05/17 bakersfield voice

w w w . b a k e r s f i e l d v o i c e . c o mF

RE

EMay 17-23, 2009

Steppingout in styleSteppingout in style

Do we have TWOcontests for you! Pg. 3Reading romance Pg. 6Relay for Life battlescancer for 25 years Pg. 7

Frontier High studentshead to the prom! Pg. 4Frontier High studentshead to the prom! Pg. 4

VISIT WWW.MIDASBAKERSFIELDCA.COM FORMORE GREAT TOTAL CAR CARE SAVINGS *O

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*Additional shop supply fee may be charged, where permitted by law. Consumer pays all taxes. Most vehicles. Cash value 1/100th of 1¢. Coupon must be presented at time of purchase. Not good with any other offer. Valid at participating location(s) listed below. Void if sold, copied or transferred and where prohibited by law. Expires 7/1/09.

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Excludes tires, batteries and oil changes. Discount off regularprice. Consumer pays all taxes. Most vehicles. Cash value1/100th of 1¢. Coupon must be presented at time of purchase.One coupon per total invoice. Not good with any other offer.Valid at participating location(s) listed below. Void if sold, copiedor transferred and where prohibited by law. Expires 7/1/09.

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2 W W W. B A K E R S F I E L DVO I C E .C O M MAY 17-23, 2009

EDITORIALOlivia Garcia VViiccee PPrreessiiddeenntt //CCoonntteenntt

[email protected]

Gene Garaygordobil MMaannaaggiinngg [email protected] 716-8642

Teresa Adamo AAssssoocciiaattee [email protected]

Sandra Molen WWrriitteerr//CCooppyy [email protected]

ARTTimothy Heinrichs [email protected]

ADVERTISINGJaime De Los Santos SSaalleess MMaannaaggeerr

[email protected] 716-8632

David Alanis SSaalleess EExxeeccuuttiivvee

Gustavo Carrillo SSaalleess EExxeeccuuttiivvee

Mark Wells SSaalleess EExxeeccuuttiivvee

Angela Espinoza SSaalleess EExxeeccuuttiivvee

Katie Blair SSaalleess EExxeeccuuttiivvee

Jose Trevino SSaalleess EExxeeccuuttiivvee

Samantha Vilchis SSaalleess EExxeeccuuttiivvee

OFFICEMarisol Sorto OOffffiiccee AAddmmiinniissttrraattoorr

[email protected] 716-8640

The Bakersfield VoiceP.O. Box 2344

Bakersfield, CA 93303

The Bakersfield Voice is publishedby Mercado Nuevo, an independent subsidiary of

The Bakersfield Californian.

To learn more or to contribute news andpictures, visit us online at:

www.bakersfieldvoice.com

Staff

BY KATIE (LOPEZ) GAGOCommunity contributor

t’s been 10 years already?Right now, we are seek-

ing Driller alumni fromBakersfield High School’sClass of 1999.

Please e-mail contact informa-tion to:[email protected]

We have set the date for Satur-day, Oct. 24. Cost will be $50 perperson. Location and time to beannounced soon!

Friday, Oct. 23 is the BHShomecoming game. We will havea sectioned roped off for class-mates and their family to enjoythe game at $2 per person.

Please send in your informa-tion!

Also, for regular updates,

check the BHS Class of 1999Reunion Web site at:www.drillers1999.blogspot.com

I

E X T R A ! E X T R A !

Drilling for Drillers from 1999

COURTESY OF CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD

rivia masters, put on your thinking caps!Saturday, May 30, is the Fourth annual

“Brains of Bakersfield” contest at CaliforniaState University, Bakersfield’s Icardo Cen-ter, benefiting the CSUB men’s soccer team

and Ricky’s Retreat, a group home and communitycenter for people with AIDS.

“Brains of Bakersfield” is based on the popularBritish trivia game “Quiz Night,” commonly played inpubs and on television. The contest features teams ofup to 10 people inside CSUB’s Icardo Center who arechallenged to answer tough questions ranging from

sports trivia to scientific facts. The questions aretimed and each team records its answers. Competi-tion is fierce and fast paced.

The evening starts with a cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m.and the questions will begin to fly at 7 p.m. Dinnerwill be provided during halftime courtesy of Frugat-ti’s Italian Eatery with Lengthwise Brewery sponsor-ing the cool refreshment for the evening.

The entry fee for the “Brains of Bakersfield” con-test is $300 per team and the winning team willreceive trophies naming them the “Brainy Bunch.”

The deadline to enter is May 25.For more information or to enter a team, call Ben

Graham at 654-2598.

TBe a brainiac for ‘Brains of Bakersfield!’

COURTESY OF SOUTHERN SIERRA COUNCIL OF BOYSCOUTS OF AMERICA

ome join us for ourfifth annual Scout Day& Overnight CampOut event with theBakersfield Blaze

(tents only), Friday, May 22.Gates open at 6:30 p.m.

The price of admissionincludes game ticket, hot dog,chips and soda, and specialparade around the field forScouts in uniform. For moreinformation, call 325-9036.

C

Boy scoutsto camp outwith Blaze

THE CALIFORNIAN

Team Smarty Pants collaborated pondering over the first 10 questions during last year’s Brains of Bakersfieldcompetition at CSUB.

MAY 17-23, 2009 W W W. B A K E R S F I E L DVO I C E .C O M 3

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Bakersfield Voice contributor Laura McLean tookphotographs of her daughter and her friends just be-fore they left for the Frontier High School prom. Wewould love to see your photos of your special schoolevent in our photo galleries. It’s easy to create a freeprofile and begin posting your photos today.

Your photo could beon our next cover! Photos and storiesfor the June 7 issuemust be posted byWednesday, May 27at 5 p.m.

About the cover

Contents

4 Prom Season It’s that time of year again when high

school students’ thoughts turn to everythingregarding prom! Check out some photos!

5 Missing those footsteps Our Creative Corner features a

Bakersfield dad’s poem on his teens leaving thenest and how their departure affects mom and dad.

7 There’s a new church in townOlive Branch Community Church is dedi-

cated and branching out for new congregants.

Y O U R C O N T E S T S

Two fun contests —lots of cool prizes!

o we have a contest for you! Well, actuallywe have TWO!

The first one: Tell us your child's favoriteSesame Street character and why in 200words or less. If your entry is chosen,

you’ll get FOUR tickets to the “SesameStreet Live” show on June 2 &3 at Rabobank Theater.Deadline to enter isTuesday, May 26at noon.

It’s easy toe n t e r .Just goto ourWeb

site: www.bakersfieldvoice.com and create a FREEprofile. Begin posting stories, photos and blogs imme-diately.

While you are at it, and to celebrate Father’s Day,enter our “Goofy Dad Moments” contest in which the

prize is SIX tickets to the Monterey Bay Aquarium(a nearly $200 value)! What a great way to spend a

special day with dad!To enter this contest, just tell us a funny story(200 words or less) involving your dear ol’

dad, or tell us somethinggoofy or funny your dad

does that keeps you institches. The deadline toenter is June 1, and the

winner and selectedrunners-up will be

featured in afuture printededition of TheB a k e r s f i e l dVoice!

D


Educator of the month

n IIff yyoouu hhaavvee aa tteeaacchheerr yyoouu tthhiinnkk iiss ggrreeaatt,, nnoommiinnaattee tthheemm ffoorr EEdduuccaa--ttoorr ooff tthhee MMoonntthh bbyy ggooiinngg ttoo:: wwwwww..bbaakkeerrssffiieellddvvooiiccee..ccoomm aanndd ppoossttiinnggaann aarrttiiccllee AANNDD aa pphhoottoo.. NNoommiinnaattiioonnss sshhoouulldd tteellll uuss iinn 5500 wwoorrddss oorr lleesssswwhhyy yyoouurr tteeaacchheerr iiss tthhee bbeesstt aanndd sshhoouulldd aallssoo iinncclluuddee tthheeiirr ffiirrsstt aannddllaasstt nnaammee,, sscchhooooll,, ddeeppaarrttmmeenntt aanndd aa pphhoottoo iinn jjppgg.. ffoorrmm.. NNoommiinneeeesswwiillll bbee ffeeaattuurreedd iinn tthhee pprriinntt eeddiittiioonn ooff TThhee BBaakkeerrssffiieelldd VVooiiccee aanndd eeaacchhmmoonntthh tthhee wwiinnnniinngg eennttrryy wwiillll rreecceeiivvee aa $$5500 ggiifftt ccaarrdd ffoorr sscchhooooll ssuupp--pplliieess,, ccoommpplliimmeennttss ooff GGWW SScchhooooll SSuuppppllyy aanndd TTBBVV..

Nominated by the parents of Henry SaucedoWe would like to nominate a miracle worker of

a teacher, Dr. Roberta Zaph, who teaches secondgrade at Thorner Elementary. She is a truly dedi-cated teacher and deserves many praises. Ourson had attended another school for the majorityof the year, where he was in constant trouble.

Dr. Zaph has turned our son around single-handedly with consistent, structured, teachingmethods. Our family is so thankful for Dr. Zaph’sgenuine dedication and perseverance. Keep upthe awesome work you’re doing, Dr. Zaph!

Dr. Roberta Zaph

Mr. Rhodes

Sponsored by

Nominated by Guadalupe Hernández

Educator of the Month

I’d like to nominate my twin daughters’ kindergarten teacher Mr. Rhodes who teaches at Discovery Elementary School. At the beginning of the year, I was so skeptical after having learned that they were going to have a male teacher for kindergarten. He has superseded all of my expectations as to what a great kindergarten teacher should be. My girls love Mr. Rhodes. He teaches them lots of cute and silly songs. He builds up their self-esteem. He is just so marvelous with my girls!

To submit your nominee for Educator of the Month, go to: www.northwest voice.com then click on “Post Something!” and contribute a

paragraph about why you appreciate and would like to recognize your nominee. Be sure to include the educator’s name, school, department and picture. The contest is open to

educators in the Southwest area. Entries can also be e-mailed to: [email protected]. Each month the winning entry $50 gift certificate,

compliments of GW School Supply and The Northwest Voice.

Y O U R V O I C E

It’s that time of year!Prom and graduation season is upon us again. Share thespecial moments you’ll surely capture on film of these mo-mentous occasions with your Bakersfield Voice communi-ty. Just go to our Web site: www.bakersfieldvoice.com,create a FREE profile and start sharing your photos today!

Frontier Promgirls: LindseySpurling, Au-drey McLean,Marci Gonza-lez, BreannFreeland andLiz Shue.

PHOTOS BY LAURA MCLEANAudrey, Breann, Lindsey, Marci and Liz and their dates ready for a night at the FrontierHigh School Prom. Love the bouquets, ladies!

Off to the Frontier Prom via Limo are Audrey McLean and Cody Love.

FrontierProm

BY DAVID KETTLERCommunity contributor

walk past empty bedrooms that once held my boysThe beds made so perfect, the absence of noiseBooks there on the bookshelf and not on the floorNo ear-splitting music, no slamming the door

It’s eerily quiet now these once busy densThese bunkers of bustle with brothers and friendsThey’re off to college now the closets are cleanThey only come home now on days in betweenThe weeks of the study the homework and toilWith loads of their laundry all dirty with soilThese nice empty bedrooms so tidy and neatJust aren’t the same in their pristine retreatAs when the sneakers are thrown in a cornerThe fridge it is drained like an unwilling donorThe noise and the smell of exercised teens

Showing off muscles with biceps and spleensBanging a cupboard while toasting some breadAt three in the morning before heading to bedNow some dorm at the coast, in some far away placeOr corner of frat-house who’s presence they graceOur bedrooms are empty the rooms nice and quietThe sheets all in place and the fridge on a dietBut once in a while it all comes to lifeThings they are back to the brotherly strifeRooms not so tidy and sharp as a knifeAs when we’re alone ... just me and my wife


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Empty bedrooms

I


This week’s Star Athlete: Jonathan Gallegos

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Nominated by Han’s Taekwondo Academy Jonathan Gallegos is a 7-year-old blue belt at

Han’s Taekwondo Academy. He has won manyawards and trophies since starting at theyoung age of 5. Since Jonathan started compet-ing, he has earned a total of 71 gold medals andone bronze medal. In addition to his medals,Jonathan is a California State Champion,National Champion, Student of the Year andAthlete of the Year. He attributes his success-es to the exceptional support from his familyand teammates. Jonathan is an inspiration toanyone who witnesses his motivation and pas-sion for competitive Tae Kwon Do. Han’sTaekwondo Academy is looking forward toseeing greatness come from this young man.

Y O U R V O I C E

Alternative romance readBY HEATHER IJAMESCommunity contributor

et’s face it, smut is for thesmutty and many romancenovels are smutty.

But who doesn’t like a goodromance every now and

then? (And yes, I am primarily talkingto the estrogen-based readers.)

I walk a fairly conservative line andfeel that romance novels will smut meup beyond a point I’m willing to go.Still, I still like to read about the moretender side of romance … that first —sometimes stolen — kiss.

Where to turn then? Certainly not tothe stuff near the checkout in the gro-cery store with a scantily dressedwoman clinging to her hero.A friend of mine is the answer for me

and I hope for you, too. Jennette Greenwill be signing copies of her book,“The Commander’s Desire,” from 1 to3 p.m., Saturday, May 23 at Russo’sbookstore in the Marketplace.

“The Commander’s Desire” is a greatway to get your romance fix without

having to de-filth yourself like youwould after reading other romances.

So, if you’re looking for that perfectsummer read, head to Russo’s May 23!

Romance novelist, Jennette Greenwill be at Russo’s May 23.

L

Y O U R C E L E B R A T I O N S

Happy 4th Birthday, Baby Angel!

Love,Mom, Dad & Sister

Post your celebration today!Got something to celebrate? Why not share it with

your fellow Bakersfield Voice readers? Go to:www.bakersfieldvoice.com. Then register and set upyour FREE profile. Choose “Article” and write a fewwords and include a photo — then celebrate, yournotice will be on our site! You might also see it in afuture printed edition of The Voice!

Y O U RV O I C EA toast toWine Fest!BY PENELOPE BARTENSTEINCommunity contributor

Wine Fest at the KernCounty Museum 2009will be Saturday, June 13at 8 p.m.

Proceeds from thisevent will be used by theKC Museum Foundationto promote the museum’smission. Samples fromCalifornia and interna-tional wineries, an Inter-national Beer Garden andmany food items will beserved. Non-alcoholicbeverages also available.All food and beveragesincluded. Auctions anddrawings available, too.

Tickets: $40 pre-saleuntil May 31. Then $50 ;limited VIP tables of 10available, $650. Details,852-5020 or go to:www.kcwinefest.org.


8020 District Blvd. 398-1300

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Y O U R V O I C E

Y O U R F A I T H

Relay for Life celebrates 25 yearsof raising hope & raising funds

Editor’s note: The Relay for Life eventMay 2 in Bakersfield raised $1.7 mil-lion, yet another record amount, forcancer research.

BY HYESTYLESHOTSCommunity contributor

elebrate, Remember, FightBack!

This was the theme for the25th anniversary of Relay forLife in Bakersfield.

Relay for Life is an event to do all of

those things. It is a time to celebratelife, cancer-free.

A time to remember those we havelost to cancer.

And a time to fight back — by sup-porting America Cancer Society, weare supporting education, in health andwellness, and most of all, we are sup-porting life.

This was my fifth time to walk theSurvival Lap, although I have been can-cer-free now for more than 10 years. Itdid take me awhile to embrace Relayfor Life. My first walk was so emotion-

al, I was not expecting those feelings torise up. And every event after that isjust as powerful.

When you are among the sea of Pur-ple Shirts, “the survivors,” it gives youhope and strength. I am PROUD towalk with all those strangers, yet kin-dred souls. I am inspired by them all,even though I may not know their story.

Just walking that lap with them isenough to draw strength and support.

Thanks to the many many people whovolunteered to make Bakersfield Relayfor Life the No. 1 in the world!

C

New northwest Bakersfield church branches outCOURTESY OF OLIVE BRANCH COMMUNITY CHURCH

new church was dedicated byDr. Winston Urey, a mission-ary pastor from Northern Ire-land, has blessed the northeastcorner of Olive Drive and Old

Farm Road as the head honcho to thevision that is Olive Branch CommunityChurch, OBCC. As the head pastor,counselor, family man and author of“Daughters of Eve,” “Basic Theology”and “Visiting Spirits,” Pastor Winstonis continually blessing the congregationwith new scholarly insights, inspired

wisdom and hard work.OBCC, dedicated on Feb. 1, is the cul-

mination of three years of prayer, dedi-cation and physical labor. We designedthe church with an old world at homevillage feeling in mind.

“The way the economy has turnedisn’t making it easy,” explains GraceMonrian, a Bakersfield native & OBCCYouth Pastor. “The workers are fewand the vision is big, but we have faiththat the time will come where we willsee this property come to its fullfruition. Rolling up our sleeves daily isthe key!”

OBCC currently has the FellowshipHall/Youth Recreation Center builtwith great ambitions to add a preschool,bookstore, coffee shop, Christian edu-cation buildings, administration build-ing, chapel, outdoor worship,low-income senor housing, gardens,playground, indoor/outdoor basketballcourts, sand volleyball courts, Frisbeegolf course and more parking.

OBCC hopes the community will wantto draw closer to Christ through thischurch and we can be facilitators ofthat through a warm and loving congre-gation geared to uplift hearts through

God’s Word, good music, fellowshipand sharing in the blessings of theproperty. You can check out OBCC’smain service Sundays at 10 a.m.

If your church or congregation wouldlike to get its news in The BakersfieldVoice, it is very easy to do. Go towww.bakersfieldvoice.com, create aFREE profile, and post stories, photosand blogs detailing your church or reli-gious events. Who knows, your storyand photos could appear in a futureprinted edition of The BakersfieldVoice.

A

Church’s free-tradestore announceshours of operationBY MARJORIE BELLCommunity contributor

reater World Gifts is open atFirst Congregational Church,5 Real Road, from 11 a.m. to 1p.m. on Sundays and from 11a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays.

This free-trade store offers a variety ofunique items (baskets, jewelry, homedecor, and gifts) from Third Worldcountries at reasonable prices. Details,327-1609.

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HYESTYLE SHOTS


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Y O U R C E L E B R A T I O N S

COURTESY OF AMERICAN KIDS SPORTS CENTER

Brigitte Alexander placed first (gold medal)in trampoline and first (gold medal) in tum-bling at the USAG California State Champi-onships in San Diego (girls age 15 & over) onApril 18 and 19. She placed second (silvermedal) in the double-mini trampoline, with ascore of 59.7 out of 60 total points. Brigitte is amember of the American Kids Sports CenterAirbourne Trampoline & Tumbling Team andwill be competing at the USA GymnasticsJunior Olympic National T&T Championships(girls age 15 & over) this June.

Brigitte, 17, is a senior at Frontier HighSchool.

Local gymnast goes for the gold!

05/17 bakersfield voice

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