions on the right glass of wine.

30 On the Red Couch

Meet four amazing women who raising cancer awareness and helping in their own special ways.

$10 Off Dinner For Two or $5 Off Lunch For Two Present this coupon before ordering and receive $10 off dinner or $5 off your lunch bill for each pair of full dinner or lunch entrees.

That’s a savings of $20 Off Dinner or $10 Off Lunch!

Valid for up to four guests. Not valid for banquets, with any other coupon or offer. Valid seven days a week until 11/30/10 KCFM

52 Community

Learn about the inspirational volunteers and survivors, young and old, who will be celebrating the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk Oct. 16.

70 Community

October 2010

72 Our Town

Discover a group of women and young ladies who achieve greatness through beauty pageants.

74 Health

Ever battled restless nights? Sleep apnea may be the core of the problem.

76 Personality

62 It's a Guy Thing

78 Trip Planner

San Joaquin Community Hospital is celebrating 100 years of helping our community. We talk to four executives who share some of their "sacred work" the hospital is doing.

68 Talk of the Town

Bakersfield Life

Seven is a lucky number especially for Broadway in Bakersfield, which is returning for its seventh season. Learn about the group's five must-see shows.

Boo! The popular Talladega Frights Haunted Attraction is back by popular demand — this time to be held at its new 20-acre home on Rosedale Highway.

Bakersfield College President Greg Chamberlain shares what's in store for the local community college.

70 Entertainment

Community organizer Chris Ballard spent a week with the homeless to understand their struggles.

Head into the great outdoors with a stay at Cachuma Lake.

86 Snapped!

Capturing the best of you while you are out and about in the community.

94 The Last Word

Mike Russo of Russo's Books on what he's reading and more.

Bakersfield’s Premier City Magazine October 2010 / Vol. 5 / Issue 1 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 Art Direction Glenn Hammett Photography Felix Adamo Henry A. Barrios Alex Horvath Casey Christie Michael Fagans Jessica Frey John Harte Greg Iger Greg Nichols Tanya X. Leonzo Jan St. Pierre Carla Rivas Jose Trevino Michael Pimentel Dan Ocampo Contributing writers Stephen Lynch Melissa Peaker-Whitten Lisa Kimble Chelley Kitzmiller Dana Martin Matt Munoz Paul Ulrich Gabriel Ramirez Jennifer Bachman Gene Garaygordobil Interns Allie Castro Advertising Lupe Carabajal lcarabajal@bakersfield.com 395-7563 Reader Inquiries Bakersfield Life Magazine P.O. Bin 440 Bakersfield, CA 93302-0440 BakersfieldLife@bakersfield.com 395-7492 On the cover Former BHS football star Justin Cheadle is now a mainstay on the Golden Bears offensive line at UC Berkeley.

Photo by Michael Pimentel

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Bakersfield Life

October 2010

EDITOR’S NOTE

Spotlight on our fall athletes Across the nation, Bakersfield may be known for its agricultural and oil prowess, but it's amazing to discover the athletic reputation we have at colleges in different parts of the states.

A few weeks ago, we asked readers to share names of local college athletes who were gearing up for fall sports.

Boy, did they respond. We received plenty of submissions from readers who happily touted the talent and skills of their collegiate athletes.

Then we enlisted the help of writer Stephen Lynch to interview some key players to accompany the list. Among the list: former BHS football star Justin Cheadle, who’s now a right guard for UC Berkeley’s Golden Bears; Garces graduate Jack Campbell, now a defensive tackle at Cornell; another BHS volleyball product, Cassandra Anderson, who is currently who is a junior middle blocker at the University of Florida; and Liberty graduate Caitlin Tittl, a four-year starter and team captain at Northeastern University. There’s more but check out what Stephen had to report.

A special thanks to readers who took the time to submit names. If we missed your player for some reason, please e-mail us at bakersfieldlife@bakersfield.com.

We hope to make this an annual series.

In a few months, we’ll keep an eye out for spring athletes. I must add that we also have some great talent here at our local colleges, Bakersfield College and CSUB. Right now, Bakersfield College is booming with students as the fall semester is in full swing. We reach out to President Greg Chamberlain, who gives us an update on the campus.

There are many community happenings this month. Starting with Links for Life, we highlight some wonderful upcoming activities (of which Bakersfield Life is one of the proud sponsors). In addition, we explored another event, “Light the Night,” organized by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. These nonprofits rely heavily on community support and volunteers, and it’s wonderful to see the number of people who turn out for these events and oth-

Photo by Tanya X. Leonzo

TM

ers throughout the year. Bakersfield does have a wonderful giving spirit. Even the economy can’t hold us back there.

And since I mentioned economy, are you on the lookout for an affordable, gas-efficient car for your high school or college student? Or maybe you want to reduce your carbon footprint and get rid of that big, gas-guzzling vehicle?

I encourage you to check out some of the 2011 top picks for buyers looking for gas-efficient models under 20k. Writer Dana Martin consulted some of our local dealerships to give us the scoop on the best deals for the best models. This is part one of a two-part series. The next part will arrive in November, and it will look at another selection of cars. Stay tuned!

I also had the opportunity to test-drive the 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe as part of a new monthly auto page. Curious about a particular vehicle? Let me know and we’ll add it to our test-driving list of candidates.

On another note, I hope you lovers of home and garden improvement take a look at some great tips we have in store. In fact, we have devoted a special home and garden section just for you! Enjoy!

Olivia Garcia Editor 395-7487 ogarcia@bakersfield.com

Life...

isn’t always predictable. … the climbing trip everyone said you would love … the day your youngest thought he could fly … the morning your mom woke up and just didn’t feel well Life has a way of catching us off guard. When the unpredictable happens, it’s comforting to know there are some things that are just always there. For the past 100 years, Mercy Hospitals of Bakersfield has provided compassionate healthcare for this community. People like your family, your neighbors, your friends, and you. , When life has you asking “What now?” the answer is simple:

UUPP FRONT FRONT

It’s Named After

By Lisa Kimble

LUIGI’S chis’ children: Louis, Lena, Harry and Helen were born.

Louis and Harry were star Bakersfield High Driller athletes, whose teammates were regularly fed hearty meals prepared

by Joe and Emelia.

Harry, who was expected to continue the family business, was just 15 when he died in a hunting accident. After Joe’s death in 1952, Emelia and Louis carried on, adding the bar next to the old store and expanding the café into a building on the east side. The restaurant was renamed Luigi’s.

Luigi Lemucchi, who died in 1989, was an avid collector of photographs, many of them still adorn the walls of the eatery and feature prominent local athletes of their day, including his son Timothy Today, the celebrated watering hole is run by daughter Antonia Valpredo and her son, Gino. Emelia’s Bolognese pasta sauce recipe, which she brought with her from Italy is still in use, as are some of the original pots and pans.

And, more importantly, it remains the family affair it was when it all began there a century ago.

Photo by Dan Ocampo

Nowhere in Bakersfield does the delicious past and rich heritage of so many of the community’s immigrants intersect with cuisine and camaraderie more so than it does at 19th Street at Truxtun and Beale, home of Luigi’s Delicatessen.

This month, the beloved and popular eastside eatery, where backrubs and barbecue beef sandwiches go hand-in-hand, is celebrating 100 years at its present location -- and as one of the city’s oldest family-run businesses.

Louis ‘Luigi’ was the son of Joe and Emelia Lemucchi. Joe emigrated to the United States from Lucca, Italy and started his original café, Curley’s, across the street from the Southern Pacific Depot on Sumner Street in 1905.

His large ‘mop’ of curly, blond hair earned him the Italian nickname, “Biondo” or Curley. Joe and Emelia Degiuli, who married three years later, ran Curley’s until they had saved enough money in 1910 to build their own store around the corner at 725 East 19th.

Joe stocked the shelves of the Lemucchi grocery with imported, cured meats and cheeses. A streetcar line brought early Italian settlers to the then-town of Sumner, where they bought groceries and enjoyed the now-famous Luigi’s sandwiches, pasta and fresh stews Joe served in his small café in the back.

The store, café, bakery and gasoline station became the epicenter of life for many Italian immigrants, who lived in surrounding neighborhoods and farmed nearby fields.

There were family quarters behind the store where the Lemuc-

The Pulse: What’s hot and what’s not this month in Bakersfield

WHAT’S HOT

WHAT’S NOT

Bakersfield near Top of state’s best drivers

Ouch!

No. 7, to be exact. This is according to the recently released sixth annual Allstate America’s Best Drivers ReportTM.

Let’s drive home sober or get a ride, please

Can you say ‘cool?’

Recently, the Kern “AVOID” DUI Campaign resulted in 381 people being arrested on DUI charges. The sweep against drunk drivers occurred between Aug. 20 and Sept. 6 and involved officers representing virtually all county law enforcement agencies. Even more tragic, there were two people killed in DUI related crashes in our area during that period, according to The Californian.

Football-O-Rama

Hold the negative attacks, thank you.

Residents were treated to cooler summer nights, thanks to a nice break from the 100-plus degree heat. No worries. More coolness is on the way as fall approaches.

‘Tis the season for football! Friday night high school football is back in action, and there are tons of families excited and ready to support their No. 1 players. And that’s not counting the NFL and collegiate teams across the nation! Score!

12

Many of us can’t wait for fall to return, especially after facing high summer utility bills that have arrived in our mailboxes.

Talk about money that could have been used for home improvement projects or a nice pair of shoes!

Bakersfield Life

October 2010

The political season is in full swing, and candidates will be out more than ever to win your vote. We just ask that our candidates and fellow campaigners to keep it clean. Stick to the issues.

Reader Perspective

In search of the Cow Flat Trail While reading The Californian early one Saturday morning, the wife commented on the “Perfect Trail” story in Bakersfield Life magazine. She caught the story on the “Cow Flat Trail” and asked if I was familiar with it.

I was not, and so, being a couple of naturetrail enthusiasts, we decided to check it out.

We packed lunch and water and headed east on Hwy. 58 to Comanche Drive (15-20 minutes east of town). It was a beautiful day as we turned east onto Breckenridge Road from its intersection with Comanche, excited about the new trail. As we headed up the road, we paid particular attention to the signage because, although somewhat familiar with Breckenridge Road, we had never before been on Cow Flat Trail.

We climbed for some 25 miles until we finally entered a thickly forested area. And still no sign of the “Cow Flat Trail.” We had diligently checked every road sign and nothing. Finally, we reached the crest of Mt.

Breckenridge, something I had never experienced, and spotted signs for Breckenridge Lookout and Breckenridge Campground along with a sign for “Mill Creek Trail.”

That was the last straw. I knew from my travels up the old section of the Kern Canyon Road that Mill Creek was far east of Cow Flat Creek. Finally we came upon a group of men stopped off the road. They were piled in a jeep and all decked out in camouflage gear.

We politely asked if they knew where the Cow Flat Trail was. Oh, sure, they responded, about 17 miles back down the road.

That was painful to hear, but we were more determined to find this trail. So we headed down the mountain and took the men’s advice to monitor our mileage closely so as not to pass the trailhead again.

But as we approached where the trailhead should be, still no sign. We stopped opposite a wide trail off the road near an opened pipe gate. We began walking down

the trail. Just a few feet below the pipe gate, and lying almost hidden in the grass, the wife found “The Sign” - a Forest Service sign that read “Cow Flat Road - Hwy. 178, 13 miles.” Eureka, we had found it!

We spent so much time trying to find the trailhead, we had no time left to walk the trail. We dragged the Cow Flat Road sign out and leaned it against another sign near the trail head. Evidently the sign post had rotted and fell (or was helped) down.

Still, we made it to the top of Mt. Breckenridge and were blown away with the thick pines. And we will be back to hike Cow Flat Trail.

For your readers, the Cow Flat trailhead is about 13 miles east on Breckenridge Road from Comanche Drive. Wish I had read that piece of information in the magazine.

— Steve and Lisa Lafond Would like to submit a Letter to the Editor? Email: msorto@bakersfield.com

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www.BakersfieldLife.com

13

UP FRONT

Short Takes

Photo courtesy of Ugly Duck Marketing

OVERHEARD

‘Tis the season for Oktoberfest

“

We have to

find a way to clone Bakersfield and sprinkle it all over the country.

”

— Tom Benoit, Homes for Our

Troops, on how Bakersfield residents covered 91 percent of the cost of Leon-Barrientos' home, as compared to the nationwide norm covering 50 percent.

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Bakersfield Life

October 2010

Get ready for the second annual Bakersfield Oktoberfest, which will bring a combination of German culture, music, food and beer.

The local Oktoberfest will be held 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 2 at Stramler Park.

Tickets are $5 pre-sale and $10 at the gate. “Party Pack” tickets are also available and are $35, pre-sale and $40 at the gate.

Tickets available at Lengthwise Brewery and Hooters Restaurant.

Part of the event's proceeds will benefit the M.A.R.E. Riding Center, a nonprofit organization that provides therapeutic horseback riding programs to children and adults with physical, cognitive or emotional challenges. The M.A.R.E. Riding Center is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

According to its Website, www.mareridingcenter.com, the M.A.R.E. Riding

Center now provides therapeutic equine experiences to more than 90 people a week and volunteers log about 800-service hours a month.

Oktoberfest organizers say it will be a fun-filled day where friends, co-workers, and more can mingle and soak in the German culture by tasting the traditional food, listening to the music and exploring the unique selection of beers.

Some highlights: delicious traditional Bavarian entrées; large Munich Oktoberfeststyle dining tent; Bavarian brews from Munich, along with local Oktoberfest and seasonal beers; live Bavarian Polka bands and a Biermeister on the main stage; traditional Bavarian games and dances; and more.

For more information on Bakersfield Oktoberfest, please visit www.bakersfieldoktoberfest.com or contact event chairmen Kevin Harrer or Cory Jenkins at 661-327-3825.

BY THE NUMBERS: Luigi's Restaurant & Delicatessen

500-600 100 120

number of customers served on a weekend day

40

gallons of Luigi’s meat sauce cooked and served per day

years open

pounds of pasta cooked and served per day

250 535 40 pounds of marinated carrots cut per week

pounds of cured meat and cheese sliced per week

average number of steak sandwiches sold on Saturday

So You Want To ...

Plan A Halloween party 1. Pick a place Halloween is the perfect time to throw a party at your own home. That way, children can trick-or-treat in your neighborhood and you won’t have to worry about where you are going to set up your haunted house!

2. Make it fun for all ages Halloween can be a party scene for both adults and children.

There is no better time of year to combine the two groups. It can be fun for both children and adults to dress up together!

3. Set the mood There is not a better time to set the mood for a scary party than during Halloween. So, turn those lights down, and creep your trick-or-treaters out with ghosts, jack-o-lanterns and spiders! Spread cobwebs over tables, chairs, walls and ceilings.

Play spooky Halloween music and use old sheets to create a haunted house!

4. Come up with spooktacular games Halloween activities are as cheap and easy as you want to make them. Help your guests carve pumpkins, create live mummies by wrapping their friends in toilet paper, bob for apples, or walk through your homemade haunted house!

Dressing up in costumes is an activity in itself!

5. Festive food No need for a gourmet meal at this Halloween party. Simply serve finger foods (minus the fingers!) and orange-and-black cookies to your guests. Buy bulk bags of candy to display in large bowls on the tables because, hey, it is Halloween. Serve spooky punches or other festive refreshments.

Source: servicemagic.com

www.BakersfieldLife.com

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HAPPENINGS

WEEK 4

WEEK 3

WEEK 2

WEEK 1

Can’t-miss events in October Fri. 1

Sat. 2

Sat. 2

“Lace’n It Up — Links for Life” walks, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., walks at Liberty Bell downtown, the Park at River Walk and the Kern County Health Department.

322-5601.

Volkslauf, the Ultimate Challenge, 9 a.m. Saturday, 10 kilometers of obstacles near Lerdo Jail north of Bakersfield. $40 each runner or $160 per team before Oct. 1; $60 and $240 day of event.

Bakersfield Oktoberfest, 3 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Stramler Park. Admission: $5 pre-sale, $10 at the gate; “party pack” $35, $40 at the gate.

327-3825 or bakersfieldoktoberfest.com.

Wed. 6

Thur. 7

Fri. 8

Fri. 8

Sat. 9

David Allan Coe, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Buck Owens Crystal Palace. $25.50 to $35.50 plus fee. vallitix.com or 322-5200.

Garces Memorial High School Fall BBQ, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Garces Memorial High School Quad. $25. 327-2578, ext. 118.

FLICS International Cinema Society, presents “Babies,” 7:30 p.m. Friday, Bakersfield Fox Theater. $5. flics.org or call 428-0354.

Chamber Haunted House, 7 p.m., Sam Lynn Ballpark. $10.

Continues Oct. 9, 14-16, 21-24 and 27-31. chamberhaunt.com

12th annual Via Arte Italian Street Painting Festival, with live music and theatrical performances, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday, The Marketplace, 9000 Ming Ave. bmoa.org or 323-7219.

Wed. 13

Thur. 14

Fri. 15

Sat. 16

Third annual Senior Health Awareness Day, workshops, 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Bakersfield Museum of Art, FREE, sponsored by San Joaquin Community Hospital.

RSVP: 888-571-3443

32nd annual CSUB Athletics Fall BBQ, benefits the CSUB Student-Athlete Scholarship Fund, dinner served 5:30 to 9 p.m., CSUB Icardo Center. Pre-sale tickets: $25; $30 at the gate. gorunners.com.

19th annual Hot Rod Reunion, opens 8 a.m. Friday through Sunday, Famoso Raceway. One-day tickets $20 Friday and Sunday; $25 Saturday. museum.nhra.com or 800-884-6472.

Aspiranet Murder Mystery Fundraiser, 7 p.m., Petroleum Club, 2nd Fl., proceeds benefit foster care children, $25 person, $45 couple.

Includes dinner, entertainment, and more: 323-1233.

Sun. 17

Thur. 21

Fri. 22

31st annual Car Show & Fun Day, sign-in from 8 to 11 a.m.

Sunday, Kern River Valley Golf Course, picnic area. 832-5625 or 324-3745.

“Disney on Ice” Let’s Celebrate, 7 p.m.

Thursday and Friday; 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m.

Saturday; 1 and 5 p.m.

Sunday, theater at Rabobank Convention Center. $16 to $45. ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000.

FLICS International Cinema Society, presents “Afghan Star,” 7:30 p.m. Friday, Bakersfield Fox Theater, 2001 H St. $5. flics. org or call 428-0354.

WEEK 5

Mon. 25

16

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

Scary for Charity, 7 p.m., Double Tree Hotel, $50 person, Live music, costume contest, hor d’oeuvres, dancing and more. Benefits Kern Partnership for Children & Families: 343-3333

Bakersfield Life

October 2010

Best of the Best!

Brian Kiser wearing Robert Graham along with Uncles Randy & Sandy Kiser in Ike Behar

(661) 283-4500

www.hwalkers.com

f

Become a Fan of H. Walker's on Facebook

Front & Rear Door Parking - Across from Uricchio’s - H.Walker’s, family owned since 1971

REAL PEOPLE

Ellie Jaye's, the upscale children's boutique for the discriminating parent. Owner Jason Martin is at right helping a customer.

Jason Martin Downtown Retailer’s Boutique Pairs Little Tykes And Chic

By Lisa Kimble Photos by Felix Adamo

T

wo years ago, when local retailers were simply hoping to keep their doors open, a young, zippy entrepreneur saw, and seized what he considered a golden opportunity: defying the economic odds and launching a new business amid uncertain financial times.

Today, Jason Martin’s chic children’s boutique Ellie Jaye’s in downtown Bakersfield is another go-to venue for discriminating parents, who might otherwise travel to swanky Los Angeles-area baby venues like Petit Tresor and Bel Bambini.

Next month, the retailer will celebrate two years in the Arts District downtown on 19th street. “Our revenue has more than 18

Bakersfield Life

October 2010

doubled in comparing year-to-year, which says a lot for our local economy,” Martin said, of surviving the apparel industry’s version of the terrible twos.

With its Neopolitan ice cream color palette and its fresh, upscale feel, Ellie Jaye’s seems much like the delightful celebrity children’s store Lola et Moi in Southern California, but with the welcome affordability.

Named after Martin’s 3-year-old daughter, the charming shop is bucking the economic trend with children’s wear, gifts and furnishings for the modern kid.

Martin, 37, and a Bakersfield native, runs the boutique with his mother, Susan, who helps him balance the demands of the growing business with his day job as Realtor with Castle and Cooke’s new home sales division.

“We used to shop here when Ellie was a baby and it was called Bambini Carrini,” Martin said.

But Bambini closed in May 2008. Two

months later, Martin decided to revive the retail spot in the Hay Building, putting his 15 years of retail experience to the test and creating the concept for the new store.

“I looked at the space and saw the potential,” he added. “I’m a dad first, and my whole life changed when I became a father.”

As he bounced around ideas for possible store names, it became clear to him that his inspiration and motivation should become its namesake. Ellie Jaye’s opened its doors in November 2008, just as the economy was flat-lining.

“It is always the first question people ask,” Martin said, “‘What were you thinking opening a business in a climate where luxuries like boutique spending stopped?’”

He credits the overwhelming support he’s received, and his mother’s help, with making it, when other businesses failed.

“My mom is a jewel and the business’ eye for what young parents and grandparents are looking for.”

The children’s boutique is part of a triad

of businesses in the 19th Street location catering to families. Upstairs, Solorzano Photography specializes in capturing a family’s most treasured moments. In the back of the ground-floor, a massage therapist provides pre- and post-natal massages by appointment.

“The businesses all compliment each other,” he said.

The store, with its sleek, yet playful young-at-heart atmosphere, features such recognized and sought-after labels for boys and girls newborn to 6X as Biscotti, Tea Collection, Rabbit Moon, 191 Unlimited, and Tori Spelling’s Little Maven.

“We have exclusive relationships with all of our vendors,” Martin said, adding that price point and affordability are more important now than ever before.

Ellie’s Ark, an upright large wooden boat of shelving stuffed with beloved Gund bears, flanks one wall. The mixture of cool and fun amid the modern, gallery-like air, underscores the vision Martin sees for this discerning neighborhood of businesses, much like years ago when Babcock’s was down the street and Goe’s was just around the corner. “I want to create a name in the community as a store to grow with, the

same way generations did with the original Lou Ella’s on Baker Street,” he said.

Martin is also branding the online store, which offers unique lines of furnishings such as Bratt Décor and organic baby merchandise.

“Jason and Susan go out of their way to bring unique items to the store and to provide great one-on-one customer service,” said neighbor and Metro Galleries owner Don Martin, who is no relation. “It has been a very rewarding experience for me to be right next door to a dear, close friend.

“Jason has been very active in promoting First Friday and other downtown events,” Don Martin said. “When you have a collection of businesses like Ellie Jaye’s banding together to distinguish downtown’s Arts District, the possibilities are limitless.”

On the immediate horizon for Jason Martin and Ellie Jaye’s, along with fall’s First Fridays and Saturday sidewalk sales, is the anticipated facelift of the building’s façade that will come with the completion of the City Lofts Project.

And, of course, the joy of watching his 2-year-old business, its namesake and her younger sister, Lilli, grow.

Ellie Jaye's namesake, Ellie Jaye Martin-Corona.

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19

ON THE ROAD

The 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe is destined to draw attention for its sleek look.

Top of the class

The celebrity status behind the 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe

20

Bakersfield Life

October 2010

T

By Olivia Garcia

here’s something about a new car that can make you feel like an up-and-coming star, whether married with kids, or a poor college student.

I drive an SUV, so you already have an idea of my life.

But for a couple of days, I test drove a car that had evolved my status into something more like a sophisticated, charming local celebrity, far removed from the always on-the-go life of a cop’s wife with four bustling boys — two of them charging into football season.

Not that I’m complaining.

But there’s something about the 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe that can leave you feeling like a smoother operator.

How can a car influence your at-

Photos by Tanya X. Leonzo

titude? Is its sleek design? The smell of new car? Its shiny wheels? The pulsating speakers that transform us into musician warriors? Or maybe it’s I-can-do-justabout-anything remote control that, in this case, had me guessing at times.

I suppose some of my friends or relatives might see this car and say I can fit with it just fine — just the hubby and me, minus the boys. And yes, my lovely iPad, Coach purse, and Carlos Santana heels would match it so greatly. But I have to be realistic. This car is too small for my big family life.

It is, however, perfect for the hardworking professional GQs of the world (I’m imagining my cousin, Eddie Ronquillo, a state correctional sergeant fitting the bill). Or the trendy, classy commu-

Nightlife in a CTS Coupe proves to be colorful.

nity women like my gal pal, Terri Doty and volunteer queen Nancy Chaffin.

And tech-savvy people who appreciate cars would dig it.

My current car is a bit outdated, unfortunately, so the geek in me was feeling like a kid at John Incredible’s Pizza.

Finally, I could have a conversation via Bluetooth and plug in my iPod or switch over to satellite radio whenever my little heart desired.

Yup, this car is smart. So smart that I couldn’t figure out why every time I hit the lock button, it would remain unlocked. What the…?

Then my husband, Julio, walked over, hit the lock button, walked away and voila!, it locked!

“You needed to step away from the car, Olivia,” Julio said, shaking his head and smirking.

Once inside the car, I felt above my pay grade, and I earned the envy of relatives and friends who drooled over the car’s beauty.

Ah, to live in such admirable existence. Even I felt compelled to dress up before stepping in the car.

Then reality hit home, and it was time to return the ride.

My older boys, 11 and 13, were hoping I’d keep it. (A day earlier, we had snuck away to the Tulare Outlets for shopping. Lots of thumbs up and smiles along the journey). It was the three of us against the world. We were it!

With just a minor problem – we forgot about my other half and two other boys who make up the rest of our family.

So we learned to accept fate and let go of the Coupe. We said our good-byes.

I know I will see this car again, someone roaring down the 99. And when that happens, I’ll smile and think of my 15 minutes of fame.

It’s all in the details A look at what makes the car behind the 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe: Hot features: Keyless access/remote vehicle start (can activate heated or ventilated seats when equipped); keyless/handless/auto-touch door releases; nearly horizontal rear window; paddle shift controls; rear-wheel drive with an available all–wheel drive. CTS–V model comes with a 6.2-liter, 16-valve supercharged V8, generating 556 hp and 551 lb-ft of torque. Also features 19-inch wheels with Brembo disc brakes.

CTS-V options: sunroof; engine block heater and wood trim.

All about the Navigation: Voice-command, touchscreen navigation system. Eight-inch screen.

Music madness: The CTS-V model features a 10speaker Bose 5.1 surround sound system with a built-in 40 GB storage for your favorite music. XM radio, USB and auxiliary Continued on page 22 www.BakersfieldLife.com

21

Continued from page 21

jacks are standard.

Can you say fast? Zero to 60 mph in six seconds. The CTS-V model goes zero to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds (auto transmission). And if you are concerned about tires, there’s a sensor in each tire that constantly monitors air pressure.

The priority of safety: God forbid if there’s an accident.

But if the CTS coupe is involved in a crash, built-in sensors in the car will automatically send an alert to OnStar. An OnStar Advisor is immediately connected to see if you are OK and can use GPS technology to locate you.

Highway MPG: 26 miles Bring out the checkbook: CTS Coupe starts at $38,900 base to $62,200 base on the CTS-V

Oh, the colors: CTS Coupe and CTS-V available in colors such as tuscan bronze, radiant silver, crystal red, white diamond, evolution green, thunder gray, and black ice.

CTS Coupe – Not a 2-door CTS Sports Sedan: 2+2 seating; roofline is 2 inches lower; faster windshield angle; and rear track is two inches wider.

Source: Brian Ek, Sales Manager, Three-Way Chevrolet Automotive Group

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Bakersfield Life

October 2010

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FOOD DUDES

Lengthwise Brewing Company

A trip to Lengthwise Brewing Company proves to be well worth the experience.

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Bakersfield Life

October 2010

Eats and drinks at Lengthwise Brewing Co. These dudes provide a “brew-by-brew” account of the meal filled with delicious surprises Photos by Greg Nichols

“I like beer. It makes me a jolly old fellow.”

—Tom T. Hall

Bill Trivitt As the Food Dudes walked out of Lengthwise Brewing Co., that song kept ringing in my ears. Even more, I had a “perma-grin” and a designated driver thanks to Kevin.

My belly was full of great food and delicious beer, which is par for this Bakersfield original.

When you head to this brewery and restaurant, at 6720 Schirra Court, bring your thirst for fine-crafted brew brought to you by owners, Jeff Williams and Darin Schwicker.

One of my personal favorites is the Triple Hop Red. This very drinkable best-seller is both hoppy and a little sweet without being harsh.

I drank my first glass pretty quickly and “triple-hopped” back up to the bar for another. Usually, I don’t like wheat beer but decided to give their Harvest Moon

Wheat Ale a try.

It’s cloudy like you would expect a wheat beer to be, and I did find it very satisfying. Maybe it’s the lemon that often accompanies the wheat beers that I don’t like.

Either way, Lengthwise changed my mind about wheat beer, but please hold the lemon.

Needless to say, those were only a few of the brews that the Dudes and I tasted.

Kevin went straight for his Kern County Crude Porter, their darkest selection, and David was all over the place with the sampler tray of the six taps they offer (Kevin drove him home too).

Chris especially liked the Wallace and Smith, ala the construction company, which is a 50/50 blend of the Lengthwiser Golden Ale and Triple Hop Red. Don’t forget you can take these libations home with you in a Growler, Party Pig or keg.

Stinky Burger

Centennial Fish and Chips

Chris Hanson The appetizers at Lengthwise are some serious eats that you do not want to miss out on. We only chose a couple selections Continued on page 26

Pork Loin Sandwich

Beer Sampler

Deep Fried Twinkies with Ice Cream www.BakersfieldLife.com

25

Continued from page 25

so as to not interrupt the serious pub grub that lay ahead. If you are a wing guy or gal, you’ll be pleased with the L.B.C. Wings.

First off, the wings are all drummettes. There is no “flat” (midjoint) on these babies, only meaty goodness in every bite.

The wings are lightly dredged and fried golden, and when you take them for a dip in the homemade spicy barbecue sauce, your lips will tingle and your taste buds will do the cha-cha. These wings are good!

For a little more excitement, we ordered a side of Uncle Sammy’s AV Sauce. Take the wing sauce, add about 350,000 Scoville units of habanera and watch your mouth light up!

I tend to gauge how hot something is by the perspiration that accumulates on my bald spot. I needed two napkins.

Next we dove into calamari rings. The generous amount of calamari has an Italian breading and is served with a side of cocktail sauce.

Kevin, being the land-lubber that he is, muttered something about calamari being the “jerky of the sea” and trailed off into his pint of K.C. Crude. A few bites later, he was whistling the Old Spice jingle and looking for his backward horse as he ate one ring after another.

David Luter Entrées on the Lengthwise menu are listed under Mash Tun Main, “mash tun” referring to the beer-making vessel that turns starch into sugar, much like the Food Dudes.

First up for us were the Fish and Chips (stinky style). With a light breading on the fillets and a blend of garlic and melted Gorgonzola over the fries, this is one the best examples I’ve ever had.

Directed & Produced locally by GT Productions for the past 17 years.

Lengthwise Brewery definitely has character.

The fillets while tender and juicy don’t fall apart as soon as you look at them, and the stinky fries, well I’m speechless.

If fish isn’t your thing, why not try a Stinky Burger with Stinky Fries. Burgers at Lengthwise are served on focaccia beer bread in place of the traditional bun, but don't let that dissuade you. This tasty bread is firmer and allows for a big, juicy burger without turning the bun into a sloppy mess. But it's the melted Gorgonzola cheese that makes it stand out above the rest.

Chris opted for the Old Lengthy Dog with Chili, and we knew

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Bakersfield Life

October 2010

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Customers can select a variety of brews.

we were in for something pretty good when we saw the cook taking his break with one.

The hot dog alone was huge, split open and grilled, giving it a better taste than just the plain old “warmed in a steam pan” dull flavor. As for the accompanying chili, let’s just say I may need to rethink my own recipe. Meaty and not overly beany, but what makes it great is the sauce. It was tomatoey, spicy and thick. This chili is killer!

We also sampled the Pork Loin Sandwich and the Bacon, Mayo, Tomato and Cheese Panini -- two specials that should jump to the regular menu. The pork loin was tasty and generous, and the Panini combined the best of an upscale grilled cheese with a BLT.

Kevin McCloskey For dessert, Lengthwise features Deep-Fried Twinkies with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and maple-cinnamon syrup.

In spite of attending county fairs for as long as I can remember, I've never before tried that particular treat. Now I like my Lengthwise fries and burgers stinky, and I'd love to try punching up a few of the other appetizers with a healthy dose of stinky cheese, but luckily the other guys talked me out of ordering Stinky Twinkies and I'm glad they did.

These Twinkies are slightly crisp, gooey in the center and delicious. I wouldn't change a thing. They come drizzled with maple, cinnamon syrup, and the aroma will

have your mouth watering even if you've eaten as much as we have.

Trust us and don't walk away until you've tried this dessert. You'll never eat off-the-shelf Twinkies again. Also worth trying is the Crude Beer Float, which is simply a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a pint of Kern County Crude Porter, my all-time favorite Lengthwise brew. This is another great dessert you won’t be able to find anywhere else in town, unless of course you take home a Growler of the Crude and make it yourself.

In addition to having such a great space for lunch, dinner and enjoying their incredible beers and ales, Lengthwise has several memorable events throughout the year.

Coming up Oct. 16, they will be hosting Oktoberfest along with Whiskey Galore, one of Bakersfield’s premiere Celtic bands. If it sounds unusual to celebrate this particular holiday with an Irish band, please give it a try and I promise you won’t miss the polkas.

October also brings with it the release of the Oktoberfest Ale, their seasonal offering for the fall. A perfect beer as the weather starts to cool down, but it will take a great deal of Irish luck to get this crowd pleaser to last until Darin brews up their Scotch Ale, another favorite of mine, in the winter.

Do yourself a favor and don’t wait for your seasonal favorite to come around before your next trip to Lengthwise, Bakersfield’s best local brewery. And tell them the Food Dudes sent you!

Lengthwise Brewing Company 6720 Schirra Court, 93313 • (661) 836-2537 • www.lengthwise.com Mon-Thur: 11 am-9 pm, Fri: 11 am-11 pm, Sat: 11 am-10 pm, Sun: 11 am-5 pm www.BakersfieldLife.com

27

FOOD AND WINE

A toast to fall As the weather cools, consider winefood pairings that suit the season

By Paul Ulrich, wine columnist

M

ost residents of Bakersfield look forward to the fall season, as the heat of a long summer subsides.

Along with the decrease in temperature comes a change in the foods we eat. An article by Hillary Haenes in last month’s Bakersfield Life highlighted the seasonal change in menus of restaurants around town. The change to more rich foods and comfort food naturally follows the change from light, mostly white wines to more full-bodied red wines.

I discussed this change with Jeramy Brown at Valentien restaurant. He explained that the tannins and higher alcohol content in red wine contribute to a feeling of heat on the palate and are not compatible with our hot summers. White wines, in addition to being served chilled, tend to have lower alcohol levels than reds and thus are much easier to drink in the warmer months. Jeramy also said that his wine list changes in the winter, and is primarily composed of red wines.

There are white wines that certainly are appropriate to include with food prepared in the fall and winter. As I have previously written, sparkling wines (champagne) are appropriate with many foods. More full-bodied Chardonnay is often a good match with fish and light meats served on winter menus. This style of Chardonnay usually has a presence of oak in it, and sometimes it has

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Bakersfield Life

October 2010

Many restuarants shift their wine lists more toward red wines in the fall and winter months.

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Cakebread Cellars produces a full-bodied Chardonnay.

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2010

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Another great alternative to Zinfandel is Chianti classico, produced in Italy. This wine is made primarily from the Sangiovese grape.

I prefer Antinori as a reliable producer of this wine. As a general rule, most of the European wines do not have as high of an alcohol content as California wines and sometimes are better choices when pairing with food.

Another varietal that is underappreciated is syrah. This grape is grown by wineries primarily along the California coast. Syrah is full-bodied, but usually has less tannin and is fruitier than a Cabernet Sauvignon. One of my favorite pairings is coq au vin served with syrah. I also had it with a steak recently, and it was a good alternative to cabernet. Some recommended producers include a few with Bakersfield roots: Tensley in Santa Barbara County, and Meyer Family in Mendocino County. I can also strongly suggest Morgan, from Monterey County, as a solid producer of syrah.

Once again the cooler weather is here, and I would encourage that you try some new wines and perhaps some different pairings of food and wine. Enjoy!

TH

gone through malolactic fermentation. This type of fermentation imparts a fuller mouth feel to the wine, in addition to a less acidic (tart) taste. They are often referred to as buttery. Producers of this style of wine include Rombauer, Mer Soleil and Cakebread. Most wine in this category tend to be at the higher end of the price scale for Chardonnay due to increased production costs associated with this style of wine. While looking at the wasabi salmon from Hourglass in last month’s article, I thought this dish would go well with a nice glass of riesling, another white wine.

Red wines are a natural partner with winter dishes. I think Zinfandel is a good choice for Italian food with hearty red sauces.

One trend that I do not agree with is the high amount of alcohol that is in some of the Zinfandel produced in California. It is my opinion that table wine over 16 percent alcohol often tastes “hot” and fights the food. Happily, in my recent inspection of random bottles of Zinfandel, many bottles on the shelves contained alcohol levels in the 13 percent to 14 percent range. Try to look at the label and choose wines that have alcohol in the lower range.

DE

O R S’ C H O I C E P

www.BakersfieldLife.com

29

ON THE RED COUCH

Fighting the good fight This caring quartet are doing their part to promote cancer awareness and facilitate care.

What inspired you to enter your chosen field?

Dr. Francesca Hoehne Breast surgeon

Susan: I wanted to be able to make a difference in people’s lives and be able to help them in a time of need.

Wendy: I was originally inspired to become a mammography technologist because I recognized the need for it in our community. Many technologists choose to work in other modalities, often either because they may be more financially rewarding, or they just recognize mammography is not their field of interest. As I continued my education in the field, worked with the patients, physicians and other professionals who share the passion to diagnose breast cancer at the earliest stages, it gradually became my life work.

Michelle: I was initially inspired to work in this field when I was a junior at USC’s Marshall School of Business. My dad was diagnosed with cancer and treated by many fine surgeons, oncologists and primary care doctors in Bakersfield. At that time I wanted to give back to the community that had done so much for my father. I started volunteering for a cancer organization in Los Angeles and started working with them full time after college.

Two years ago, after my father passed, I decided to move back to Kern County. I wanted to use my business background and all that I had learned in L.A. to benefit my home community. I wanted to help Kern County cancer patients make steps towards overcoming the disease. Now I am inspired every day by those who choose to empower themselves and fight each and every day to outsmart cancer.

Francesca: I always enjoyed interacting with cancer patients and their families.

I distinctly remember a woman with breast cancer and meeting her three little girls. I knew then that I wanted to make a difference in their lives.

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Bakersfield Life

October 2010

Wendy Hendricks Mammographer, breast care coordinator for Kern Radiology

Photos by Felix Adamo

Michelle G. Chavez Director, CBCC Foundation for Community Wellness

Will you be participating in any special events for Breast Cancer Awareness Month?

Susan: Yes, on Oct. 1, Kaiser Permanente is providing a night of celebration for our breast cancer survivors to meet with others survivors and our physicians to celebrate life.

Wendy: The Breast Cancer Awareness month of October is traditionally a busy time for me on the job as a mammographer. I anticipate many ladies using this time of heightened awareness to take care of themselves by scheduling their annual mammogram appointments, or possibly going to their doctors to address that breast lump that they haven’t given priority because they may have been tending to another’s needs over their own.

Susan Feil RN, care coordinator for breast/prostate cancer for Kaiser Permanente

Michelle: Yes, in October we have a couple of events. First is our second annual Kick-up Cancer Support Soccer Tournament on Saturday, Oct. 16 at CBCC. Companies, service groups and individuals are invited to register competitive or recreational teams in this street soccer tournament with proceeds benefiting the CBCC Foundation.

The second program is our monthly educational course called “Ask the Provider,” Dr. Dev, our guest speaker, will be presenting information on Understanding Reconstructive Surgery. That session will be held Tuesday, Oct. 19 from 6 to 7 p.m. at CBCC. The public is invited to be a part of both events. Please call us at 616-6374 for more information.

Francesca: I think it is important to highlight this month, but I challenge people Continued on page 32 www.BakersfieldLife.com

31

Continued from page 31

to remember that breast cancer doesn’t just strike in October, but all year round. In tough economic times, it is more important than ever to help women get their mammograms. In that spirit, Links for Life will be trying to help raise even more money by allowing individuals to directly donate a mammogram, ultrasound, or biopsy. We hope to start the program in several physicians’ offices this month.

What is your involvement with local charities that focus on helping cancer patients?

Susan: That everyone must take responsibility in their health care by eating right, exercising and maintain their weight; always do their preventative health care exams such as their annual mammograms and pap smears as recommended by their physician. I am surprised how many women put off doing their annual mammogram because they do not want to be told there is a problem with their breasts or are just fearful.

Wendy: One piece of medical advice that I wish everyone knew is to be in tuned to what your body needs personally to function at its best. Everyone’s needs are unique. What works for one, may not be the best plan for another. We can’t always control what individual physical obstacles we are dealt, but we do have choices on how we overcome those obstacles and handle maintaining the physical strengths we are blessed with. There are many talented local physicians, professionals and support groups available to help.

Michelle: One piece of medical advice I would give every person is to put your fears aside and stay on top of your cancer screenings … early detection gives you the best chance of survival.

Francesca: Be your own advocate. Don’t forget your mammogram once a year!

Susan: I have been involved with the American Cancer Society in raising money for breast cancer in Relay for Life.

Wendy: My level of involvement with local charities that focus on helping cancer patients comes in the form of referring women to where they can turn for support. I frequently provide ladies with information about local support groups and sources they can turn to ranging from mastectomy challenges to fashionable head coverings for chemotherapy patients. There are often women who can’t afford mammograms because they don’t have insurance coverage, so I will direct them to a local charity that sponsors low-income women for their necessary mammograms, breast-related imaging needs, or biopsies.

Michelle: I work as the director for the CBCC Foundation for Community Wellness, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization committed to providing patients and families from throughout Kern County an opportunity to learn about cancer and gather the tools that will assist them in their fight against the disease. The foundation is affiliated with the Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center where the foundation has its administrative office and hosts its classes, support groups, screening events and other programs.

In doing my job I get to work with all of the cancer organizations and clinics in Kern County. We especially work very closely with Links for Life when CBCC runs its free diagnostic mammogram days for the uninsured.

Francesca: I am part of Links for Life, which is a local breast cancer charity. It is a wonderful organization, which constantly gives back to the community.

Wendy Hendricks

Dr. Francesca Hoehne

What is the one piece of medical advice you wish everyone knew?

32

Bakersfield Life

Michelle G. Chavez October 2010

Susan Feil

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Bakersfield Life

October 2010

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IN THE GAME

Cassandra Anderson

Fall athletes hailing from Kern trail blaze their way at colleges across the nation

B

By Stephen Lynch

akersfield is known for its oil and agricultural production. But there’s another export that brought the city a lot of media attention this past year as an ever growing number of students hailing from Kern County made their mark on the collegiate sports landscape.

Former West High standout Ryan Matthews led the nation with 150.67 yards rushing per game for Fresno State before being selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers.

Jake Varner, a two-time CIF state wrestling champion at Bakersfield High, won a second straight NCAA title at 197-pounds for Iowa State.

And Centennial alum Megan Langenfeld was named the Women’s College World Series MVP after leading UCLA to a NCAA softball championship this past spring.

While all three have either graduated or turned pro, there are dozens more athletes from Bakersfield poised to grab the spotlight when they compete this fall in football, soccer, volleyball, and cross country at some of the countries’ most illustrious colleges and universities.

Among them are 21 former local prep stars now competing at Football Bowl Subdivision schools, the highest level of college football.

One of the biggest and best of the bunch is former BHS star Justin Cheadle. The 6-foot 2-inch, 290-pound Cheadle started all 13 games at right guard for UC Berkeley as a sophomore in 2009.

Now a mainstay of the Golden Bears offensive line, Cheadle says his four years at BHS prepared him well for life at Cal. “I had some of the best teachers at BHS,” Cheadle said. “They worked me. They didn’t let me get away with anything. Academically that definitely helped me. And the coaches I had there like (Paul) Golla and (Sean) McKeown held me to a certain standard and always made sure I was giving my best effort. They didn’t let me slack. They yelled at me. They didn’t treat me any differently. I think that really helped a lot.”

Coming off an 8-4 year in which Cal won its bowl game, Cheadle has high hopes for the new season.

“I think I’m more excited this year than last year,“ Cheadle said. “I’m ready to take everything I learned from last year and bring it to this year. I’m going just take it one game at a time and have a great year.”

Already on his way to doing just that is Matthews’ former backfield mate at West, Princeton McCarty. The University of Idaho running back had 12 carries for 89 yards and two touchdowns in the Vandals 45-0 season opening victory over North Dakota.

Continued on page 36

www.BakersfieldLife.com

35

Continued from page 35

Unlike Cheadle and McCarty, most of the current crop of college football players from Bakersfield compete at non-FBS schools.

That includes several playing at universities known much more for their academics than athletics.

Garces graduate Jack Campbell is a starting defensive tackle at Cornell.

Before transferring to the Ivy League school two years ago, Campbell won a Big XII championship ring with Texas Tech.

Jack Campbell “Juggling school and football is hard,“ Campbell said. “Your schedule is packed. You can’t even really waste an hour just watching TV, especially here because it’s so rigorous. There’s like three hours of homework every night. You see regular college kids going out partying. You can’t do that. But the love of the game is what keeps you in it.”

Football is far from the only sport represented well at the college level by Bakersfield natives.

Volley stars Cassandra Anderson from BHS and Liberty graduate Caitlin Tittl are two of the top women’s college volley players in the country.

Anderson, a junior middle blocker at the University of Florida, ranked second in the Southeastern Conference with 1.23 blocks per set last season.

Meanwhile, Tittl is a four-year starter and team captain at Northeastern University. Last year, the 6-foot middle blocker was named to the Dartmouth Invitational All-Tournament team. And in 2007, she was selected as the Colonial Athletic Association’s Rookie of the Year.

“Volleyball at the collegiate level is definitely different,” Tittl said. “It’s a much faster paced game. It’s also a lot more strategic than high school. In high school, I just remember how easy it was

Caitlin Tittl

just to get a kill if you just swung hard. But in college, the defense is a lot stronger so you really have to be a smarter player overall to be successful.”

Tittl, whose younger brother Jacob Tittl is a freshman diver on the University of La Verne swimming team, says her family has always been sports oriented.

“I just remember when we were younger just playing pickup basketball in the front yard with my dad and with our neighbor friends,” Caitlin Tittl said. “And every Thanksgiving, we played flag football. We’re very competitive natured. I think that definitely

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36

Bakersfield Life

October 2010

CLOSED MONDAYS

helped us along the way in becoming college athletes.”

Midfielder madness Another Kern County athlete wrapping up a successful college career this fall is former BHS soccer star Madison McQuilliams.

The Metropolitan State University midfielder, who began the fall eighth all-time in school history in assists with 21 and ninth in points with 67, had an assist as the defending Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference champion Roadrunners claimed a 3-2 season opening victory over Incarnate Word (Texas).

Last year, McQuilliams was a second team All-RMAC selection and in 2007, she was named RMAC Co-Freshman of the Year. All of that after a high school career at BHS in which she was twice chosen as the Southeast Yosemite League’s Player of the Year.

Despite her successful jump from high to college, McQuilliams says it isn’t an easy transition.

“When you play in college everybody is good,” McQuilliams said. “There’s not a bad player so you have to prove yourself on the field and win that starting spot. I had to work really hard as a freshman to do that.”

Even with all the hard work required to play at college level, McQuilliams is still having a lot of fun.

“Best time of my life,” McQuilliams said. “I don’t want it to end.”

There are many other athletes from Bakersfield competing this fall at colleges and universities around the country.

A list of some of them appears on the next page:

Madison McQuilliams

Continued on page 38

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Peter Welsh (BHS): freshman, BYU; linebacker Brett Willis (Garces): senior, Sacramento State; wide receiver

Continued from page 37

Football

Ted Agu (Frontier): freshman, UC Berkeley; defensive tackle Matt Akers (Liberty): sophomore, Fresno State; defensive end Alpha Tamir Anders (Liberty): senior, Pomona College; defensive line Jordan Austin (Highland): sophomore, Cal Lutheran University; offensive line Joey Bertrand (Centennial, BC): junior, Western New Mexico University; inside linebacker Ryan Boschma (BCHS): freshman, Fresno State; defensive line Jack Campbell (Garces): junior, Cornell; defensive line Derek Carr (BCHS): sophomore, Fresno State; quarterback Justin Cheadle (BHS): junior, UC Berkeley; guard Ryan Clanton (BCHS): junior, Oregon; offensive line Jacob Cross (Centennial, BC): junior, Western New Mexico University; middle linebacker Matt Darr (Frontier): freshman, Tennessee; punter Bruce Frieson (BC): senior, Eastern Jordan Austin Kentucky; running back Drew Howell (Tehachapi): freshman, Oregon; center Curtis Huge (Stockdale): sophomore; SE Missouri State; kicker A.J. Johnson (Highland): freshman, Fresno State; wide receiver Christian Johnson (Centennial): sophomore, New Mexico; long snapper Mitch Knoy (BHS, BC): junior, Western New Mexico University; defensive tackle Kevin Kobliska (Garces): junior, Chapman University; outside linebacker Zach Lewis (Garces, BC): senior, San Diego; offensive line Daron Mackey (West, BC): senior, Boise State; linebacker Will Mahan (BHS, BC): senior, Washington; punter Princeton McCarty (West): junior, Idaho; running Knoy back Craig McMahon (BHS): freshman, USC; kicker Alex Mitchell (BHS): sophomore, Whittier College; defensive back Pete Mitchell (BHS): junior, Whittier College; wide receiver Emmanual Ojeriakhi (BHS): sophomore, Utah State; wide receiver Gerrit Otten (Liberty, BC): junior, Cal Poly; defensive back Brandon Owens (Ridgeview): junior, Northern Colorado; defensive back Chad Pollard (Liberty High, BC): junior, Willamette University; running back Devin Pruett (Liberty, BC): senior, Hofstra; defensive back Julio Regla (South): freshman, Sacramento State; offensive line Colton Schmidt (Liberty): sophomore, UC Davis; punter Stephen Silva (Stockdale): sophomore, Montana State University Northern; running back Ryan Skidmore (East): junior, Fresno State; tight end Brandon Smith (West): senior, Arizona State; wide receiver Patrick Su’a (Highland): freshman, Fresno State; linebacker Gary Sumlin (West): senior, Western Illinois; offensive line Christian Taylor (BCHS): freshman, Humboldt State; running back Phillip Thomas (BHS): sophomore, Fresno State; defensive back Vince Van Horne (BHS, BC): junior, Vince Van Horne Middle Tennessee State; wide receiver Tanner Webb (North, BC): junior, Humboldt State; defensive back

38

Bakersfield Life

October 2010

Volleyball

Cassandra Anderson (BHS): junior, Florida; middle blocker Janie Atkinson (BCHS): freshman, Academy of Art University, San Francisco; defensive specialist Allison Cote (Liberty): senior, Cal State Bakersfield; defensive specialist/libero Emily Cote (Liberty): freshman, Cal State Bakersfield; setter Morgan Dake (Frontier): freshman, University of Mary; outside hitter Lindy DeGeare (Stockdale): junior, Cal State Bakersfield; outside hitter Kurfess Kirby Ellis (Frontier): freshman, Carson-Newman College; middle blocker Charlene DeHoog (BCHS): senior, UC Santa Barbara; outside hitter Danielle Gong (Stockdale): junior, Cal State Bakersfield; setter Lauren Holderman (BHS): sophomore; Cal State Bakersfield; defensive specialist/libero Brookey Holmes (Centennial, BC): junior, Cal State Bakersfield; outside hitter Sarah Kurfess (Stockdale, BC): junior, San Francisco State; libero/defensive specialist Breanne Menees (Centennial): junior, Sacramento State; defensive specialist Gabriela (Gabby) Nadal (Stockdale): freshman, West Virginia; defensive specialist Stevi Robinson (Stockdale): junior, Pepperdine; libero Shelby Staab (Garces): sophomore, San Gabby Nadal Diego; middle blocker Caitlin Tittl (Liberty): senior, Northeastern University; middle hitter Samantha Whittington (Frontier): freshman, Cal State Bakersfield; setter

Men’s Soccer

Andre Blanton (East): freshman, Fresno Pacific; Midfielder Andrew Bussell (BCHS): sophomore, The Master’s College; goalkeeper Drew Clemans (BHS): freshman, Marymount College; goalkeeper Justin Finch (Garces): sophomore, Cal State Bakersfield; defender Jacob Garber (Stockdale): freshman, Marymount College; midfielder Drew Clemans Albert Gavin (BCHS): sophomore, Marymount College; defender/midfielder Jay Lambert (Stockdale) freshman, Marymount College; defender Kyle Ochoa (Stockdale) junior, Simpson University; forward/midfielder Josh Rodenzo (Liberty): freshman, Marymount College; defender Chico Ruesga (Foothill): junior, Cal State Bakersfield; defender/midfielder Ryan Selgrath (BHS): freshman, Cal State Stanislaus; defender Ken Taylor (Garces): junior, Cal State Bakersfield; midfielder

Women’s Soccer

Heidi McKnight

Mariah Alvidrez (Liberty): freshman, Fresno Pacific; forward Melissa Doiron (Stockdale): sophomore, Marymount College; midfielder Natalie Flores (BHS): sophomore, Marymount College; midfielder Chelsea Gavin (Frontier): freshman, Marymount College; defender Michelle Granillo (Garces): freshman, Marymount College; midfielder Kassi Massey, (Stockdale): junior, Cal State Bakersfield; forward Heidi McKnight (Liberty): freshman, Biola University; midfielder Madison McQuilliams (BHS): senior,

Metropolitan State; midfielder Ariel Meadows (Stockdale): freshman, Marymount College; defender Kandace Mireles (Liberty): freshman, Marymount College; defender Adrianna Neal (Liberty): freshman, Marymount College; forward Sam Pena (BHS): sophomore, Cal State Bakersfield; forward Andrea Poeschel (Garces): freshman, Marymount College; goalkeeper Sarah Reed (Garces): freshman, Fresno Pacific; Midfielder McKenna Reiser (Stockdale), freshman, Marymount College; midfielder/ forward Kandace Mireles Yesenia Reyes (Ridgeview): sophomore, Cal State Bakersfield; forward Erica Shelton (Stockdale): freshman, UC Santa Barbara; forward/midfielder Darci Smith (Liberty): sophomore, South Carolina State; defender Brittni Stansberry (Frontier): freshman, Marymount College; defender Sarena Underwood (North): freshman, Oklahoma Christian University; midfielder

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Men’s cross country

Eayoall Atsbeha (Ridgeview, BC): junior, Rocky Mountain College Robby Baker (Ridgeview): freshman, Rocky Mountain College Suede Cordova (North, BC): junior, Rocky Mountain College Alex Garcia (Ridgeview): freshman, Rocky Mountain College Cesar Mireles (Golden Valley, BC): junior, Rocky Mountain College

Women’s cross country

Ashlee Thomas (Centennial): sophomore, BYU

Cheerleading Ashley Rauert

Ashley Michele Rauert (Stockdale): sophomore, Wyoming; captain

Winter and spring sports Baseball

Kyle Desimone (Stockdale): freshman, Cal State Bakersfield; infielder/outfielder

Men’s basketball

Luis Gomez (Delano): senior, Texas A&M International; guard

Women’s basketball

Jalei Kinder (Stockdale): freshman, Fresno State; guard Britt Peters (Centennial): senior, Cal State Fullerton; guard

Men’s golf

Matt Hammons (Highland): sophomore, Cal State Bakersfield

Women’s hockey

Kristi Kehoe (Liberty): senior, Northeastern University; forward

Men’s swimming and diving

Vance Elmore (Centennial): junior, Cal State Bakersfield; freestyle, Michael Schwartz (Liberty): senior, Cal State Bakersfield; back/fly Britt Peters Mark Silvius (Liberty): junior, Cal State Bakersfield; freestyle, Jacob Tittl (Liberty): freshman, University of La Verne; diving,

Track and field

David Mitchell (Stockdale): junior, Cal State Bakersfield; sprinter Cooper Thompson (Garces): sophomore, USC; javelin

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runnin’ Get your motor

Subaru Legacy Starting at $19,995 Highway MPG 31 Nicholas Lightle Internet Sales Manager Sangera Subaru Volvo What one feature stands out about this car that perhaps few other (comparable) car manufacturers offer?

The one feature that stands out is that the Subaru incorporates a Symmetrical AWD (all-wheel drive) system with CVT transmission. This means that you get the luxury of an all-wheel drive vehicle while getting an incredible 31 MPG. What is your favorite feature about the car?

It would be hard to pick just one, but if I had to, it would be the interior design of the vehicle. It has tremendous room inside, especially the back seat, which makes it an ideal family vehicle.

What type of consumer do you see driving this?

The beauty of this vehicle is it cannot really be defined to one type of consumer.

This vehicle appeals to younger first-time buyers to professionals. These people are using this vehicle to either commute or play. The vehicle really is versatile.

Finish this sentence: Even though this vehicle is under $20,000, it still comes standard with: Power windows, power locks, air conditioning and a CD player with an auxiliary input jack.

This vehicle would look great parked at: The valet parking drive, to the Mammoth ski lodge, to the soccer fields, to the Bakersfield Business Conference.

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Bakersfield Life

October 2010

A sneak-peek at fuel efficient and affordable new releases for 2011

C

By Dana Martin

Photos by Jessica Frey

ost conscious consumers want dependable cars with above-average gas mileage, but they don’t want to skimp on style or amenities.

Manufacturers are getting the message.

This month, Bakersfield Life brings you a special auto guide to preview and compare the sporty, smart, and downright spectacular new models that are trickling in (or have arrived) at local dealerships.

You’ll read about one car that offers remote start as a standard feature and a

hybrid model that gets 39 MPG. Another auto starts below $10,000 and offers a virtual cocoon of airbags as a standard feature. One has heated seats.

This month’s focus is on fuel efficiency and price, and we’ve asked 10 local dealerships to have some fun answering a few questions about what makes their vehicle stand out among the competition.

Here is part one of our two-part series covering sizzling sedans and the cream of the coupés, fresh off the assembly line for 2011.

Ford Fiesta Starting at $13,995 Highway MPG 40 Chad Manning General Sales Manager Jim Burke Ford What one feature stands out about this car that perhaps few other (comparable) car manufacturers offer?

The total connectivity and pure hipness of the of the Microsoft Sync system.

What is your favorite feature about the car?

The Capless Fuel Filler – no more fuel caps left on the gas pump, and you don’t have to touch the greasy gas cap and get your hands dirty when you fill up.

Will it hold its value? Why? Although a new vehicle to the United States, the Ford Fiesta is a rock star in Mexico and Europe. The astounding fuel economy and low-maintenance costs make this vehicle a winner in resale.

What type of consumer do you see driving this?

This is a tech-savvy, environmentally friendly, Generation Y vehicle for sure!

One for the Millennials. But we all have a little Gen. Y in us, don’t we?

Finish this sentence: Even though this vehicle is under $20,000, it still comes standard with: Seven airbags, including one for the driver’s knees, an area of concern for B-Car front end collisions.

This vehicle would look great parked at: Memorial Stadium Tell us about the Ford Fiesta “Tattoo.”

Ford has developed a Website for the customer to create their own unique design and color scheme for their car. Your Ford Fiesta can match your feistiness!

Nissan Versa Starting below $10,000 Highway MPG: 34 Jeff Haddad Executive Manager Nissan of Bakersfield

What one feature stands out about the car that perhaps few other (comparable) car manufacturers offer?

Intelligent key.

What type of consumer do you see driving this?

I envision college kids going across the country in this car. Visiting national parks, going to the beach—the possibilities are endless.

Will it hold its value? Why? Yes. In some cases, a new Versa is cheaper than a used Versa based on Kelly Blue Book.

Name features this vehicle has that exhibit the manufacturer’s sensitivity to the current economy.

Starting price is under $10,000 and MPG is 26 city/34 highway on regular gas.

What one word would best describe this vehicle?

Safe Finish this sentence: Even though this vehicle is under $20,000, it still comes standard with: Dual front, side, and curtain airbags.

Continued on page 42 www.BakersfieldLife.com

41

Nissan Versa

Continued from page 41

The Versa would be a great second car because: Because of its gas mileage. You can’t beat the price, and what’s so terrific is that it comes with all those airbags. Safety is a huge concern.

Consumers who purchase this car most often say their decision was based on: The reasons are all different. Price and payment are usually the deciding factor. MPG and safety are also a huge decision. We’re seeing people wanting something smaller, safe and economical to drive. The Versa does that.

offers? Generation 7 OnStar Directions & Connections package with turn-by-turn navigation makes it impossible to get lost!

Chevrolet Equinox Starting at $22,745 Highway MPG: 32 Ted Nicholas President/CEO 3-Way Chevrolet

What is YOUR favorite feature about the car? The rear entertainment system makes the long family trips so much more pleasant.

What one feature stands out about this car that perhaps few other (comparable) car manufacturer’s

What type of consumer do you see driving this? The Equinox is truly all encompassing; it meets the demands of today's modern families and caters to the wants and desires of empty nesters.

Will it hold its value? Why? Yes, the Equinox is a quality built, multi-purpose vehicle that comes standard with a fiveyear, 100,000-mile power train warranty.

List features this vehicle has that exhibit the manufacturer’s sensitivity to the current economy. The Equinox proudly boasts 32 MPG and a range of 600 miles on one tank of gas.

What one word would best describe this vehicle? Desirable.

This would be a great second car because: The rear seat offers the most legroom in its class and an ultraquiet ride by smart design.

This vehicle would look great parked at: Seven Oaks Country Club.

Continued on page 44

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Bakersfield Life

October 2010

How does the 2011 Ford Fiesta get more miles per gallon than many hybrids?* Two words: thoughtful engineering. The kind that understands that giving the Fiesta a Ti-VCT engine will allow it to squeeze every last drop. Or that a line cutting through the tail lamp will make the Fiesta more aerodynamic, and therefore more fuel-efficient.

But these are only a few of the many reasons the Fiesta can go farther than so many other cars... including all those hybrids!

IT’S A PRETTY BIG DEAL.

The ďŹ rst minicar to earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick award.

The new 2011 Ford Fiesta was recognized as a Top Safety Pick for front, side, rollover, and rear crash protection, and for having electronic stability control as standard equipment. No other minicar the Institute has tested has earned top ratings in all four safety evaluations.

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0QFO FWFSZEBZ XFFLOJHIUT AUJM QN t #VJMEJOH MBTUJOH SFMBUJPOTIJQT UISPVHI HSFBU DVTUPNFS TFSWJDF TJODF t XXX CVSLFBVUP DPN * EPA-estimated 29 city/40 hwy/33 combined mpg, automatic SFE vs. 2010/2011 hybrids. Fiesta SES shown. EPA-estimated 29 city/38 hwy/33 combined mpg, automatic.

Continued from page 42

Honda CR-Z Starting at $20,600 Highway MPG 39 Brad Gonzales General Sales Manager Barber Honda What is your favorite feature about the car?

The three-mode drive system. The system tailors the performance to your preference.

Buick Regal CXL Starting at $26,995 Highway MPG: 30 John Pitre General Manager Motor City Auto Center

What one feature stands out about the car that perhaps few other (comparable) car manufacturers offer?

The overall level of equipment for a vehicle in this price class is tremendous.

Standards are leather interior, heated seats, 6-speed automatic transmission and OnStar with XM radio.

What colors are available?

White, black, several shades of grey, silver, blue and red. Sorry, no gold!

What is your favorite feature about the car?

The gas mileage, rated at 30 MPG on the highway; German sports cars don’t get any better, even when they are made by Buick!

What type of consumer do you see driving this?

The 2011 Buick Regal is the entry level for Buick: the premium American brand at an affordable price. By that description, the most common buyer is a young person or couple looking for fun, stylish design that won’t break the bank account and is affordable to insure, too.

Continued on page 46 44

Bakersfield Life

October 2010

What colors are available?

Silver, red, blue, white, and black.

What type of consumer do you see driving this?

I see people from all walks of life driving the CR-Z. The CR-Z is an attractive option for anyone who wants a sporty and environmentally friendly vehicle.

Will it hold its value? Why? Yes because it’s a Honda. Hondas have the best resale value of any brand.

Name features this vehicle has that exhibit the manufacturer’s sensitivity to the current economy.

By creating this car, Honda has made the perfect union of performance and efficiency. This new hybrid gets 35 city and 39 highway MPG. What one word would best describe this vehicle?

Amazing.

This vehicle could be a great second car because…

It is inexpensive, great on gas and loaded with standard features. Nowadays, people need an alternative to expensive gas-guzzlers to get back and forth to work.

Finish this sentence: Even though this vehicle starts at only $20,600, it still comes standard with: Hybrid technology.

People who purchase this car say they based their decision on: The fact that they want a car that’s not only sporty, but also good for the environment.

This vehicle would look great parked at: The Marketplace.

Buick Regal CXL Continued from page 44

What phrase would best describe this vehicle?

Affordable luxury This vehicle would look great parked at: A Taylor Swift concert or a Lakers game What does this vehicle say to consumers who are ready to purchase?

When you consider the sea of other models, wouldn’t you rather drive something that says, “I am different, smart, and upwardly mobile, and I spend my money wisely?” That is what Buick and Regal say in today’s market.

Jeep Patriot Starting at $15,365 Highway MPG: 29 Alex Kargaran General Sales Manager Bakersfield Chrysler Jeep

What one feature stands out about this car that perhaps few other (comparable) car manufacturers offer?

Compact car-based SUV with credible off-road capability.

you see driving this?

Athletes, corporate executives, families, people who carry lots of cargo, travelers, adventurers, outdoorsmen, college bound kids and newlyweds.

What is your favorite feature about the car?

The design, dependability and performance.

Will it hold its value? Why? Yes, because it is dependable, good on gas, and because of its styling, price and capacity. It’s a Jeep brand, which means it historically holds its value.

What colors can we get?

Black, silver, red, sandstone, natural green, white, and orange What type of consumer do

Name features this vehicle has that exhibit the manufacturer’s sensitivity to the current economy.

Good on gas and pricing based on 4x4 design, reliable on parts and service. Good warranty that comes standard and customer can upgrade it to a lifetime of unlimited service.

What one word would best describe this vehicle?

Fun! Finish this sentence: Even though this vehicle is under $20,000, it still comes standard with: Remote start.

This vehicle could be a great second car because: It’s cheap, roomy and cool!

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Bakersfield Life

October 2010

Mazda 2 Starting at $14,000 Highway MPG 35 Ali Kargaran General Manager/Director Bakersfield Mazda What one feature stands out about this car that perhaps few other (comparable) car manufacturers offer?

Standard power locks and power windows, while with other manufacturers you have to upgrade for this.

What is your favorite feature about the car?

The fact that you can upgrade the car to fit your style — whether with rims or a roof rack.

What type of consumer do you see driving this?

I see this car driven by younger college students but also the people that like to drive a car that is fun and good on gas.

Will it hold its value? Why? OH YEAH! Mazda just won the Auto Leasing Guide Award in 2010 for the best resale value!

Name features this vehicle has that exhibit the manufacturer’s sensitivity to the current economy.

This car is priced to sell, starting at $14,000, which is a great car for those looking to save in this economy. It also has great fuel economy at 30 in the city and 35 on the highway.

What one word would best describe this vehicle?

I have three: Fun to drive!

Finish this sentence: Even though this vehicle is under $20,000, it still comes standard with: Everything you need from power windows and locks all the way to an iPod hook-up.

This vehicle would look great parked at: Cal State Bakersfield.

Toyota Camry Starting below $19,720 Highway MPG: 33 Jess Winters Corporate Sales Manager Bill Wright Toyota

What one feature stands out about this car that perhaps few other (comparable) car manufacturers offer?

Toyota Camry has been the No. 1 selling car for the past 10 out of 11 years.

What is your favorite feature about the car?

Styling and comfort.

What type of consumer do you see driving this?

There is a model that suits a whole spectrum of people and virtually all needs, wants and desires. The Camry’s base models suit the economy-minded person, where the LE adds complimentary upgrades. The SE model appeals to the sporty-minded person; the loaded XLE model appeals to the luxury-minded. The Hybrid model appeals to the environmentally minded.

Will it hold its value? Why? History speaks for itself. The Camry is proven durable and will maintain the level of quality for many years of dependable and reliable ownership. A large percentage of people who lease Camrys often purchase them at the end of the lease.

What one word would best describe this vehicle?

Value!

Continued on page 48 www.BakersfieldLife.com

47

Toyota Camry

Continued from page 47

Finish this sentence: Even though this vehicle is under $20,000, it still comes standard with: QRD: Quality, Reliability and Durability This vehicle would look great parked: In every paved or concrete parking space throughout every city in America.

Why should someone purchase a Toyota Camry?

Why doesn’t everyone own a 2011 Camry? Why not? Why not you?

And why not now?

What one feature stands out about this car that perhaps few other (comparable) car manufacturers offer?

Bluetooth phone system and iPod integration comes standard on this vehicle.

Kia Soul

What is your favorite feature about the car?

I like the audio system with the multicolored lighted speakers!

Starting at $17,785 Highway MPG: 30 Pamela Waldo Sales Haddad Dodge Kia

What colors does it come in?

White, shadow, bright silver, titanium, alien, ghost, denim, molten and ignition.

Will it hold its value? Why? Yes because of the good gas mileage and the transferrable 5-year, 60,000 mile warranty.

Name features this vehicle has that exhibit the manufacturer’s sensitivity to the current economy.

Fuel economy, equipment, price, and the optional 10-year warranty because people are keeping their cars longer.

What one word would best describe this vehicle?

Unique.

Even though this vehicle is under $20,000, it still comes standard with: Bluetooth, ABS (anti-lock brake system), side curtain airbags and tinted windows.

Consumers who purchase this car most often say their decision was based on: Unique design, MPG, and all the standard equipment. It’s rated second best in new car design behind the Camaro based on how many new people it brought to the company.

This vehicle would look great parked at: The Padre Hotel.

48

Bakersfield Life

October 2010

Grant Armstrong

Diana Aronson

Terri L. Brown

Marvin Bush

Lea Bush

Lezlie Chaffin

Ronda Chaffin

Louie Gregorio

Gayle Hafenstein

Joyce Hanson

Stacy Harrison

Kathy Keener

Penny Boeman

Lois Brehmer

Michelle Church

Sang Dang

Jeanie Gray

Rhonda Lewis

Bob Levesque

Leeanne McCracken

Robin Noble

Dottie Patterson

Jackie Putman

Adoree Roberson

Kamri Roberson

Amy Short

Karen Vanderhurst

Pete Yackley

$449,000 14338 Danbur Drive

Eva Martinez

Get away in style on 2.5 acres. Approx. 3356 sq. ft. of living space featuring a split wing great room design with 4 bdrms/3 full baths, plus office. Fabulous kitchen w/granite counters plus lrg. Work island and upgraded appliances. Additional 24x60 garage/shop, RV dump area. Don’t miss this opportunity!

Leann Newfield

$365,000 1924 Lake Casitas Ct

Cathie Paulovitz

Kym Plivelich

This home shows like a resort! Open floor plan w/great room, dining room, beautiful kitchen, fireplace in master bdrm/bath, shop, guest house or workout room with 3/4 bath, 3 car garage, fireplace in great room, pool & hot tub.

Owner/Manager

$207,500 1523 Frish Moss Ct

2 Story home located in Grand Island Place. This home features 2198 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, great room, tile, Kitchen Island, new paint & carpet.

Debi Roberson

Joe Roberson Owner/Broker

3977 Coffee Road, Ste. C 661.588.6600 Behind Chicago Title Sonia Sides

Judy Smith

Michelle Tucker

COMMUNITY

Giving back

Local father on a mission to light the night, find a cure for son’s rare type of leukemia

By Jennifer Bachman

52

Bakersfield Life

October 2010

Ryan Wilson shares a hug with his twin sister and bone marrow donor Lauren on the family's front yard.

Photo by Michael Fagans

T

he Light the Night Walk, one of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s major fundraising campaigns, is a time to pay tribute and bring hope to people battling cancer. It takes place each fall in hundreds of communities across the United States. Bakersfield is no different.

At 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16, families, coworkers and friends will gather for the Light the Night Walk at the Marketplace in Bakersfield. Teams will begin their walks at 7 p.m. and use this opportunity to raise funds for cancer research and patient services.

The walk is open to all. It does not require an age limit or physical fitness level.

Participants pay tribute to those battling cancer while walking in twilight and holding illuminated balloons. The balloons are color coordinated — white for survivors, red for supporters, and gold in memory of loved ones lost.

Funds raised during the walk support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) efforts to cure leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma and provide education and services for patients and their families in the local community.

Last year, officials say, more than 200,000 corporate, friends and family fundraising teams participated in a Light The Night Walk, resulting in more than $39 million raised for cancer research and patient services. It’s an evening filled with warmth and emotion, a show of support from a community that cares, local organizers say.

Chris Wilson understands the significance firsthand.

The Bakersfield parent became person-

ally connected when his then 17-month-old son, Ryan, was diagnosed with leukemia in November 2008. Wilson had taken his son into the doctor’s office for an earache problem.

“Ryan was always our healthy guy. He and his twin sister, Lauren, were born in June 2007. Ryan was very interactive and loved to play with his sister and older brother,” said Wilson. After the earache didn’t go away, more blood tests were done, which led to their scary discovery of a rare type of leukemia — acute lymphocytic leukemia with philadelphia chromosome, also known as ALL PH+.

“We always remained positive, thanks to our support group of friends and family,” said Wilson.

Since Ryan had a leukemia that was notorious for relapse, he was recommended for a bone marrow transplant. Ryan’s twin sister, Lauren, was perfect.

“We celebrated our one-year anniversary of the transplant the day before his third birthday, and he is doing great,” explained Wilson.

How you can participate Anyone in the community can start up their own team, join an existing team, walk as an individual or become a corporate partner for The 2010 Bakersfield Light The Night Walk. Visit www.lightthenight.org/cca for more information.

Today, Ryan is considered leukemia free (different than remission). He still has monthly clinic visits at UCLA, and he is in the process of getting re-immunized, added his father.

But participating in cancer research activities has become a large part of the Wilson family’s life.

“Our first fundraiser event was initiated by some close friends who wanted to help our family with medical expenses and help find a cure for leukemia,” explained Wilson.

Wilson and friends held their first fundraising event at Luigi’s in June 2009. It was a

poker tournament in which local businesses donated prizes and money. At the end of the night, $4,400 was raised. Wilson and his team, which goes by “Team Tiger Fight,” made this event just as powerful this past June, collecting $5,400 for LLS. And they were honored as a 2009 top fundraiser team, raising $10,000.

Because Wilson and his team were so strong and determined, he was asked by Tracie Glennon, the Light The Night campaign coordinator from LLS’s Central California Chapter, to take a more active role with the Oct. 16 Light The Night Walk, he said.

“We want people to know that the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society played a big part in our initial discovery of what Ryan had,” said Wilson.

He added that the group provided critical information and support about Ryan’s particular type of leukemia and gave real examples of success stories. “Our goal is to give back to LLS, so that when other families travel down the same path that we traveled, they are helped and comforted like we were,” said Wilson.

www.BakersfieldLife.com

53

COMMUNITY

L

Links for Life Wall of Hope

inks for Life is beginning its 18th year in Kern County and it is because of the community that we have been able to assist the women and families affected by breast cancer with programs, services and support. This past year, we were able to provide more support than ever before. In 2009-2010 Links for Life provided the following services: • Fielded over 4,200 calls with questions related to breast cancer • Assisted 195 walk-ins with services • Provided 318 wigs • Supplied 18 bras/prostheses • Funded 307 free mammograms and 520 ultrasounds for women under 40 • Funded 198 free mammograms and 180 ultrasounds for women over 40 • Sponsored 47 needle biopsies to women under 40 and sponsored 6 for women over 40 resulting in 4 women diagnosed with breast cancer, 2 over 40 and 2 under 40.

• Hosted 169 women in the support group • Hosted 48 survivors and family members for yoga I cannot believe that I have been the executive director of Links for Life for five years. Where does the time go? It has been a wonderful experience working with the dedicated volunteers, staff and sponsors who have made the organization what it is today. It has been a challenging year for us with the loss of our founder, Sharyn Woods, but we will continue forward as she would want.

We are a warm and compassionate organization that assists women and families when they are diagnosed with breast cancer. In our wig boutique, we just do not assist women diagnosed with breast cancer we assist ANY woman who has lost her hair while going thought cancer treatment.

October events Oct. 1 to 30 Light the Town Pink!

Look for local businesses to be “Pink” for the month of October to show their support of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Oct. 1 Lace’n It Up kicks off Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., events at the Liberty Bell, Park at River Walk and Kern County Department of Public Health. To register for the Lace’n It Up event go to the Links for Life website www.linksforlife.org Oct. 2 Jazz & Jewelz, an exclusive

54

Bakersfield Life

Links for Life’s mission is to provide an organization to benefit people and families affected by breast cancer, challenge each Kern County woman to be aware of her breast health and promote support for those affected, and to educate the general public about breast health.

The goal of Links for Life is to supply free mammograms, ultrasounds and needle biopsies to underinsured or uninsured women in need of such services under the age of 40 throughout Kern County. In 2010, that all changed when the Cancer Detection Program, Every Women Counts suspended funding to women in their 40s.

Links for Life allocated an additional $100,000 to cover women in their 40s who would otherwise go untreated. This resulted in Links for Life screening more than 350 women in their 40s with two diagnosed with breast cancer. Links for Life also provides wigs for cancer patients, breast health seminars, yoga classes and a support group for breast cancer survivors and their families.

We fund these programs and services through different annual events throughout the year. In October, we have our “Paint the Town Pink” activities. The seventh annual HockeyThon with 24-plus hours of hockey played will again take place beginning March 19. On May 14 and 16, Links for Life will host our 18th annual Gala & Pro Am Golf Tournament at Seven Oaks Country Club. Along with private donations, bequests, grants and outside sponsored events, Links for Life continues to assist the women and men in Kern County with breast and cancer services. All the money raised in Kern County stays in Kern County.

For all the women who have been assisted by Links for Life, I thank you for all of your support.

Sincerely, Jennifer Henry

event with dazzling jewels for your viewing pleasure at an exquisite home in Seven Oaks, a limited audience of 200 participants.

Oct. 5 Links for Life Support Group, 1706 Chester Ave #200, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 11 Yoga class, Links for Life, 1706 Chester Ave #200, 6 to 7 p.m. R.S.V.P. 322-5601.

Oct. 12 CSUB women’s soccer vs.

Hawaii, 7 p.m., main soccer field, Cal State Bakersfield Oct. 14 Pretty in Pink Luncheon and Fashion Show, Double Tree Hotel, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more info, call 322-5601.

October 2010

Oct. 18 Yoga class, Links for Life, 1706 Chester Ave #200, 6 to 7 p.m. R.S.V.P. 322-5601.

Oct. 19 Bunco, hosted by Christine’s, in the Stockdale Fashion Plaza, 6:30 p.m. Call for reservations, 834-3068.

Oct. 20 Women’s volleyball game, CSUB vs. Fresno State, 6 p.m., Icardo Center, Cal State Bakersfield.

Oct. 25 Yoga class, Links for Life, 1706 Chester Ave #200, 6 to 7 p.m. R.S.V.P. 322-5601.

Oct. 26 Pinko Bingo, hosted by Victoria’s, 6:30 p.m. Call 6658300 for details.

Christine Abbott

Irene Aguirre-Walz

Susan Baldwin

Mary Barnard

Cancer Survivor 12 years

Cancer Survivor 3 years

Cancer Survivor 16 years

Cancer Survivor 15 years

Kathleen Bloom

Lynda Boleschka

Cancer Survivor 9 years

Cancer Survivor 15 years

Stana Bright

Evonne Brown

Cancer Survivor 19 years

Cancer Survivor 10 years

Arlene Chuman

Bonnie Coats

Cancer Survivor 24 years

Cancer Survivor 5 years

Mary Cruse

Virginia Cummings

Cancer Survivor 5 years

Cancer Survivor 21 years

Links For Life

Wall of Hope

Norma Armendariz

Cancer Survivor 24 years

Margaret Arakelian

Cancer Survivor 6 years

Cancer Survivor 2 years

Cancer Survivor 12 years

Cancer Survivor 3 years

Cancer Survivor 9 years

Cancer Survivor 1 year

Cancer Survivor 14 years

Mary Barron

Dolores Barton

Beverly Baxley

Kelly Bendert Sanchez Cancer Survivor 1 year

Sarah Bentley

Cancer Survivor 3 years

Jacare Bethea

Cancer Survivor 8 years

Cherryl Biggar

Cancer Survivor 9 years

Kelly Bishop

Cancer Survivor 3 years

Nancy Brady

Charlotte Brandt

Linda Brenner

Suzanne Brickell

Elaine Anderson-Dieter

Mimi Audelo

Cancer Survivor 3 years

Cancer Survivor 3 years

Cancer Survivor 10 years

Irene Bonner

Donna Borntreger

Carolyn Bradford

Jacquelyn Bradley-Sanders

Rosie Azevedo

Priscilla Bacus

Brenda Bailey

Stephanie Baker

Cancer Survivor 13 years

Cancer Survivor 6 years

Cancer Survivor 7 years

Cancer Survivor 1 year

Cancer Survivor 23 years

Cancer Survivor 5 years

Cancer Survivor 7 years

Cancer Survivor 9 years

Judy Buechler

Teresa Burns

Julia Calvillo

Mary Camara

Jeanne Cantrell

Darlene Casey

Lois Caswell

Eleanor Chavez

Cancer Survivor 16 years

Cancer Survivor 8 years

Cancer Survivor 8 years

Cancer Survivor 10 years

Cancer Survivor 18 years

Cancer Survivor 12 years

Cancer Survivor 16 years

Cancer Survivor 10 years

Lee Cole

Nettie Collins

Linda Conner

Betty Cotton

Jean Coulter

Juli Coulthurst

Connie Cowan

P. J. Cribbs

Cancer Survivor 3 years

Cancer Survivor 1 year

Cancer Survivor 9 years

Cancer Survivor 18 years

Cancer Survivor 5 years

Cancer Survivor 11 years

Cancer Survivor 9 years

Cancer Survivor 4 years

Sue Daniels

Elsa Joyce Daves

Julia Davis

Shalanda Davis

Linda DeCant

Joy Dixon

Joy Doepel

Marilyn Dorer

Cancer Survivor 7 years

Cancer Survivor 24 years

Cancer Survivor 2 years

Cancer Survivor 2 years

Cancer Survivor 3 years

Cancer Survivor 19 years

Cancer Survivor 1 year

Cancer Survivor 14 years

www.BakersfieldLife.com

55

Links For Life Kathy Douglas

Pam Dowell-Daft Cancer Survivor 3 years

Cancer Survivor 2 years

Cancer Survivor 23 years

Cancer Survivor 7 years

Cancer Survivor 32 years

Cancer Survivor 15 years

Cancer Survivor 6 years

Sandy Foster

Irma Frank

Edyne Frassinelli

Diane Fuller

Judy Gaines

Debbie Gallington

Rose Garcia

Chris Gibson

Cancer Survivor 4 years

Alicia Linda Dunham

Betty Eaves

Marlene Elbert

Barbara Ellis

Ginger Empey

Julie Followwill

Cancer Survivor 10 years

Cancer Survivor 5 years

Cancer Survivor 19 years

Cancer Survivor 9 years

Cancer Survivor 6 years

Cancer Survivor 9 years

Cancer Survivor 6 years

Cancer Survivor 2 years

Linda Glenn

Cathy Goemer

Rosenda Gonzales

Suzanne Gonzales

Lola Goodrich

Karen E. Gould-Churchwell Cancer Survivor 8 years

Virginia Graham

Cancer Survivor 19 years

Kristi Grohs

Cancer Survivor 1 year

Paige Halterman

Brigette Hamblet

Linda Hartt

Cancer Survivor 44 years

Cancer Survivor 9 years

Cancer Survivor 7 years

Cancer Survivor 18 years

Cancer Survivor 12 years

Natalie Grumet

Cancer Survivor 3 years

Coleen Gundzik

Cancer Survivor 3 years

Jenny Haberlander Cancer Survivor 10 years

Margaret Hadley

Cancer Survivor 4 years

Betty Jo Haflich

Cancer Survivor 2 years

Cancer Survivor 7 years

Cancer Survivor 4 years

Cancer Survivor 15 years

Jennifer Hennick

Sharon Hennick

Diana Hernandez

Diane Heston

Vera Hipp

Valerie Hodges

Mary Holland

Dorothy Hollingsworth

Linda Jones

Cancer Survivor 5 years

Cancer Survivor 12 years

Cancer Survivor 2 years

Cancer Survivor 23 years

Cancer Survivor 31 years

Cancer Survivor 17 years

Cancer Survivor 15 years

Arlene House

Marguerite Hughey

Dona Hurt

Olga Jacobs

Karla Jadwin

Carol Jett

Dianna Jones

Cancer Survivor 14 years

56

Wall of Hope

Bakersfield Life

Cancer Survivor 23 years

October 2010

Cancer Survivor 8 years

Cancer Survivor 38 years

Cancer Survivor 20 years

Cancer Survivor 6 years

Cancer Survivor 6 years

Cancer Survivor 4 years

Cancer Survivor 12 years

Links For Life Marian Jones

Rhonda Jones

Wall of Hope

Linda Jordan

George Ann Kerley

Cancer Survivor 11 years

Cancer Survivor 8 years

Cancer Survivor 4 years

Cancer Survivor 14 years

Saundra Loman

Esther Lozano

Mary Luna

Stephanie Lynch

Cancer Survivor 17 years

Cancer Survivor 7 years

Cancer Survivor 38 years

Cancer Survivor 2 years

Pauline Krajewski

Armida Laddaga

Cynthia Lake

Marguerite Lofy

Cheryle Kileen

Germaine Kimm

Debbie Kiser

Jill Knight

Cancer Survivor 12 years

Cancer Survivor 11 years

Cancer Survivor 3 years

Cancer Survivor 17 years

Cancer Survivor 7 years

Cancer Survivor 17 years

Cancer Survivor 10 years

Cancer Survivor 8 years

Judith Malerich

Jan Maltone

Arnita Matthews

Casey McBride

Carolyn McCleod

Ann McCright

Naomi McCutcheon Cancer Survivor 10 years

Dolores McNeil

Cancer Survivor 24 years

Bronwyn Mullen

Mandy Muth

Cancer Survivor 9 years

Cancer Survivor 7 years

Cancer Survivor 1 year

Cancer Survivor 21 years

Cancer Survivor 15 years

Cancer Survivor 14 years

Ethel Miksits

Cancer Survivor 5 years

Geraldine Miles

Cancer Survivor 8 years

Jeanette Miller

Cancer Survivor 9 years

Karen Minear

Cancer Survivor 5 years

Sharon Moore

Cancer Survivor 18 years

Carolyn “Scottie�

Miller

Cancer Survivor 6 years

Cancer Survivor 17 years

Cancer Survivor 6 years

Karen Neukom

Julia Nichols

Terri Nixon

Edna Norwood

Sue Norwood

Joann Nunn

Amy Padilla Villalobos Cancer Survivor 2 years

Terry Page

Cancer Survivor 2 years

Dolores Pena

Jennifer Peters

Cancer Survivor 13 years

Cancer Survivor 32 years

Cancer Survivor 6 years

Cancer Survivor 13 years

Cancer Survivor 10 years

Cancer Survivor 11 years

Louise Palmer

Alene Parsons

Mary Jo Pasek

Jo Ann Payne

Marguerite Pechin

Nancy Pelton

Cancer Survivor 12 years

Cancer Survivor 14 years

Cancer Survivor 14 years

Cancer Survivor 16 years

Cancer Survivor 17 years

Cancer Survivor 12 years

Cancer Survivor 21 years

Cancer Survivor 4 years

www.BakersfieldLife.com

57

Links For Life Mesha Phillips

Jane Pratt

Sharon Rea

Melanie Reed

Joan Reedy

Linda Regier

Kay Restad

Cancer Survivor 12 years

Cancer Survivor 1 year

Cancer Survivor 10 years

Cancer Survivor 8 years

Cancer Survivor 9 years

Cancer Survivor 14 years

Cancer Survivor 10 years

Cancer Survivor 15 years

Lisa Rey

Billie Reynolds

Deanna Rhoades

Dorothy Richard

Juanita Rocha

Angela Ruffino

Vickie Sanford

Joy Schmidt

Cancer Survivor 3 years

Cancer Survivor 12 years

Cancer Survivor 5 years

Cancer Survivor 9 years

Cancer Survivor 3 years

Cancer Survivor 4 years

Cancer Survivor 11 years

Cancer Survivor 18 years

Lavonne Schuetz

Barbara Scott

Joyce Shankle

Aimee Shaw

Chris Sheehan

Jaye D. Shulman

Lynne Sill

Nancy Skellenger

Cancer Survivor 10 years

Cancer Survivor 20 years

Cancer Survivor 56 years

Cancer Survivor 7 years

Cancer Survivor 4 years

Cancer Survivor 32 years

Cancer Survivor 7 years

Cancer Survivor 27 years

Barbara Smith

Kay Smith

Patricia Smith

Rita Smith

Betty Solis

Lydia Soto

Debra Lynn St Louis

Nancy Strand

Cancer Survivor 9 years

Cancer Survivor 21 years

Cancer Survivor 4 years

Cancer Survivor 5 years

Cancer Survivor 5 years

Cancer Survivor 9 years

Cancer Survivor 4 years

Cancer Survivor 22 years

Ethel Struble

Kala Stuebbe

Joyce Stubbs

Jan Sublett

Ellen Svendsen

Joan Tanner

Bernice Terrazas

Fran Thompson

Cancer Survivor 17 years

Cancer Survivor 30 years

Cancer Survivor 6 years

Isabel Thompson

Joyce Tillery

Kathy Torres

Cancer Survivor 15 years

58

Coral Poole-Clark

Wall of Hope

Bakersfield Life

Cancer Survivor 19 years

October 2010

Cancer Survivor 8 years

Cancer Survivor 5 years

Susan Trihey

Cancer Survivor 9 years

Cancer Survivor 26 years

Cancer Survivor 4 years

Cancer Survivor 1 year

Cancer Survivor 7 years

Linda Turner

Georgia Twist

Malise Unruh

Mary VanBlake-Shoaf

Cancer Survivor 4 years

Cancer Survivor 13 years

Cancer Survivor 7 years

Cancer Survivor 2 years

Links For Life Shirley Vance

Arminda VanWinkle

Cancer Survivor 22 years

Cancer Survivor 7 years

Marilyn Watson

Jean Wedeking

Cancer Survivor 4 years

Pauline Descary

Cancer Survivor 18 years

Cancer Survivor 15 years

Cancer Survivor 4 years

Catherine Wemhoff

Cancer Survivor 8 years

Cancer Survivors 16 years / 24 years

Carleen Swank / Leea Wimbish Mother / Daughter Cancer Survivors 4 years / 4 years

Heather Waites

Dorothy Vokolek

Cancer Survivor 8 years

Cancer Survivor 38 years

Lora Warfield

Cancer Survivors 26 years / 6 years

Jeanine Wanlass / Yevette Peterson Mother / Daughter Cancer Survivors 3 years / 3 years

Cancer Survivor 6 years

Special thank you to Karla Jadwin, Jadwin Photography for the Wall of Hope photos.

Cancer Survivor 1 year

Thelma Reed / Tammy Shipley Mother / Daughter

Sandra Watkins

Cancer Survivor 1 year

Janet Yacopetti

Cancer Survivor 15 years

Cancer Survivor 13 years

Dianna Warner

Cancer Survivor 4 years

Julie Worthing

Debbie Williams

Cherie Shoemake / Marilyn Thomas Daughter / Mother

Cancer Survivor 22 years 104 years old

Jeff Hayward

Tricia Velasquez

Wall of Hope

Millie Medina / Dolores Romero / Eleanor Ybanez Sister /Sister / Sister-in-law Cancer Survivors 8 years / 1 year / 8 years

Donna Wheeler / Jeannie Smith Sisters Cancer Survivors 14 years / 8 years

Ella Simpson / Connie Simpson Mother-in-law / Daughter-in-law Cancer Survivors 10 years / 4 years

To be included in next year’s Wall of Hope, please call Links for Life at 322-5601.

Sapphire Sponsors

Emerald Sponsors

Ruby Sponsors

Ed & Laura Ganzinotti

www.BakersfieldLife.com

59

COMMUNITY

The Volvo Rents Corn Maze as seen fromo above.

Cornfield of dreams Family friendly corn maze set to open Oct. 1 alongside returning haunted attraction

By Dana Martin

C

ommuters driving Rosedale Highway near the Jewetta overpass or parents dropping off students, may have glanced south and noticed a black wooden structure that appeared to spring from the fertile dirt overnight.

Directly behind it, sprinklers and fast-growing green stalks have sprouted, too, confusing travelers who usually notice the slightest changes along their Northwest Bakersfield commute.

It isn’t a new paintball facility, but the suggestion has given the owners of Talladega Frights Haunted Attraction at least one idea about how to use the property after Oct. 31.

“We’ve promised some of the actors that we’ll have a paintball fight in the cornfield in November,” said Adam Stubbs, co-owner and construction supervisor for the facility that, as of 2010, will become the largest fall attraction in Kern County since the fair.

Like the Christmas Lights at CALM, Talladega Frights hopes that relocating to their new 20-acre home on Rosedale Highway (they used to be at Fruitvale-Norris Park) will be the next step in 60

Bakersfield Life

October 2010

creating a family attraction that will become a yearly tradition for Kern County families.

“I want the Talladega Frights Attraction to be synonymous with Halloween in Bakersfield. When September rolls around, I want people to think, ‘I can’t wait to go to Talladega Frights’ in the same way they look forward to the Kern County Fair,” said Mike Wilbur, the attraction’s creator and co-owner.

So, that’s why he and Stubbs decided to add a 9-acre familyfriendly corn maze and a pumpkin patch this year in addition to the haunt, which they’ve designed to be bigger than previous years.

“It will be a fun environment for people of all ages to make memories, where they can play games in three different corn mazes and get lost, play in the bounce houses and pumpkin patch, and enjoy the concessions. I can see families literally being here on a Saturday for five hours,” Wilbur said.

Talladega Frights, the original scary attraction, began as a home haunt (named after the street on which Wilbur lived) then expanded in earnest two years ago when Wilbur collaborated with NOR Recreation and Parks District to provide a unique yearly event in Northwest Bakersfield. The community responded to it, but Wilbur soon noticed an additional need.

“Over the last two years, I saw instances where parents had to leave the haunt early with their children clinging to them in bear

hugs. They weren’t looking at anything and most likely won’t want to come back.”

So, Wilbur and Stubbs decided to create corn mazes that would be suitable for all ages — an attraction that isn’t scary but that will integrate nicely with the Halloween or fall theme. The corn mazes will incorporate games, races, and a series of checkpoints, where customers can earn prizes and discounts at local merchants.

By opening the Volvo Rents Corn Maze in 2010, Wilbur and Stubbs hope that families will get lost in the corn for a couple hours, get a pumpkin, and then, if they want, go through Talladega Frights when it opens at 7 p.m.

Roger Perez, marketing director for NOR, couldn’t be happier with the addition of the corn maze.

“It's a great idea for both NOR and Talladega Frights,” Perez said. “By providing a more rounded experience for families at the haunt, you are opening up the event to a wider audience for the haunted attraction and creating a great Halloween family tradition that everyone can be a part of.

“At NOR, our mission is to provide great programs that benefit the North of the River Community,” he said. “We feel that Talladega Frights helps us to do just that."

Never satisfied with the status quo, Wilbur says he gets bored easily and likes to improve the attraction every year. Future plans include a hayride through the corn maze, a bigger pumpkin patch, and hopefully a structure they don’t have to remove every November.

“We’d like to be able to do this full time,” added Stubbs, revealing that plans are in the works to build a 20,000-square-foot permanent building. “We’d like to include more family-oriented

Talladega Frights: Volvo Rents Corn Maze at Talladega Frights 11811 Rosedale Hwy. (just west of Jewetta) Hours: Corn maze open every day, Oct. 1- 31 Mon.-Thurs. 5-10pm Friday 5 p.m. to Midnight Saturday 10 a.m. to Midnight Sunday noon to 10 p.m.

Price: $9 adults, $5 children (kids 4 and under are free!)

Combo package: $20 (regular adult haunt and corn maze admission) Go online to: www.talladegafrights.com for more information.

activities and be open for business more. We’d like to open Talladega Frights for special nights like every Friday 13th or during Spring Break.”

In the meantime, the corn is growing.

“Two weeks ago when the corn was only 2-feet tall, we were kind of worried,” said Stubbs, laughing. “But now it’s almost 6-feet tall.”

By Oct. 1, opening day, they estimate the corn will be 8-feet tall, and by Halloween night, about 10- to 11- feet tall.

Tall enough, by far, for children to get lost in the corn.

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www.BakersfieldLife.com 61

IT’S A GUY THING

Sacred work

As San Joaquin Community Hospital celebrates 100 years, its executives review what has contributed to its long-term success.

Q

Why do you think the hospital has seen such great success in its 100-year history?

Bob: I think we are focused on trying to meet our community’s needs. For example, the Grossman Burn Center is here because Bakersfield needs a burn center. When we started our stroke center and even our chest pain center, we said we are doing OK, but we can do it better.

Brent: I think when a Christian-based organization tries to do the best they possibly can, God smiles on them. SJCH strives to treat everyone with the utmost respect and caring, while delivering high-quality care.

Jarrod: The hospital has a long history of being a pioneer in our community. We were the first in so many areas: open-heart surgeries, angiograms, stroke center, burn center; the list goes on and on. I love this kind of innovation because we’re always looking for ways to improve our community’s health and well-being.

Kevin: I think the hospital’s history of great vision, then the commitment and buy-in it takes to make those visions come true is what has made us so successful for so long. That, and always keeping up with the medical needs of our community.

Continued on page 64

62

Bakersfield Life

October 2010

Bob Beehler Jarrod McNaughton Vice president of marketing and development, San Joaquin Community Hospital

President and CEO, San Joaquin Community Hospital

Photos by Sean Work

Brent Soper Vice president of finance and CFO, San Joaquin Community Hospital

Kevin Burton President/executive director, San Joaquin Community Hospital Foundation

www.BakersfieldLife.com 63

Q

What is the greatest success story you’ve seen at San Joaquin?

Bob: Recently, my family had a medical emergency that was really serious. Because of our cardiac and stroke programs, my family is in perfect health today. That is the greatest story to me!

Soper: The true caring nature and skill of the staff. I’ve used our Emergency Department services, and I’ve had friends in our hospital. The quality of care and the skill displayed was outstanding.

Knowing this is the treatment our patients get every day is exciting.

awareness of the needs of our patients, visitors and employees. We are keenly aware that the people we take care of are important to all of us, and I believe it is noticed. I know I see it every day.

McNaughton: No question, it’s the people and culture. We have worked hard to develop our sacred work initiative, so that our entire employee family sees their work as a calling, not just a paycheck. It’s something we’re very proud of, especially since it honors our Christian heritage.

Burton: I think that would be our commitment to excellence. When we aim high, we really aim high and achieve – all for the betterment of this community.

McNaughton: The greatest story can be seen every day when patients are healed in our hospital. It’s a blessing to be part of this hospital.

Q

Burton: A gentleman who recently had a serious coronary blockage was flown to our ER by Hall Medivac, and was up in our cath lab within an incredible 22 minutes! And I’m happy to say that he had a positive outcome!

Bob: The chance to impact somebody’s life. Even though I don’t really do that directly, I can do things that make it easier or better for our people to affect the lives of others.

Q

What is the most meaningful part of your job?

A few years back, the hospital started an initiative encouraging employees to see their occupations not just as a paycheck but as “sacred work,” a higher calling.

How have you seen this at work in the hospital?

Soper: Being able to work with people who really get what being in health care is all about. And with our success, we have been able to reinvest in the well being of our health care.

Bob: I have seen it in the letters from patients. I have seen it in the stories that I hear from staff, and I see it every time I walk around the hospital. It has fundamentally changed our hospital.

Burton: Meeting grateful patients and their families – that’s when you see that the generous donations made to the SJCH Foundation are more than just about numbers. It’s about real people and caregivers who make a positive impact in patients’ lives right here in our community.

Soper: I see it every day. (Recently,) I saw an employee leaving work. She noticed a lady having difficulty getting up the incline of the sidewalk in her wheelchair. The employee helped her into the Emergency Department, going out of her way to help without even being asked. That’s sacred work.

McNaughton: Through sacred work, we’ve seen a dramatic change in our hospital and its culture. We’ve seen turnover decrease while satisfaction scores increase. We’ve seen business indicators improve, but more than anything, we’ve seen our employee family connect with our patients and their families like never before. That’s what it’s all about, being a healing presence to those around you.

Burton: Every employee you come across here at SJCH, they truly love what they do. This translates to showing genuine care for our patients and that’s definitely “sacred.”

Q

What do you think sets San Joaquin apart from other hospitals?

Bob: I think it is the culture, the culture of “sacred work.” Working at SJCH is more than just a work-for-money transaction. We are here because this is a mission to help people in our community.

Soper: I believe the culture of sacred work has increased our 64

Bakersfield Life

October 2010

McNaughton: There are so many! Health care is such a blessing to be part of because you’re a small piece of the miracles happening everyday in our community. From the amazing community partnerships we have to the fantastic patient outcomes, every piece of what we do is so meaningful.

Q

What are the hospital’s goals for the upcoming years?

Bob: With all of the drama confusion and hope for what health care reform will ultimately be it is hard for any of us to really know what the future holds. What is certain is that we want to continue to play a strong role in our community. We want to continue our mission of healing and expand it to cover as many people as can benefit from our work.

Soper: SJCH will to continue to lead the community in providing quality care. We intend on challenging ourselves to reach higher and higher quality goals, and we will offer more services that our community needs.

McNaughton: As is our custom at SJCH, we always have something in the works! We have some exciting plans that I can’t quite share yet, but I can tell you they will revolutionize how health care is delivered in our community.

Burton: We are always exploring more ways to offer the latest and greatest in health care, so our goal will be to continue that. I know we will have some exciting plans in our future.

My name is John, and this is my take…

For Pastor John May, golf is an escape from the daily routine.

But just over two years ago, what was supposed to be a relaxing round on the green, spiraled into a triple bypass at San Joaquin Community Hospital. Only that’s not where the story ends. Hardly. It was simply a chance for John to start working on an alternative ending, with a little help from some new friends at The SJCH Wellness Center.

“Having heart surgery was important, but it was also important for me to get in the habit of living healthier — I think that’s something most of us need to do. The staff at The Wellness Center helped me learn how to eat right and exercise regularly. In fact, I think they helped save my life.”

For the rest of the story, visit www.sjchmytake.com

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October 2010

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FALL

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Event includes Golden Empire Train Show and PumpkinFest

W

hen the leaves start to turn and the temperature gets cooler, you know it’s time for The Bakersfield Fall Home Show.

The Valley’s largest fall home show is returning Oct. 22, 23 and 24 at the Kern County Fairgrounds. This year’s show will highlight decorating and home décor, home remodeling, home theater and new energy-saving technologies.

And don’t forget, the garden seminars with Dale and Lindsey on the stage.

This year, the Bakersfield Fall Home Show is introducing two new events: the Golden Empire Train Show and PumpkinFest.

The Golden Empire Train Show will be in the Fine Arts Building and will feature five layouts, Kern County Live Steamers and a Thomas the Train Raffle by the Golden Empire Historical and Modeling Society.

PumpkinFest will be located behind the food concessions off of KC Lane and will feature a pumpkin patch, pony rides, train ride, petting zoo, straw maze, bouncy slide, pumpkin painting, Bakersfield Police K-9 demonstration (Saturday and Sunday two shows per day) and Kern County Sheriff’s Child Fingerprinting/ID. Fall is the perfect time to update your home, get inspired for your fall home makeover or find that perfect gift as you browse through fine art, home décor, collectibles and everything in between. A little remodeling can make you feel like you’re enjoying an entirely new stylish home along with the new season.

Upgrade quickly and inexpensively for a fall home makeover that will leave your holiday guest in awe.

With the recent conversion to digital television, there will be a number of

exhibitors providing a glimpse of what your new television is, can and will be and how you can integrate home theater and home office with style, elegance and functionality.

Come to the show and talk with one of our expert exhibitors about the newest innovations in Home Theater and Home Office Technologies.

Thousands of homeowners have turned to affordable solar power and the Fall Home Show is your one-stop-solarshop, where you can find custom design solar, financing, installation, Internet monitoring, and maintenance of a variety of solar products.

There is plenty of great food and fun for the whole family and lots of special show discounts.

So come enjoy this year’s Fall Home Show.

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Flowers Tips on fall

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lanting bulbs. October is the perfect time to plant your spring flowers. If you plant bulbs in October, it will give the bulb just enough time to grow roots before the soil freezes in the winter months. Bulbs will be in full bloom by spring.

Annuals. Pansies are the perfect fall flowers as they

start to come out by the end of summer. Johnny-jump-ups, snapdragons, asters, marigolds, petunias, zinnias, cosmos and ornamental cabbages are just a few annuals that will make the perfect fall bloom for a colorful garden. These will all continue to flower until the beginning of November!

Perennials. Perennials are thicker than annuals and

must be tucked up for the winter because they do not do well in the cold and frosty winters. Chrysanthemums or mums are

Home & Garden by Bakersfield Life 2010

the best-known fall perennial flowers and are known for their traditional yellow, orange, purple and red colors.

Decorating. All fall flowers should be placed in full

sun and should not be exposed to any wind. Place them next to green leaf plants to add some color to the landscape. Also, all fall colors won’t clash because they are all fall colors such as orange, yellow, purple, red and white.

Other flowers to plant in the fall: • Bachelor’s button — grows 12 to 30 inches upright and needs full sun exposure.

• Calendula — grows 30 inches tall and needs full sun as well • Canterbury bell — grows 4 feet tall and 2 inches wide • English daisy — produces 1 to 3 inches blooms in moist, rich soil.

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Establishing a focal point is a key step in successfully redesigning a room.

Rearranging a room 1.

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Make sure to clean the room while all furniture is out.

2. Find the focal point. Decide what you want to focus on

in the room, whether it’s a picture, a piece of furniture or the view from the window.

3. Map it out. Moving furniture is hard on your back as

well as the furniture. Map it out before you start moving things around and changing it. And when you do move the

Home & Garden by Bakersfield Life 2010

furniture, make sure to remove all drawers from tables, dressers, and desks when lifting to lighten the load.

4. Mix it up. Before you put the finishing touches on the move, try removing accessories and art from a few rooms. Gather them together in a place where you can assess them and group by styling and what matches your room’s new look. Try to create different groupings and see how this simple trick can transform your space.

5. Create balance. Don’t put items together that are the same

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here’s a reason more people are making the move to solar than ever before.

According to Glenn Bland, owner of Bland Solar and Air, “by outsmarting your meter, you can lower or even eliminate your electric bill. In other words, rather than paying PG&E for power through a smart meter, produce your own power, run your meter backwards and check your own carbon footprint offset online.�

According to Bland, costs, which may have been prohibitive in the past, can now be avoided with financing.

With approved credit, there are unsecured low interest loans available with little or no down payment.

There is a definite advantage to buying versus leasing a solar system.

Homeowners will receive both a tax credits and an instant rebate from PG&E. When the 30 percent tax credit is received, homeowners can apply it to the loan, re-amortize, and cut payments in half. The payoff time is then decreased significantly. In addition to the immediate financial advantages, the homeowner will see an increased property value, and a return on their investment in as little as five years.

Even though leasing a system has become popular, there are disadvantages that homeowners may not realize.

First, there is no rebate or tax credit available. At the end of a lease, as with an automobile, you would either have to pay the residual value of the system, re-lease it, or have it removed.

So you never really own the system. When a homeowner moves, this can cause added problems. They are

10

Home & Garden by Bakersfield Life 2010

SOLAR

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Bland’s solar expertise goes beyond Bakersfield, as he travels across the United States and teaches classes on solar installation. Bland stresses that Solar buyers can create positive cash flow by saving money on utility bills and having low or no utility bills after the system is paid off.

For more information, stop by Bland Solar & Air’s 10,000square-foot office, showroom, classroom, distribution and warehouse facility located at 4303 East Brundage Lane or visit www.outsmartyourmeter.com.

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TA L K O F T H E TO W N

Greg Chamberlain Bakersfield College president

What is it about BC that keeps enrollment consistently high?

Bakersfield College does a really good job in meeting the needs of the community.

We do this by adjusting the educational programs we offer, adding services that the community requests, and ensuring that we are providing a quality, relevant education.

People in the community trust Bakersfield College to help them achieve their educational goals, whether it be transferring to a four-year university, getting new or updated vocational skills, or getting better prepared for college-level work.

In the face of serious budget cuts, how has the college been coping?

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Bakersfield Life

October 2010

Photo by Sean Work

Though the recession has taken a toll on everyone, BC is still highly affordable. Have you seen any significant increases or decreases in enrollment?

Bakersfield College is a great value in higher education, as are all community colleges in California. We were designed to take some of the undergraduate education burden from the CSU and UC systems, and we do that really well. But whenever the state experiences a difficult economic period, our enrollment skyrockets. Unfortunately, that happens at about the same time that we are asked to cut our budget. For the fall 2010 semester, which started in late August, we are up 5.8 percent over last year to more than 18,000 students.

It’s been a difficult couple of years, which have required that we make tough decisions. Ultimately, Bakersfield College’s mission is to educate the community, and we are doing everything possible to make sure that we achieve that mission. We’ve tightened the proverbial belt, looked at ways to be more efficient, and have been able to add about 40 more classes for the fall 2010 semester.

What is the biggest challenge BC will face next?

Bakersfield College is meeting this economy head-on, but with a late California state budget and its unknown impact on our college budget, we will have to wait and see what is coming. That is our biggest challenge.

What BC event are you most excited about this year?

I’m always excited about Bakersfield College. Whether it’s cheering on the Renegades at a Saturday night football game, experiencing fine dining in the Renegade Room, enjoying a cultural performance in our Indoor Theater or just wandering campus and speaking to students, I’m excited. Bakersfield College is a great place to be involved with. There’s always something happening.

By the numbers, what is the most popular program at BC? Just looking at the numbers, registered nursing is the most popular program. Students “self-declare” what their major is, so many of those students might never actually enter the program. After registered nursing are business administration, criminal justice, liberal

studies and psychology, in that order. Bakersfield College awards the most degrees in liberal arts/science, registered nursing, biology and business administration. The college also awards numerous certificates in areas such as assistant teacher, nurse assistant and auto CAD (computer-aided design/drafting).

The BC nursing program just received great nursing exam results. What is the secret to the program’s success?

I’m sure there are many things that factor into the success of the program. We have quality faculty who are practicing nurses and work quite hard to educate their future colleagues. We have hospital partners who provide a hands-on learning environment for our students. We have support from the medical community across Bakersfield with career opportunities for our students. But most of all, we have students who are driven to succeed.

Where do you see the school in the next five or 10 years?

In 2013, Bakersfield College will be 100 years old. I see Bakersfield College in five years celebrating that historic achievement. It’s amazing to me – this college has been around for nearly 100 years, educating those who lead our community. We’ll be looking to the future, to what programs, services and locations will best meet the continued needs of the community, from then into the future. We’ll be continuing to provide a quality, affordable education, which helps students achieve their educational goals, whatever those may be.

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www.BakersfieldLife.com 69

Photo courtesy of NETworks

E N T E R TA I N M E N T

Beauty and the Beast

Broadway in Bakersfield Classic musical numbers are key to the five upcoming shows

By Melissa Peaker-Whitten

I

f you love live, professional theatre but can’t get to the ‘Big Apple,’ fear not!

Broadway in Bakersfield is returning for its seventh season. Presented by Memorial Hospital, JAM Theatricals and staged at the Rabobank Theater, the group will be featuring five fabulous shows that offer something for everyone.

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Bakersfield Life

October 2010

The season kicks off in November with Disney’s classic love story “Beauty and the Beast.” Bring the whole family out to see the stage adaptation of the Academy Award-winning animated film, filled with wonderful songs you can sing along to and unforgettable characters you will fall in love with all over again.

“We take pride in having served Bakersfield with top-quality Broadway productions for the past six seasons,” says Steve Traxler, President of Jam Theatricals.

“This year’s season is filled with iconic performances for all ages to enjoy.

“High quality productions allow us to usher in a new generation of arts supporters by introducing them to our favorite performances,” Traxler said. “We are thrilled to be a part of that legacy in Bakersfield.”

Each month, Broadway in Bakersfield, will present a different show.

In January, welcome the New Year by taking a trip back in time to the fabulous 1950s, for the all-American classic, “Grease.” This timeless love story, set to the be-bopping favorites of the rock and roll era, is jam-packed with great songs and dance numbers that will knock your bobby socks off.

In February, enjoy a romantic evening out with your favorite guy or gal and experience what it was like to be around during the Rat Pack’s heyday. This tribute to Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin and Joey Bishop, features hits from their Vegas night club era, accompanied by a live big band, and including songs such as “Fly Me to the Moon” and “That’s Amore.” The “Rat Pack is Back” is sure to be a hit for fans of all ages.

March offers up a spectacular concert and 200,000-watt light show “The Pink

Broadway in Bakersfield Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Mon. Nov. 15, 2010, 7:30 p.m.

Grease Tue., Jan. 24, 2011, 7:30 p.m.

The Rat Pack is Back!

Wed., Feb. 23, 2011, 7:30 p.m.

The Pink Floyd Experience Thur., Mar. 31, 2011, 7:30pm

The Rat Pack is Back

Floyd Experience.” This show, performed live by six amazing musicians, features Pink Floyd’s greatest hits, including “Wish You Were Here,” “Time” and “Another Brick in the Wall.” Come out and experience classic rock like you never have before.

And in April, the season ends on a high note, with a musical theatre tradition, “Fiddler on the Roof.” This Tony Award-winning show gives a nostalgic nod to simpler times and includes classic songs such as “Tradition,” “If I Were A Rich Man” and “Sunrise, Sunset.”

These heartwarming favorites, coupled with brilliant choreography, make for an unforgettable blend of storytelling through song and dance.

Tickets are available for individual shows or you can become a Broadway Subscriber, which guarantees same great seats to all season shows, as well as the chance to renew those seats from year to year.

Subscribers also receive additional ticket discounts and the chance to purchase tickets to added shows before the general public.

Ticket prices range from $105 to $190 depending on seating choice and are sent by mail to avoid box office lines and lost ticket insurance is included at no charge.

For more information on becoming a Broadway Subscriber visit the box office, call (661) 8527308 or visit their website at rabobankarena.com

Photo courtesy of Troika Entertainment

Photo courtesy of BBO NYC

Fiddler on the Roof Thur., Apr. 7, 2011, 7:30 p.m.

Fiddler on the Roof www.BakersfieldLife.com

71

OUR TOWN

Bakersfield’s crowned beauties Pageant season gets underway for hopefuls

By Lisa Kimble

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Bakersfield Life

October 2010

Photo courtesy of Gayle Tape

D

o not judge a book by its cover, unless it is that of former Mrs. California International Ashley Pavletich of Bakersfield, or longtime local pageant producer and former Miss California Gayle Tape, or 2010 Miss Bakersfield Katie Cooksey.

If so, then you’ll find the cover, along with the many ‘chapters,’ to be every bit as lovely as the cover girls.

Veterans of beauty pageants like Tape and Pavletich say they are used to being overshadowed by the glamour of athletics.

They are used to the occasional bad apple, a beauty behaving badly. And they are very familiar with clichés like not judging a book by its cover. Yet they all agree that beyond the pretty made-up faces and sparkly tiaras, this sisterhood of mentoring that their pageant participation produces is worth every high-heeled step. “Winning is not in the crown, it is learning something new about yourself,” said Tape, who has been producing the Teen, Miss and Mrs. Bakersfield International pageants for 17 years.

The allure is as mesmerizing as the contestant’s bejeweled gowns. What young girl hasn’t been the slightest bit green with envy while watching Miss America glide across the television screen? But the road to the national crown begins on Main Street, and as Tape cautions, not all pageants or their systems are created equal.

Bakersfield has three pageant franchises, all distinct in their winning formulas.

Tape’s Teen, Miss and Mrs. Bakersfield

Gayle Tape (Director), Megan Raymond (2010 Mrs. Bakersfield), Katherine Cooksey (2010 Miss Bakersfield) & Mackenzie Carter (2010 Miss Teen Bakersfield). pageant touts a sorority-like program built on working in the community and emphasizes character development through commitment and choices. Scholarships and other prizes await the winners. “I tell the girls our biggest opponent is our own potential,” Tape added.

The Miss Kern County competition is aligned with the Miss America franchise where talent is a big factor, and the Junior

Miss pageant feeds into the national Jr. Miss program for girls in the eleventh grade. Only the Miss USA program is not represented by a formal locally-produced pageant. Instead, a traveling talent scout solicits interested participants for the state’s competition.

If, as the idiom suggests, pretty is as pretty does, then for these young women, beauty is more than just skin deep. Their

community platforms are ledges of service, not just lip service, and have embraced everything from education and self-esteem to homelessness. “Why our program has been so successful is that we need a village to raise young women today,” Tape said. “Most of the girls who go on see the merit and want to come back to help other girls in the program.”

In her three decades of mentoring and coaching, Gayle Tape has guided more than 500 contestants through the pageant system. That’s a lot of lipstick and motherly support.

Thirty-year-old Pavletich, who last month ended her reign as Mrs. California International 2010, is among them. Her win last year was the first state title for the local pageant. “My year as Mrs. California International 2010 has been one that I will never forget. Being able to bring Character Counts to children in Bakersfield has been a life changing experience,” Pavletich said of her service platform, which highlighted the self-esteem program. “I was blessed this year to have talked with hundreds of children in Bakersfield about making good choices.”

Tape, a former runner-up to Miss USA, has three grown children, but considers each of her pageant beauties extended family. For her, the local pageant is a labor of love. “I didn’t have a mentor when I was young and competing in pageants,” she added. “It is not about how many crowns I got but how many lives I have touched.”

In October, Mackenzie Carter, reigning Miss Teen Bakersfield, was crowned Miss Teen California International for 2011. Next month three new women will be selected to serve as city ambassadors for a year and compete in the California International pageant next September. Last month, two atlarge contestants from Tape’s pageant program also attended the state competition representing greater Bakersfield.

Meanwhile, at the end of next month, 21-year-old Adrianna Vega, who has been training and preparing for seven months, will compete in her first pageant – the Miss California USA pageant. Vega, a graduate of Bakersfield College who plans to study communications at CSUB in the spring, was contacted by a recruiter for the national organization in February. She will represent Bakersfield as an at-large contestant. Her entry fee, nearly $2,000, will cover everything from photos to accommodations for her November convention expenses. “The experience helps you put your best foot forward at work and in school, not because of the outward appearance but because of what you have to do on the inside,” she said.

By industry standards, the Bakersfield Teen, Miss and Mrs. Pageant’s entry fee, which includes five weeks of training and grooming, is affordable at a fraction of the Miss USA investment. But for Tape, cost should never prohibit someone from participation. “I try to make it financially possible so it won’t be off limits to anyone.” She has been known to borrow from her loaner closet of gowns when the need has arisen.

“The crown is simply a tool. The life-skills these young girls are learning will stay with them for the rest of their life.”

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73

H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

One of the sleep rooms at Sandman Technologies.

Restless nights could be sleep apnea Sandman Technologies could put you on a path to the good sleep you’ve been missing

By Gabriel Ramirez

Photos by Greg Iger

M

any times, it’s the quality of something that is important, not the quantity.

And that goes for sleep, too. So if you sleep for a good eight hours, and you still wake up tired, it may not be your mattress or your pillow.

It could be sleep apnea, a condition in which you temporarily stop breathing while you sleep.

There are two basic types of sleep apnea: Obstructive, which occurs when your airway collapses fre-

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Bakersfield Life

October 2010

quently throughout the night; And central, which occurs when your brain doesn’t send the signal telling your lungs to breathe.

So how common is sleep apnea?

About 9 percent of middle-aged women, 25 percent of middleaged men and 86 percent of obese diabetics suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), said Al “The Sandman” Bensusen, owner of Sandman Technologies Inc. at 2030 Truxtun Ave. But only 10 percent have been diagnosed.

And it can be a lot more serious than simply having a restless night.

“The average death rate in the USA is 2.85 per 1,000,” Bensusen said. “But in patients with OSA, it is 14.6 per 1,000.

“People need to know that they are dealing with something that can kill them,” he said.

Obstructive sleep apnea can lead to high-blood pressure, cardiac problems, increased insulin resistance, memory problems and stroke.

“There are many dangers of having OSA. Some of these risks

include chronic pain and tension, depression, lack of energy and poor concentration,” Bensusen said.

Signs that a person might suffer from OSA include loud snoring, excessive fatigue during the day, sexual dysfunction, morning headaches and not breathing during periods of sleep.

There are a few treatments for OSA. These include lifestyle changes such as weight loss and not smoking, changing position in bed, wearing an oral appliance at night, surgery and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).

Sandman Technologies focuses on testing patients who believe they might have sleep apnea and providing CPAP machines.

“What we do here is give Bensusen people a good night of sleep,” Bensusen said. “Many people who come here haven’t had a good night of sleep in years.”

Bensusen said once patients use the CPAP machine, they will never go without it because they will immediately notice the benefits of good sleep.

“They have more energy and more focus,” Bensusen said.

“The benefits of a good night of sleep are incredible.”

Bensusen said people need 20 percent more oxygen when sleeping than when awake, and often times, those people with sleep apnea are getting less oxygen than when they are awake.

“By using a CPAP, those people with sleep apnea will see sleep patterns return to normal, patients will feel more rested, there will be less strain on the heart and health risks linked to sleep apnea will be reduced,” Bensusen said.

“There is constant research being done on sleep apnea and the benefits of good sleep.”

and an intercom system.”

Sleep Apnea, a potential life-threatening disorder, can be diagnosed and treated in our lab during a one-night sleep study. The treatment utilizes a CPAP, which is the gold standard for treating OSA. The function of a CPAP is to stabilize the sleeping patient's airway by delivering filtered room air through a small nasal silicone mask. This treatment provides the patient with a normal night's sleep, normal blood oxygen level and no snoring.

Before CPAP, the only treatment for OSA was a tracheotomy which involved a permanent opening in the patient's airway. Dr. Colin Sullivan developed the first CPAP machine for the non-surgical procedure in treating OSA 32 years ago in Australia.

Do you think you may need a sleep study? Come into the Sandman office at 2030 Truxtun near Mercy Hospital and complete a Berlin Questionnaire.

The short questionnaire can assist your primary healthcare provider in determining the need for your referral to our sleep lab. When you come into the office, you have the opportunity of a walk-thru of the facility, receive responses to any sleep questions and discover the different types of CPAPs and nasal attachments.

“Our favorite part of our business are the stories told by our patients after being treated, describing their new life of renewed energy, better memory and many other health improvements. We are very thankful that our referring primary healthcare providers share their patients with us and allow us a unique job satisfaction that is very rare.”

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More about Sandman Technologies: Sandman is a local sleep diagnostic laboratory and provider of CPAP machines for the treatment of sleep apnea. The facility is owned by Al Bensusen, a polysomnographic technologist and a Bakersfield native. He opened the sleep facility 22 years ago.

Al has diagnosed and treated several thousand patients in Kern County.

In 1969, Al started his career in sleep medicine at Stanford, while evaluating the efficacy of a new sleeping medication in Stanford's Sleep Lab. Ricardo Vega, M.D., is the sleep facility’s medical director. He is board certified in sleep medicine by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Chris Calvillo, RPSGT, is the chief technologist and studied electroneurodiagnostic and polysomnography at the Naval School of Health and Science in Bethesda, Maryland. Chris has 14 years experience as a sleep technologist.

According to Al, Sandman is the first company in Kern County to provide sleep testing and CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) treatment for the Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) patient. “Our lab is decorated as a warm and pleasant environment, which encourages patients to relax. The fully decorated bedrooms have full-size high quality mattresses, HD TVs, room air purifiers

Attend our FREE Alaska Travel Show Monday, November 1st, 2010 at 6:15pm LOCATION: KERN CITY TOWN HALL

1003 Pebble Beach Drive, Bakersfield CA 93309 For more information call (661) 852-4076 Automobile Club of Southern California 1500 Commercial Way-1st floorBakersfield CA 93309

(661) 852-4070 CTR#1016202-80

www.BakersfieldLife.com

75

Chris Ballad turned down his dream job to work with the disadvantaged in Kern County

Chris Ballard Community organizer walks In homeless’ shoes

By Lisa Kimble

W

hen Chris Ballard says he understands the plight and fears of the homeless, he means it, and in ways most of his nonprofit advocates will never know.

While most people can only empathize with the men and women who call the streets home, Ballard did the unimaginable earlier this year, spending a week of his vacation to walk in the shoes of the needy and experience homelessness, in San Francisco.

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Bakersfield Life

October 2010

As the 24-year-old expected, the grass was not greener on the other side of the fence. But the experiment both enlightened the Faith In Action Kern County Lead Organizer and lit a fire within him.

“It [homelessness] levels you and brings you back down to the reality of life that we ignore, but makes you more human,” Ballard said.

Sleeping on the streets was not even remotely close to what Ballard expected to be doing after college. The Wasco native graduated Fresno State, where he studied political science, business and accounting.

Almost immediately, he says he was offered a ‘dream’ job with the San Jose office of accounting firm Pricewaterhouse.

But Ballard did the unthinkable in the midst of great economic uncertainty and

Photo by Casey Christie

PERSONALITY

turned down the offer to return home to work in the community.

“I felt I needed to equip myself with some kind of change within the community,” he said. “The thought of crunching numbers all day in an office cubicle is not where I see myself.”

Ballard says he has always been inspired by great men in history – John Kennedy, Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. “Growing up, I always had an affinity for justice,” he said. “Our family didn’t have a lot of money, but we had a lot of love.” Joining Faith In Action Kern County as a community organizer, the same job another one of his inspirations - President Obama, held before entering law school – seemed like a perfect fit. He’s been with the organization just more than a year,

Photo by Casey Christie

working on a variety of issues challenging communities across the county – from unemployment and economic woes to neighborhood safety.

Homelessness never drops from the top of the list.

“As a community organizer, I felt I had to figure out how to actually address the issue,” Ballard added.

“Growing up poor, I saw the burden, but I never experienced homelessness.”

So last March, just eight months into his new job, he bought a train ticket to San Francisco to spend a week on the streets, in a city where the homeless community is as raw and the conditions as perilous as any place in the country.

Ballard says he slept on the ground, fended off rats, panhandled, and spent hours talking to “The homeless have their vagrants, studying them own set of rules and there as if researching a college is a different code on the paper. He also spent time streets. At any time, you in a shelter, where he says can be stabbed or beaten he feared for his own life.

“It felt inhumane to be up.” in a room with 150 beds — Chris Ballard just a few feet apart,” he said. “To see their faces, these were drug addicts, some were mentally ill, you could see the disease in their faces.”

He remembered the harrowing feeling he felt when the lights went out and a fight broke out between two men several beds away, one man brutally beating down another.

“It is scary to wake up and see someone standing over you.

The homeless have their own set of rules and there is a different code on the streets,” he said. “At any time, you can be stabbed or beaten up.”

For Ballard, the experience emboldened him with the passion to answer an inner voice. He was neither deterred nor discouraged.

“When you can wake up in the morning and know you are doing the right thing, you know you’ve made the right choice,” he admits.

Ballard, who is single, makes the daily commute to work in Bakersfield from Wasco, where he still lives with and supports his parents.

Right now, Ballard says he is exactly where he wants and needs to be.

“I take on their [community’s] burdens. I build a relationship with these church communities, but we need more young people to get involved this way,” he said.

“We have our best days ahead of us, but if we don’t stand up and take action, then we will fall back into the cycle of dark streets, and poverty,” Ballard said. “And if we don’t stand up, who will?”

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77

TRIP PLANNER

Off to the lake

Cachuma Lake is an ideal spot for the fishermen in mind.

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Bakersfield Life

October 2010

Photo by John Corney

Cachuma Lake offers a relaxing getaway, no matter what your comfort level is with the great outdoors

By Chelley Kitzmiller

S

ome of my fondest memories are of our camping vacations.

For your next trip, may I suggest Cachuma Lake, just north of Santa Barbara? I visited Cachuma Lake some 20 years ago and don’t recall it being as nice as it is now. It has truly evolved and become a recreational paradise for camping families.

And what’s really great is that it’s so close to civilization!

This beautiful lake can be enjoyed year around. Set between the Santa Ynez and San Rafael Mountains, it shimmers in the morning sunlight like a blue diamond. There are so many things to see and do that you might have trouble deciding what to do first.

Camping We parked our RV in one of the 90 full hookup sites so I could indulge my desire for creature comforts, i.e. a computer, a TV for watching all the movies I missed at home, etc. I’m past wanting to rough it and be one with nature.

If you’re a tent camper, you’ve got several hundred sites from which to choose, each with a picnic table and barbecue pit. Hot showers, restrooms and water are close by. Our site overlooked the lake, and there’s nothing like watching the boats head toward the docks when the sun is going down.

If you don’t have a tent or an RV, you can rent a one- or two-bedroom cabin that has full baths and kitchenettes, a fully equipped camping trailer or a yurt, which is a cross between a tent and a tepee. Yurts are set apart from other campsites for privacy and have redwood decks that curve around the exterior to provide stunning views of the lake and the surrounding mountains. Camping groups may reserve group sites in advance.

Fishing My husband is a High Sierra stream fisherman but even he was impressed with the size of the trout people were pulling out of the lake. Rocky drop-offs, shallow areas and weed beds help make Cachuma one of Southern California’s premier fishing lakes.

A map, available at the marina, shows where the best spots are to catch small- and large-mouth bass, bluegill, red ear perch, crappie, catfish and trout. Each winter the lake is stocked with some 150,000 rainbow trout ranging from 1 to 7 pounds. Fishing licenses, available at the marina, are required for anyone over 16. A bait and tackle shop is located at the marina, along with a fish cleaning station. For the competitive fisherman, there’s a trout derby every April (TroutDerby.org).

Boating Bring your own boat (visit sbparks.org for details) or simply rent an outboard, rowboat, patio deck pontoon or paddleboats and explore the lake’s shoreline.

Continued on page 80 www.BakersfieldLife.com

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Continued from page 79

Cachuma Lake

Nature center The center teaches about the flora and fauna that make up the unique ecosystem that encompasses the lake, the Upper Santa Ynez River and the watershed of the San Rafael Mountains. More than 3,400 students from 65 different schools visited the center in 2009, making it a recognized resource for community teachers.

The center features an array of hands-on displays and exhibits of local wildlife, plant communities, geology, Chumash traditional culture and Bradbury Dam history.

n Information and group reservations 805-686-5054 or 805-686-5050 n Nature Center 805-693-0691 or Julie@clnaturecenter.org n Fishing conditions 805-686-5054, press #4 n Mattei’s Tavern 805-688-4820, matteistavern.com

Nature and wildlife cruises Starting Nov. 1 and running through February, set out with a Cachuma Lake naturalist, who narrates a two-hour tour. From the deck of the 48-foot Osprey, you can see bald eagles, Canada geese, buffleheads, teals, gadwalls and loons. If you plan a return trip, from March 1 into October, another naturalist-led cruise focuses on waterfowl, wildflowers and local history.

Workshops/programs and other amenities In October, check out “Creepy Creatures,” a free program that features live spiders, snakes and owls.

In November, enjoy a “Kids’ Old Fashioned Fishing Day,” a funfilled event where kids fish for rainbow trout in the swimming pool using cane poles and bobbers.

The lake area also includes a general store, snack bar and grill,

bait and tackle shop, gas station, pay phones, coin laundry, RV dump station, video arcade, numerous children’s play areas, public swimming pool, bicycle rentals, fishing piers, miniature golf and hiking trails.

Also along the way …

Just a short drive south on the 101 is the village of Solvang, known for its Danish bakeries and restaurants. Shopping Solvang is unlike any shopping I’ve ever done —everything is unique.

Between Cachuma Lake and Solvang are dozens of wineries, many of which offer wine tastings as well as wine-related gifts. Los Olivos, with its quaint Victorian ambiance, is considered to be one of the finest art colonies on the West Coast, with several first-rate galleries. Treat yourself to a five-star dinner at the historic Mattei’s Tavern, built 1886, just as Los Olivos was being formed.

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Bakersfield Life

October 2010

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PRODUCTS AROUND TOWN Britax Boulevard

Engineered for safety, BRITAX Boulevard convertible car seats feature SafeCells. It is designed to compress in a crash, significantly lowering the center of gravity and counteracting the forward rotation of the child seat.

There is a 70-pound weight capacity for safety and comfort as your child grows. With a plus, easy to remove cover with matching comfort pads and infant body pillow to provide extra comfort and easy cleaning without disassembling or uninstalling the child seat. Now available at JM’s Just for Children, located at 930 Wible Rd in Bakersfield.

Jeans that don’t sag

Divaz Desirez Boutique, now open at the corner of Coffee and Hageman, carries many brands and styles of women’s jeans. If you’re tired of having your jeans sag and get baggy after a few hours, you should try Dish and Desi brand jeans. Dish and Desi come in junior and women’s sizes with low, mid and high rise. These jeans are designed to fit in the evening the same way they fit that morning. Divaz Desirez is your exclusive source for Dish and Desi. Stop by and see us, give us a call (661) 6797278, or visit us at divazdesirez.com.

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Handmade English Toffee Luxurious Candles for the Home

LUX Candles appeal to everyone with a passion fro luxury and beauty. Interior Accents carries the exquisite collection of LUX candles, vanity accessories and candle pins. These unique items will add distinction and flare to any home or office. With the fast approach of the holiday season LUX candles and accessories are the ultimate gift idea for everyone on your list. 6801 White Ln. B-2, 833-1650.

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The Great American Trailer Park Musical

The Spotlight Theatre is proud to present The Great American TrailerPark Musical, a wildly funny and tarttongued musical comedy that will have you laughing hard enough to make a swig of Wild Turkey come out your nose. This musical boasts a clever score and heartfelt story with just the right amount of twang and an exceptional cast, all of whom seem to be having a blast. “Southpark meets Despirate Housewives” - New York Times.

Showing from Oct. 8-30th. Tickets are $25.00 and are available at the box office. Call 661.634.0692 for reservations. 1622 19th Street, Bakersfield, California 93301. www.thespotlighttheatre.com

Spotlight Theater 82

Bakersfield Life

October 2010

Antonette and Diane started out making Aunt Mae’s fine handmade English toffee for close family and friends.

Once their friends tried it they were hooked. The special combination of ingredients and the cooking process results in a rich candy that is mouth-watering, delectable and crunchy. This delicious English toffee can be found at Luigi’s, Flourishing Art and Sweet Surrender in Bakersfield. Open from October to May. Call 725-5200 or visit www.auntmaessweettooth.com for direct orders, other locations and information. Gorgeous gift boxes are available in various sizes.

Aunt Mae’s Sweet Tooth

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bareMinerals Get Started Kit at Lashes & Mustaches Not sure where to begin? Shop at Lashes & Mustaches.

Here’s everything you Need to get started – from Foundation to the finishing touch.

The best place for bareMinerals is Lashes & Mustaches, 5060 Californian Ave #100 in the Stockdale Towers, 836-9775.

Bare Essentials

Happy Halloween

Don’t forget about your pooch this Halloween!! Biscuit Boutique has many Halloween costumes available. Hurry in for Halloween treats & toys for your four legged Trick-or-Treaters! Biscuit Boutique & Doggy Spa, 1617 19th Street, 661-321-9602

Scare Up Some Creativity

Make plans to join us for our frightful "Paint by Candlelight Halloween Edition" on Friday, Oct. 29 from 6 to 11pm! Wear your costume for a free studio fee, or we might just "Trick" you! We have all the ghosts, goblins, witches and pumpkins to make your Halloween both frightful and festive. Located in The Marketplace shopping center. Open 7 days a week. Hours are Mon-Thurs 11 am – 9 pm, Fri-Sat 11 am – 10 pm, Sun noon - 6 pm.

Biscuit Boutique

Color Me Mine

ELLE Collection

Eminence

The ELLE Jewelry Collection in a brand extension to the largest fashion publication in the world, ELLE Magazine.

ELLE Jewelry is a highly polished sterling silver, rhodium-plated collection. Each piece is complimented with a genuine ruby signature logo.

Exclusively at Jane’s Jewelers, at the corner of Calloway and Hageman, 587-6242, janesjewelers. com.

Eminence organic skin care is now available at Urban Oasis Spa. Bamboo and guava join forces in a strengthening moisturizer for ALL skin types. Elasticity and hydration are returned to the skin with the strength of bamboo, loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and proteins.

This luscious partnership of bamboo and exotic carotenoid-rich guava, results in strong, healthy skin. For more information contact Urban Oasis Spa, 1910 19th Street #B, (661) 873-4001

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Jane’s Jewelers

Ghostly Delights

Gallery Invitation

Art Express at the Curiosity Shop owners, Kathy and Charles Davis, invite you to visit their gallery at 1607 19th St., where they offer unique, new and vintage art as well as design pieces to fit many styles. Currently on display and available for purchase are serigraphs by world renowned artists, Sabzi “Enduring Mysteries” and John Powell “Spring Iris.”

The Art Express promotes local artist through various marketing methods and is open to reviewing art for display. They

will soon be offering custom framing. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m to 5 p.m.

Art Express

Looking for a deliciously spooky Halloween treat? Try a box of ghost shaped artisan designed chocolate truffles at Lil B’s Sweet Tooth. Made by the award winning company Choclatique, the terrifyingly tasty truffles come in eight flavors including Gruesome Grape, Slimy Lime and Chocolate Goo. Lil B’s Sweet Tooth also has a large assortment of nostalgic candies, sodas and toys. Lil B’s Sweet Tooth at The Marketplace, 9000 Ming Ave. Suite H4, 665-8500.

Lil B’s Sweet Tooth www.BakersfieldLife.com 83

THE PROMENADE

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Newcomers Club of Bakersfield A social club for women who are new to Bakersfield.

See 50 photo visual tours of property listings, and search for homes at:

Offering monthly luncheons and lots of activities including Bunco, Bridge, Book Club and Mah Jong.

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Or email us at bakersfieldnewcomers@yahoo.com 19th & N Street, Downtown Bakersfield (661) 325-8476

K BA

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AD

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October 2010

PO

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To advertise in The Promenade, please call Jamie Parker at 395-7542

Or visit our website at www.bakersfieldnewcomersclub.com

Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting for Padre Hotel Aug. 12, 2010 Held at The Padre Hotel Photos by José Treviño View these photos and more online at BakersfieldLife.com

Jay Tamsi, Maria Garcia and Noe Garcia.

Ramona Herrera and Richard Guzman

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www.bakersfieldgi.com www.BakersfieldLife.com 85

Unveiling of Cadillac CTS Coupe Aug. 19, 2010 Held at Three-Way Cadillac Photos by Jan St Pierre View these photos and more online at BakersfieldLife.com

Beth and Bob Elhindi

Gary Abrams and Gerie Clay

Bruce Jay, Bryan Lynn and Rick Kreiser

Julio and Olivia Garcia

Linda Meijer and Phyllis Winslow

Scott Sutton, Jim Miller and Tony Fusciardi 86

Bakersfield Life

October 2010

Walk to Defeat ALS kick-off party Sept. 1, 2010 Held at the home of Tom and Lisa Ewing Photos by Felix Adamo View these photos and more online at BakersfieldLife.com Andrea Jones and Cindy Jackson

James Ewing and Tom Ewing

Greg Gilli, Linda Gilli and Stacy Inman

Rachel Robinson, Helen Pacheco and Billie Goodman

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www.BakersfieldLife.com 87

Michael Rubio fundraiser Sept. 2, 2010 Held at Bakersfield Country Club Photos by JosĂŠ TreviĂąo View these photos and more online at BakersfieldLife.com

H.A Sala, Sylvia Mendez,, Dora and Michael Rubio, Jana and Joe Campell

Jocelynn Moore, Michelle Carpenter and Kim Salas

Caroline Wilson and Dena Brashear

Brad Antonioni, Lorena Berumen and Brooke Antonioni

Gabriel Godinez, H.A Sala, Patty Pfister Doug Gosling and Randall B. Dickow 88

Bakersfield Life

October 2010

Rudy Salas, Sergio Reyes and Ricardo G. Chavez

Dr. Aran Softa, Ajay Anand Mike Maggard and Dr. Brij Bhambi

Hot Summer Nights Sept. 3, 2010 Held at Home of Joey and Christy Porter Photos by Carla Rivas View these photos and more online at BakersfieldLife.com

Vip and Jodi Dev

Don and Gail McGill

Fred Garone, Sherrie McMurtrey, Joey Porter, Sandy Garone, Sandy and Mike Torigiani

Candice Villacana and Roland Burukert

Patrice Gatti, Tim and Nichole Scanlon and Terri Nixon 90

Bakersfield Life

October 2010

Fred Allison and Linda Hall

Jennifer and Darin Black, Gail and Butch McPhetridge

Latination II Sept. 3, 2010 Held at Metro Galleries Photos by JosĂŠ TreviĂąo View these photos and more online at BakersfieldLife.com

Jake Cavazos and Paola Fernandez

Nancy and Mike Willis

Paula Mande and Pat Frase

Michele and Paul Bell

Adrian Nevarez and Stephany Rashel

Mike and Karen McCloskey

Ricardo Garza and Juan Turner

Ann and Larry Orr

Steve Perez, Emilio Huerta and Dolores Huerta www.BakersfieldLife.com

91

John Brock Award presentation Sept. 9, 2010 Held at Seven Oaks Country Club Photos by Jan St Pierre View these photos and more online at BakersfieldLife.com

Harvey and Lavonne Hall, Libby Allen and Skyler Blair (front)

David and Susan Loomis

Patti and Ed Taylor

Kay and Brian Pitts

Patrick and Terri Collins

Greg Iger, Vince Fong and Mike Stepanovich

Esther and Rogers Brandon, Lou and Sheryl Barbich 92

Bakersfield Life

October 2010

Commercial | Industrial | Development | Investment

Re/Max Magic is proud to announce its new COMMERCIAL DIVISION With over 85 years of combined local commercial real estate experience,

We are NEW to Re/Max Magic, NOT to Kern County!

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THE LAST WORD

Mike Russo

come from a long retail background. My standard line is that “after years of working long hours for little pay for others, we decided to work long hours for little pay for ourselves.” It’s been a great ride … our customers are amazing, we have a dedicated staff, I get to remain close to my family, and, heck, I’m surrounded by books all day!

Owner, Russo’s Books Favorite part of your job: Make that jobs. In addition to Russo’s Books, I also teach retail sales for KHSD Regional Occupational Center. I’m having too much fun to call any of this work. My “favorite” aspect is helping my customers find a good book and my students find a good job.

Favorite getaway: Short of a CSUB baseball game, my wife says when I want to escape, I go to the bookstore. Once again, she is right. Did I mention that I enjoy my jobs?

Greatest piece of advice you’ve received: “All things are sweetened by risk.” by CSUB professor Charles McCall upon my college graduation. “Get a job!” by my parents on my 16th birthday.

Your first job: Well getting that first job at 16 wasn’t too challenging, as my dad, who was store manager at Montgomery Ward, hired me. My parents instilled in me a strong work ethic, so keeping the job was all on me.

What’s on your bookshelf: Not surprisingly, I have a webpage devoted to that very topic (RussosBooks.com/Mike). In reality, with three kids, two jobs, one wife, and numerous volunteer commitments, my reading time is limited. I enjoy nonfiction, including biographies, political, local/national history and sports.

What drove you to open a bookstore? My parents, siblings and I all

Three things that define Bakersfield to you: (1) Hard-working, kindhearted people. (2) This is self-serving, but the local stores (Urner’s, Floyd’s, Olcott’s, Stinsons, Green Frog, Henley’s, etc.) that give our community distinction and flavor.

Shop local! (3) Geography. Although our geography adds to our poor air quality, we’re far away from, but close enough to … everything.

Photo by Alex Horvath

Something about you that few people know: To use a pun from my profession, “I’m an open book.” If I could figure out the privacy settings on Facebook perhaps I’d be more mysterious. In short, I love my God, my family and my jobs. (yes,

in that order).

Place you could be found having lunch on the weekend: My wife usually brings me a sandwich from Caesar’s Deli. Can’t leave the bookstore -- weekends are when we are the busiest!

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Bakersfield Life

October 2010

$0 Drive Off on Select 2010 Hondas!

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FEATURED SPECIAL LEASE: Closed-end lease for 2010 Civic LX Automatic Transmission (Model FA1F5AEW) for $210.00 per month for 36 months with a no capitalized cost reduction available to customers who qualify for the HFS Super Preferred or Preferred credit tier. Other rates/tiers are available under this offer. $0 due at lease signing ($0 first month’s payment and no capitalized cost reduction with no security deposit; total net capitalized cost and base monthly payment does not include tax, license, title, registration, documentation fees, options, insurance and the like). Not all buyers may qualify. $0 due at lease signing offer requires dealer contribution, which could affect final negotiated transaction. Valid from 9/8/10 through 11/1/10

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Lease the New 2010 Accord LX AT CP2F3AEW

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36 month lease

FEATURED SPECIAL LEASE: Closed-end lease for 2010 Accord Sedan 5 Speed Automatic LX (Model CP2F3AEW) for $250.00 per month for 36 months with a no capitalized cost reduction available to customers who qualify for the HFS Super Preferred or Preferred credit tier. Other rates/tiers are available under this offer. $0 due at lease signing ($0 first month’s payment and no capitalized cost reduction with no security deposit; total net capitalized cost and base monthly payment does not include tax, license, title, registration, documentation fees, options, insurance and the like). Not all buyers may qualify. $0 due at lease signing offer requires dealer contribution, which could affect final negotiated transaction. Valid from 9/8/10 through 11/1/10

Hurry in for this Limited Time Offer!

4500 Wible Road

at the Entrance to Bakersfield Automall

834-6632

WE SPEAK SPANISH, ARABIC, TAGLOG, FARSI AND OF COURSE ENGLISH

barberhonda.com

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