the bakersfield californian - 'eye st.' entertainment
DESCRIPTION
The Bakersfield Californian 'Eye St.' is your best bet for all the choice events and entertainment news in Bakersfield and beyond! Featured every Thursday in The Bakersfield Californian newspaper. Family owned!TRANSCRIPT
16 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, August 26, 2010
FELIX ADAMO / THE CALIFORNIAN
“Mrl” by Eye Gallery 2010 artist Brian Demarest. The mixed media piece on illustration board measures 32 inches by 40 inches. The artwork, along with 14 other pieces featuredin Eye Gallery, will go on display at the Bakersfield Museum of Art beginning Sept. 9.
Editor Jennifer Self | Phone 395-7434 | e-mail [email protected]
What is Eye Gallery?Eye Gallery is The Californian’s annual celebration of local visual artists. Along with The Bakersfield Museum of
Art, our partner, we asked 14 artists to interpret the theme “Close to Home.” We will publish their work, and
short biographies of each, on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays through Sept. 9, when the museum will host
a reception in their honor.
EYE GALLERY SUNDAY: DAVID GORDON LOOKS IN HIS OWN BACKYARD FOR INSPIRATION
EYE GALLERY THURSDAY: ALISON BEITZELL DIVES IN
Two famousfaces — EdieSedgwick andIdi Amin —have inspiredBrian De-marest’spiece called“E-DEE.”
Thursday, August 26, 2010 The Bakersfield Californian 19
Eye Gallery
BY JENNIFER SELFCalifornian lifestyles editor
His career brought him to Bakers-field, but his art — and a great circleof friends — are keeping Brian
Demarest in town.Those friends have come in handy in the
last year or so, both in helping the New Jer-sey native get the word out about his art (Imet him through my cousin Rose) and assources of encouragement and support ashe looks for work after losing his job in theBig West refinery shutdown.
“So far the job market has been prettybleak — that includes the entire state ofCalifornia, not just Bakersfield,” Demarestsaid via e-mail.
But while he continues to blanket anyand all potential employers with hisresume, he decided to return to his art inearnest and recently had his first localshow at The Basement gallery in down-town Bakersfield (“They’re doing a reallygood job of showing new artists as well as‘street artists’ and work with an edge to it”).
Much of Demarest’s work offers hisunique interpretation of the famous andinfamous, whose images he projects ontoillustration board as the starting point ofhis process.
One interesting piece, titled “E-DEE,”features his perspective on two folks whoprobably shared nothing but a similarly
pronounced first name: ’60s actress EdieSedgwick and Ugandan dictator IdiAmin.
Another of his pieces is a likeness ofswinging London It Girl Twiggy.
So it’s no wonder that a guy drawn toputting his stamp on celebrity culturewould choose Merle Haggard — perhapsBakersfield’s most famous face — as thesubject of his Eye Gallery piece.
“When I was researching Bakersfieldbefore I came out here, one of the firstthings that came up was Merle Haggardand the Bakersfield Sound,” Demarest said.“I’ve never been a huge country music fan,but I’ve always had respect for older coun-try music ... late ’50s through the early ’70s.It has a kind of unapologetic dark and grittyfeel to it. So I did a portrait of Merlebecause he is such a huge staple of Bakers-field.”
More of our e-mail chat with Demarest,36:
You’re from New Jersey. Did youknow much about Merle Haggardbefore you moved here? Do you listen tohis music?
I remember when I was a freshman inhigh school, my father was very excited toshow me a Merle Haggard tape he got atthe now defunct Crazy Eddie appliancestore. He really wanted me to hear “Okiefrom Muskogee.” That was my first glimpse
of Merle Haggard.
What do people not know, but shouldknow, about art:
Art doesn’t always have to look likesomething you’re familiar with...
How can you tell a great artist from ahack?
I learned the stand-up comedian ver-sion of “hack” to mean someone whomakes the same old tired joke about thesame old common thing you’ve heardagain and again.
You’re new to Bakersfield’s art scene.What do you think so far?
I would like for more people to getinvolved (artists and spectators). If therecan be a Bakersfield “Sound” then therecan be a Bakersfield “look” as well. Bakers-field is in a very good spot right now tohave a really flourishing creative scene —compare it to New York in the early ’70s,where out of a struggling economy and alack of venues, a brilliant music and artscene exploded.
Is art talent inherent or can you learnto be a great artist?
I think you can learn to be a “good”artist, but I think “greatness” is inherent.
Favorite artists:
John Singer Sargent, Austin Briggs, JeanMichel Basquiat, Chuck Jones.
Art builds transplantedresident’s local roots
Behindevery greatwoman is... theartist whopainted herlikeness —in thiscase, BrianDemarest.
18 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, August 26, 2010
Eye Street
RAMONA AND BEEZUS A 11:30, 1:50, 4:20, 6:50, 9:20
THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE B 11:40, 2:10, 4:40,7:10, 9:40
PREDATORS E 12:00, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30, 10:00
THE LAST AIRBENDER B 11:50, 2:20, 4:50, 7:20, 9:50
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE C 1:00, 3:50, 7:15,10:05
TOY STORY 3 A 11:30, 12:30, 2:00, 3:00, 4:30, 5:30, 7:00,8:00, 9:30, 10:15
THE A-TEAM C 3:15, 9:00
THE KARATE KID B 12:45, 4:00, 7:00, 10:05
SHREK FOREVER AFTER B 12:10, 2:40, 5:10, 7:25, 9:45
IRON MAN 2 C 12:20, 6:00
Showtimes for August 27-September 2
3000 Mall View Road 661-871-3456EAST HILLS MALLEAST HILLS MALL
Buy Tickets Onlinewww.regencymovies.com
BAKERSFIELD’SBEST MOVIE VALUE
VALLEY PLAZA MALL, WIBLE ROAD AT HI-WAY 99
C I N E M A SFORMERLY PACIFIC THEATRES
ADVANCE TICKETS AT READINGCINEMASUS.COM 1-800-FANDANGO #2703SENIORS (55+)
AND KIDSONLY
$550MATINEESBEFORE
6PM ONLY
$550GENERAL
ADMISSIONONLY
$8503D$11.00
3D$8.00
3D$8.00
EVERY THURSDAY
FREEPOPCORNANYONE 55 OR OLDER
$5 VALUESIZE
VALLEY PLAZA MALL, WIBLE ROAD AT HI-WAY 99
C I N E M A SFORMERLY PACIFIC THEATRES
Showtimes Valid Only 8/26/10Bargain Shows in ( ) � Pass/Discount Restrictions Apply
VISIT READINGCINEMASUS.COM FOR ADVANCE TICKETS AND SHOWTIMES.
(12:30PM, 1:30, 2:50, 3:50,5:10), 6:10, 7:30, 8:30, 9:50
THE LAST EXORCISM (PG-13) 12:01AMEAT PRAY LOVE (PG-13)(12:00PM, 1:00, 3:05, 4:05), 6:00, 7:00, 8:55, 9:55THE EXPENDABLES (R)(12:10PM, 1:20, 2:30, 3:40, 5:00), 6:00, 7:20,8:20, 9:45SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (PG-13)(12:10PM, 2:40, 5:10), 7:40, 10:10STEP UP 3 (PG-13) (5:00PM), 7:30, 9:55
THE OTHER GUYS (PG-13)(12:35PM, 3:00, 5:25), 7:50, 10:15CATS & DOGS: THE REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE (PG)(12:00PM, 1:55)TOY STORY 3 (G) (12:05PM, 2:30)INCEPTION (PG-13) (3:55PM), 7:00, 10:05DESPICABLE ME (PG)(12:15PM, 2:30, 4:45), 7:00, 9:10
�
�
�
�
�
(12:00PM, 2:25, 4:50), 7:15, 9:40
(1:00PM, 3:15,5:35), 7:55, 10:10
�Lotteryticket
PIRANHA3D
Nanny McPheeReturns
�
(PG-13)
(PG)
(1:20PM, 3:30, 5:45), 7:55, 10:10
�
(12:40PM, 1:40, 2:40, 3:40,4:40, 5:40), 6:40, 7:40, 8:40, 9:40
VAMPIRESSUCK
(PG-13)
(PG-13)
THE
SWITCH�
(PG-13)
© 2010Times For 8/26/10
Adv. Tix on Sale THE LAST EXORCISMTHE SWITCH (PG-13) (115 415) 715 1025NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS (PG) (120 420) 700 930LOTTERY TICKET (PG-13) (200 500) 730 1000PIRANHA IN REALD 3D - EVENT PRICING (R) - ID REQ'D � (1230 300 530) 800 1015VAMPIRES SUCK (PG-13) (135 435) 740 1035THE EXPENDABLES (R) - ID REQ'D (145 215 445 515) 745 815 1010 1045SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (PG-13) (230 510) 810 1040EAT, PRAY, LOVE (PG-13) � (1245 400) 710 1030THE OTHER GUYS (PG-13) (150 450) 750 1020STEP UP IN REAL D 3D - EVENT PRICING (PG-13) � (130 430) 720 1005DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS (PG-13) (1215 345) 645 920SALT (PG-13) (330 PM) 830 PMINCEPTION (PG-13) (315 PM) 630 PM 945 PMDESPICABLE ME (PG) (100 PM) 600 PM
1000 California Ave. • 661-636-0484 • mayacinemas.com
Maya Bakersfield 16 Cinemas Matinee $6.00, Children/Seniors $6.00, General Admission $9.00, f or 3D presentation add $3.00 to normal ticket price. Text Movies to 21321
Returning to 3D Digital & IMAX Theatres for a limited time only;
James Cameron’s
Avatar Opening at Maya Bakersfield 8/27/10
PRESENTED IN DOLBY DIGITAL
Eat, Pray, Love – PG-13 11:25 2:30 5:35 8:45 Nanny McPhee Returns – PG 10:55 1:25 4:00 6:45 9:30 Vampires Suck – PG-13 11:05 12:00 2:10 3:30 4:15 6:20 8:00 8:30 10:40 The Lottery Ticket – PG-13 11:55 2:25 8:00 10:35 The Switch – PG-13 11:15 1:45 4:25 7:15 10:00 Scott Pilgrim vs The World – PG-13 1:15 4:05 6:35 9:15
The Expendables – R 11:30 12:15 2:00 2:40 4:30 5:15 7:10 7:45 9:40 10:25 Step Up - PG-13 3:40 6:10 9:00 The Other Guys – PG-13 11:20 1:00 1:50 4:20 5:25 7:05 9:50 10:20 Cats & Dogs The Revenge Of Kitty Galore – G 11:05 1:20 Salt – PG-13 7:40 9:55 Inception – PG-13 11:45 2:45 6:00 9:20 Charlie St. Cloud – PG-13 11:00 Despicable Me – PG 11:00 1:10 3:20 5:30 Dinner For Scmucks – PG-13 5:10
The Lottery Ticket DIGITAL – PG-13 11:00 1:25 4:00 6:45 9:30 Piranha 3-D DIGITAL– R 11:50 2:15 4:45 7:30 10:10 Eat, Pray, Love DIGITAL– PG-13 12:30 3:40 7:00 10:00
BY MIRANDA WHITWORTHContributing writer
From the depths of The Basementto the open air of downtownBakersfield, Hectic Films is giv-
ing the local film community a muchneeded shot in the arm. Known forInternet short films and locally pro-duced features, the production com-pany is hosting two weekly movienights in downtown Bakersfield, offer-ing local filmmakers a venue to screenthe fruits of their labors.
Go underground Tuesday eveningsfor Films Underground at The Base-ment and then come up for air on Fri-days for Hectic’s outdoor theater TheGrip at Caffeine Supreme.
Both venues kick off the movies at 8p.m. and are giving film lovers theopportunity to catch locally producedflicks mixed in with B-movie horrorclassics — a combination that HecticFilms owner Rickey Bird Jr. says is pro-viding some much needed exposureto the local scene, Bird said.
“We gain the people coming in byshowing these movies like ‘Little Shopof Horrors’ and ‘Night of the LivingDead.’ Then we have intermissionswhere we show locally produced filmsand shorts, Hectic Films trailers andolder pieces that we have producedbut haven’t put up on the Internet.”
Bird likes the diversity that comeswith hosting films in two locations aseach offers something special for theviewer.
“The coffee shop is perfect for this.You go out there and hang out on thegrass and the coffee shop is still open.Picnic tables are there, you can bringcoolers, lawn chairs and blankets.”Bird warns that no alcoholic beveragesare allowed as they do not have a per-mit, but he is working on refreshmentspecials for future screenings.
The Basement, while just aroundthe corner, is a completely differentanimal.
Works of local artists serve as abackdrop for the screenings, givingpeople a taste of the downtown Bak-
ersfield art scene. The venue also brings viewers clos-
er to the heartbeat of Hectic Films asBird has begun to build film sets at thelocation in partnership with Base-ment owner Deon Bell.
“We hooked up because I was goingto start doing some shooting downthere,” Bird said.
“But then I asked him if I could usethe extra space for some sets andmaybe some cross-promotion where Icould bring people down into his
gallery and show movies.”Bell, an artist and longtime patron
of the arts, was happy to have that ele-ment of the scene developed in hisestablishment. “I’ve always wanted todo more with the film side of the artsscene,” Bell said. “There aren’t toomany people here in Bakersfield whomake films the way Rickey does, and Ithought it would be great to get himinvolved.”
As both an artist and gallery owner,Bell knows the importance of an avail-able venue.
“Artists need to have a place to showtheir work. It gives them a reason tokeep on creating,” Bell said. “I have alot of friends who make short filmsand they do it because they love it.Without a place to show their stuffthey lose interest. But with Rickeythere with his screens and projectors,the accessibility will encourage themto produce more.”
Bird agrees with Bell’s predictionsthat the movie nights, which havebeen in operation for a month, willencourage local artists to keep creat-ing.
“The first few weeks we showedmovies made here in Bakersfield like‘Stereotype’ by John F.U., Matt Kieley’s‘Carte Blanche’ and Myron Ward’s‘Who Hit Me,’” Bird said. “Now we aretrying to let our local content build upagain while we show the horrormovies.”
According to Bird, he is beginning tosee a positive response from hisfriends and local filmmakers whohave, for the most part, been takingtheir time when it comes to deliveringa finished product.
“Now that we have started toscreen, two of my other buddies whomake movies have gotten motivatedto start filming and finishing up theircurrent projects,” Bell said.
“I’m hoping this will lead to evenmore people showing their films.Sometimes, unfortunately, this part ofthe Bakersfield scene needs a littlejump-start.”
Local films add todowntown arts scene
Calling all local amateurcooks: Do you want a chance at a$1,000 Urner’s gift card and brag-ging rights as a top local cook? Well,then The Bakersfield Californian’sEye Cook competition is for you!
What you can winGrand prize: $1,000 Urner’s gift
cardTop runners-up: $500 Urner’s gift
card
Third-place winners: $200
Olcotts gift cardsJust for attending the Eye Cook
finals at Urner’s on Oct. 30, you’llhave a chance at any of the $600 indoor prizes from DreamMaker Bath& Kitchen!
How to winWhat we want: We’re looking for
original recipes in one of three cate-gories — main dish, appetizer/sidedish or dessert.
How to enter: Submit your
recipe, name and phone number viae-mail to [email protected] mail entries to Eye Cook 2010Attn: Stefani Dias, P.O. Bin 440, Bak-ersfield CA 93302. (All entriesbecome property of The BakersfieldCalifornian.)
Eligibility: You must be availablefor the semifinals on Sept. 25 andthe finals on Oct. 30 to qualify.Employees of The Californian andUrner’s, plus their families and anyvendors or affiliates, are not eligible.
Films Underground at The BasementWhere: 2001 Chester Ave.
When: 8 p.m. Tuesdays
Admission: $4
Lineup:
AAuugg.. 3311:: “Scream Bloody Murder”
SSeepptt.. 77:: “Attack of the Giant
Leeches”
SSeepptt.. 1144:: “Nosferatu”
SSeepptt.. 2211:: “Carnival of Souls”
SSeepptt.. 2288:: “Drive-In Massacre”
The Grip at CaffeineSupremeWhere: Caffeine Supreme, 20th
and F streets
When: 8 p.m. Fridays
Admission: Free
Lineup:
FFrriiddaayy:: ““Little Shop of Horrors”
SSeepptt.. 33:: “Delano”
SSeepptt.. 1100:: “Night of the Living
Dead”
SSeepptt.. 1177:: “Death Rides a Horse”
SSeepptt.. 2244:: “Door-to-Door Maniac”
(starring Johnny Cash)
OOcctt.. 11:: “The Brain That Wouldn't
Die”
Information:www.hecticfilms.com
YOU CAN WIN A $1,000 TOP PRIZE IN THE EYE COOK CONTEST
Thursday, August 26, 2010 The Bakersfield Californian 19
Eye Street
BY JENNIFER SELFCalifornian lifestyles editor
As days go, Tuesday had allthe charm of a typicalAugust scorcher — which is
to say, no charm at all. The mercu-ry spiked to triple digits, the airquality was in the don’t-even-think-about-breathing range andkids in stiff new clothes, crashingfrom their first-day-of-schoolhigh, were coming to the soberingrealization they were on day twoof a long, long year.
Bobby Durham, on the otherhand, liked his Tuesday just fine.In fact, you could say it was hisday — and he has the proclama-tion, signed by no less an authori-ty than Mayor Harvey Hallhimself, to back him up.
Aug. 24, 2010, was officially pro-claimed Bobby Durham Day inBakersfield, in honor of the coun-try music singer and purveyor,champion and keeper of the Bak-ersfield Sound, who’s been kickingout the footlights (as his closefriend Merle Haggard might put it)for 58 years now.
“Any day they want to give mean honor like this, God, I don’tcare what the temperature is, itmakes me no difference,”Durham said in an interviewTuesday. “What an honor. I justcan’t believe this.”
In the true spirit of politics,once other local leaders got windof the hoopla, they glommed onas well, with accolades and cer-tificates presented to Durham athis Crystal Palace concert andcelebration Tuesday night. Rep-resentatives for Rep. KevinMcCarthy, state senators RoyAshburn and Dean Florez andAssemblyman Danny Gilmorewere on hand to honor the Bak-ersfield native. County Supervi-sor Jon McQuiston was expectedto show up himself. But it allstarted with country music fanHall, who was approached by afriend of Durham’s about givingthe performer his due.
“I’m a happy person when itcomes to giving recognition topeople,” Hall said. “It’s alwaysvery special. It’s the part of thejob I like the most.”
Hall said his office bestowsabout 50 to 60 of these proclama-tions a year and that the hon-orees must have done somethingsignificant to deserve it.
In selecting Durham, the may-
or pretty much hit the mark.Consider these career highlights:A gold album, an appearance atthe Grand Ole Opry, a recordingcontract with Capitol Recordsand lifelong friendships with thelikes of Buck Owens, Haggard,Waylon Jennings, Billy Mize, RedSimpson and other visionaryperformers.
Bobby Durham Day: not a badway to end a respectable career,right? Not so fast with the retro-spectives, buddy. This performeris busy writing chapter two.
A few years ago, just as thefather of five grown daughterswas settling in to a contentedniche playing bars around town,along came a second wind —make that a gust — in the form of
his great love, SanDee, and a newsong he recorded now gettingplay on KUZZ. The song? “TheBakersfield Sound” naturally. Thevideo was set to be filmed atTuesday night’s event, and thesingle is to be included on analbum Durham is cutting.
The performer owes much ofhis career resurgence to Owens,the “second father” to whom hewent for advice on so many occa-sions, including when Durhamwas approached awhile backwith some career opportunities.
“The last time I saw Buck wasabout two weeks before hepassed away. He told me, ‘Bobby,your age is not going to hinderyou. Your age and the experienceyou have had, the years you’vebeen playing, is going to be aplus. Believe what I’m telling you.I’ve never told you wrong.’”
Durham can’t say enoughabout the influence Owens hashad on his life. He remembersbeing a newly minted recordingartist in 1962 and touring withBuck and the Buckaroos.
“The first place I played withBuck was the Golden Nugget inLas Vegas. I wore my first Nudiesuit. He told me I could borrow(Buckaroo bass player) Doyle Hol-ly’s suit. ‘You have to look like astar if you’re recording for CapitolRecords,’” Durham remembers hismentor saying.
It was the friendships andcamaraderie of those days — asmuch as the music itself — thatled someone with a genius formarketing to coin it “The Bakers-field Sound,” Durham said.
“When one of us went to
record, everyone went to help.When I recorded, Tommy Collinsand Billy Mize played rhythmguitar, Merle played bass, RedSimpson played piano. All Bak-ersfield people.”
Of the old gang, Mize and Hag-gard (“he’s like a brother”) could-n’t make Tuesday’s celebration— Mize because he wasn’t feel-ing up to it and Haggard becausehe’s on tour. That’s OK. Durhamunderstands — both the life of atroubadour and the aches andpains. (“I have problems with myback, arthritis. Maybe from oneparty too many.”)
Though the party days areover, the fun isn’t, said Durham,68, who credits his wife for hishappiness. They’ve been togeth-
er about five years.“When I met SanDee I was
playing at Trout’s. I played therefor 20 years. I figured that wasgoing to be it. I was done. I wasnever going to record again. Iwas just too old. But then whenall this started happening, I justhad to pinch myself.”
So how does this latest honorcompare with a gold record, hitsongs and performing on theOpry?
“It’s right up there at the topwith the rest of them wonderfulthings. I can’t believe the mayorwas the one that said ‘We’ll makethis Bobby Durham Day. Whatan honor coming from MayorHarvey Hall.
“I finally got contentment andthat’s all I asked for in my entiremy life.”
Singer Bobby Durhamhonored by mayor
The day ofhis life
MICHAEL FAGANS / THE CALIFORNIAN
Bobby Durham was in his element on stage at Buck Owens’ CrystalPalace on Tuesday night.
Bobby Durham and his wife, SanDee, speak with Bakersfield MayorHarvey Hall at the Crystal Palace on Tuesday night.
Friends, family and fans worktheir way around the dance flooras Bobby Durham performs.
Bobby Durham hugs a friend inthe lobby of the Crystal Palace.
SanDee Durham spends a quietmoment with a Bonnie Owensand Merle Haggard album displaybefore going on stage with herhusband Bobby for the debut ofhis song “The Bakersfield Sound.”
20 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, August 26, 2010
Eye Street
Afairy tale with a twist is the way direc-tor Bruce Saathoff describes “OnceUpon a Mattress,” now playing at
Stars. And that’s a fair description because this
musical comedy has all the elements ofHans Christian Andersen’s tale of “ThePrincess and the Pea.” But everything —both the characters and the action — isslightly out of whack.
I have yet to see the show but judgingfrom the comments of readers who attend-ed the opening last Friday, it’s definitely inthe “thumbs-up” category.
However I did speak with Jeff Malone,one of the actors in the show. He playedSaathoff’s police officer sidekick in Stars’recent production of “Urinetown,” andemphasized that “Once Upon a Mattress” isa family friendly show.
In “Mattress” he has a dual role. Maloneis a singing minstrel as well as the narrator,who tells the story and keeps the audienceabreast of what’s going on in this make-believe royal court.
At times, though, he simply stands asideand enjoys the action, as is the case withMark Price’s portrayal of King Sextimus theSilent.
“I love working with Mark Price,” Malonesaid. “He’s mute — it’s like a curse that’sbeen put on him — and it’s so funny towatch him mime everything.”
Malone, who’s a vocal music teacher forthe Panama-Buena Vista School District,also praised the performance of TamaraShepherd-White, who portrays the princesswho’s “auditioning” to be the bride ofPrince Dauntless, played by Jon Jones.
“Tammy is phenomenal as Princess Win-nifred,” Malone said. “She’s hysterically fun-ny — funnier than Carol Burnett,” whoplayed the part in the original Broadwayproduction.
Others in lead roles are Evan Boler,Bethany Rowlee, Jason Sliger, Jayde Nicole
Stever and DarrenMcDonald. There’salso a 12-memberchorus of singersand dancers.
Amber O’Reilly isthe show’s vocaldirector. Frank Sier-ra and Alexandra
De La Mora did thechoreography.
The setting, designed by Cory McCall, isthe interior of a castle, and the colorful cos-tumes were rented from a company in LosAngeles.
“We have a fantastic set and costumes,”said Saathoff. “And that’s important, espe-cially if you’re doing a period piece(because) you can’t just slap it together.”
Saathoff said the cast includes a numberof new faces, including quite a few youngpeople who were students in Stars School ofPerforming Arts.
Crossroads open to guest artistsMel White of Crossroads Gallery in
Tehachapi, says monthly exhibits, eachwith a different focus, are open to guestartists. Themes for each month, and White’s
descriptions, are:September: Silly Smiles — anything
that makes someone smile — the sillier thebetter
October: Ooooks and Spoooks — themonth of Halloween we like creepy thingson our walls
November: Fall Colors — Concentrateon oranges, golds, browns (not just trees).
December: Anything Goes — Theannual December show is wide open to allthemes and subjects.
Entries for each exhibit will be receivedonly on the first Wednesday of each month,between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Feeis $15 for each piece accepted for the show.Exhibits open on the first Friday of themonth.
For other details, visit crossroadsgallery-tehachapi.com.
‘The Blue Room’A controversial play recommended for
adults only opens Friday evening at TheEmpty Space.
“The Blue Room” is based on “La Ronde,”a play written by Arthur Schnitzler in theearly 1900s.
As adapted and updated by David Hare, ittells the story of five couples who try to find
love and worth through sex and indiscre-tion, only to be left alone and empty,according to information provided by thetheater. It contains nudity and sexual situa-tions.
The play stars Natily Ray, NathanStratton, Angela Hanawalt, Mike Bedard,Julie Jordan Scott, Steve Evans, DeannaMoreno, Marc Halling, Alisha Mason, KosPresas, Billie Joe Fox and Kelly Christopher-son. Michelle Guerrero is the director.
CAMILLE GAVIN: Fairy tale farce
Camille Gavin’s “Arts Alive!” column appears on Thursday.
Write to her via e-mail at [email protected]
Camille Gavin CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST
‘Once Upon a Mattress’When: Doors open at 6 p.m., show at
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; doors open
at noon, show at 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Stars Theatre Restaurant, 1931
Chester Ave.
Admission: $50 to $54, dinner and
show; show only, $30; for students,
$30 or $15 for show only
Information: 325-6100
First Wednesday When: 9:30 to 11 a.m. Wednesday
Where: Bakersfield Museum of Art,
1930 R St.
Admission: $5; $4, seniors; free to
members
Information: 323-7219
‘Silly Smiles’ entries When: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Crossroads Gallery, 101 E.
Tehachapi Blvd., Tehachapi
Fee: $15 per work submitted
Information: 822-5242
‘The Blue Room’When: 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Where: The Empty Space, 706 Oak St.
Admission: $5; Must be 18 or older
Information: 327-PLAY
GO & DO
PHOTO COURTESY OF PETER BECKMAN
In the rousing song-and-dance number “I’m in Love with a Girl Named Fred,” PrincessWinnifred the Woebegone, played by Tamara Shepherd-White, displays her strength toPrince Dauntless, played by Jon Jones.
The Court Jester, played by Evan Boler,dances in memory of his late father, whowas also a court jester.
Thursday, August 26, 2010 The Bakersfield Californian 21
Eye Street
BY CAMILLE GAVINContributing columnist
Gaslight Melodrama Theatre& Music Hall is whooping itup this evening with a fifth
anniversary celebration thatincludes champagne, cider, birth-day cake and a costume party.
Oh yes! And a special perform-ance of “My Big Fat Oildale Wed-ding.”
Gaslight prides itself on pre-senting family friendly fare, per-haps because it’s athree-generation family run busi-ness.
It’s owned by the husband-and-wife team of Arnie Carlos and Lin-da Larma. Daughter KimberlySlikker, a dancer, actress andteacher, is also hard at work at thetheater. Michael Prince, the artis-tic director, is married to the cou-ple’s other daughter,actress-dancer Jennifer Prince.And Jack, the Princes’ 3-year-oldson, is their close companion dur-ing daytime working hours.
We asked Michael to fill us in onwhat makes the Gaslight one ofthe most popular theaters intown.
What’s the secret of theGaslight Melodrama’s success?
It’s hard to say. That’s not reallysomething we think about. We’remore concerned with putting onthe best possible experience forour audience. If I had to guess, Iwould say it’s because we reallytake an active role in knowing ouraudience and knowing what theywant and what they want to see.
You offer the only live the-ater in northwest Bakersfield.Is that an advantage?
Again, it’s hard to say. We’vefound that most people who liketheater in Bakersfield see all the-ater in Bakersfield. As long aswe’re putting on a quality show,people will come. We have peoplecome all the way from Tehachapi,Fresno, Los Angeles — Las Vegaseven. So I don’t think location hasmuch to do with it.
What was the Gaslight’s fun-niest show?
After taking a poll of our castmembers, we decided that “TheMobfather” was our funniestshow. It was probably one of ourmore ambitious shows that dealtwith family, crime, love, betrayal
and being extremely fun at thesame time.
Most successful show?
“My Big Fat Oildale Wedding.”The first time we did it, we soldout the entire run within two anda half weeks. We had waiting listswith over 100 people on them andso many requests to bring it backthat we brought it back threemonths later for another six-weekrun. Again, it broke box officerecords. This time around ouraudiences voted for us to bring itback for our fifth anniversaryshow. The success of it has beenoverwhelming and humbling.
Biggest flop?
Our second production,“Frankenstein: The Musical.” It’snot that it was a bad show; it was avery dark and very serious show.We had started off with our firstshow being very fun and over thetop and our audience expectedthat to continue and when it did-n’t, attendance just dropped off.We actually had to close that showthree weeks early and rush ourthird show, “Zorro,” onto the stagefast just to get our numbers backup and let people know that we’rehere to bring the funny.
Best performances?
Our best performances arewhen the house is full and theaudience has come to have a goodtime. We really pride ourselves onbeing a place where people cancome and forget their worries andtheir day-to-day problems andhave a really fun experience. We’renot trying to examine the humancondition; we just want to makepeople smile and laugh. And Ithink that’s a good thing.
Show with the most techni-cal difficulties?
There’ve been a few showswhere we felt going into tech weekwe may have bit off more than wecan chew, but we’ve always man-aged to pull it off. “Space: TheMusical” was a challenge becauseof re-creating the bridge from the
Starship Enterprise on our stagebut we did and it looked great.Another one would be “The Sky-light Zone” because the wholeshow, from props and costumes tosets and makeup had to be inblack and white, but again thatwas a lot of fun and looked andsounded awesome.
Best personal highlight?
For me, it’s whenever a newshow that I’ve written opens andthe audience laughs at the firstjoke. That’s when I have a hugesigh of relief and all the worry I’vehad washes away. But honestly,just being able to provide a funexperience for a family is a high-light.
Best compliment you everreceived on the Melodrama?
A note we got in the mail thatsaid: “My friend is going throughthe final stages of cancer and she’sdoing some pretty intensechemotherapy right now and theonly thing that puts a smile on herface is coming to see you guysperform. Thank you for giving myfriend some light in her life.” Thatstuck with us so deeply that wereally use that as our mantra. It isour job to make people happy andput a smile on their faces.
Age of the oldest personyou’ve sung Happy Birthday to?
A young and vibrant 98 yearsold.
Funniest thing that happenedduring a production?
So many unexpected thingshappen during a performanceand the funniest stuff is the stuffthat’s not planned and the way wework those happy accidents intothe show. From shoes flying offduring dance numbers, gunsfalling apart during tensemoments, so many. During “TheMobfather” we gave an audiencemember a part in the show with acostume and character name andall. And at the end they won anOscar for their portrayal. That wasalways fun because we, as thecast, never quite knew what toexpect on any given night.
How many scripts have youwritten?
I’ve co-written six and writtennine on my own.
How big is the theater’swardrobe? How many cos-tumes?
We have two mini barns full ofcostumes as well as an off-sitestorage unit full. I couldn’t evenbegin to count how many wehave. It’s a lot.
How many cast members doyou have? How many staffers?
We have five full-time castmembers and about three parttime. We also have many commu-nity players who work with us on aone-show basis. Many of our play-
ers perform at other theatresaround town. We also have a full-time musical director, technicaldirector and costume designerplus about four others that workin our lounge and box office, notto mention everyone in our familywho works here day in and dayout.
How many shows will you donext year?
We’ve been doing eight shows ayear with six-week runs. Occa-sionally, we’ll do a five-week run.Starting next year we’ll be going toa six-show season with eight-weekruns per show.
Do you see any potential forcollaborating with other the-aters in town?
There’s always potential to col-laborate with other theatres. It justdepends on the project and ifwe’re asked to join.
Ever feel the desire to go alittle more serious?
Not at all. There’s enough seri-ous in the world right now. Andthere’s enough serious being per-formed at other theatres, which isgreat. I think there’s room in anycommunity for all types of theatreto be performed. We just prefer tofocus on comedy and family funentertainment. We don’t take our-selves too seriously around here,but we do take what we do veryseriously.
Family friendly farehas found its niche
The smile’s on us: Gaslightcelebrates fifth anniversary
‘My Big Fat OildaleWedding’When: 7 p.m. today
Where: Gaslight Melodrama
Theatre & Music Hall, 12748
Jomani Drive
Admission: Adults, $20;
seniors, $18; children 12 and
under, $9
Information: 587-3377
PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL PRINCE
Michael Prince, Greg Ramsdell and Scott Hillberry appear in “My Big Fat Oildale Wedding.”
22 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, August 26, 2010
Eye Street
Before “Bakobilly” became allthe rage, The Wichitas werethe original local roots
country rockers through the ’90s.After an extended hiatus and a fewreunions, they’re back again, thistime opening for Jack Ingram atBuck Owens’ Crystal Palace thisSunday at 7 p.m., and Ryan Bing-ham at B Ryder’s on Sept. 12 at 8p.m.
During the ’80s, new wave,punk, and alternative countrywere the sounds of the under-ground. Bands like L.A.’s TheBlasters, Lone Justice along withTexas’ Rank and File andNashville’s Jason and TheScorchers combined countrytwang with punk distortion in citydive bars. Some might say the Bak-ersfield Sound directly inspired its“cowpunk” style.
But for Wichitas lead vocalistand guitarist Olen Taylor, whoformed The Wichitas in ’92, inspi-ration came across the water inthe form of British rock ’n’ rollersRockpile. Led by guitarist DaveMason and bassist Nick Lowe,their “pub-rock” style attractedTaylor.
“Bands like Rockpile taught uswe could do this,” he said. “AndDave Mason should be in the Rockand Roll Hall of Fame.”
Not fond of media hype, Taylorcertainly has earned the right totalk up his band’s resume. Over the
course of their near-ly 20-year exis-
tence,they’vescoredsomeprime gig
slots open-ing forJohnny
Cash, Willie Nelson, Los Lobos,plus a coveted spot on the ’95 BuckOwens/Merle Haggard concert atthe Kern County Fairgrounds.
“The promoters seemed to likeus. I remember some of the localscene reaction when we used to beon these shows would be, ‘Whythese guys?’ Listen, we may beknuckleheads, but we’re not thatbad.”
The current Wichitas lineup alsofeatures Bruce Jones, drums; ChrisGoodsell (aka Purdy Spackle),bass; Robert Tidwell, guitar; andChristopher O’Brien — who’sknown The Wichitas since per-forming with local power-popband Brian Jones Was Murderedback in the day.
“Our bands were sort of mutualfans. I’ve worked with Bruce since’93, and we knew each other fairlywell. When The Wichitas called meup, I jumped at the chance,”O’Brien said.
One member who won’t be join-ing them for the shows is originalguitarist Mark Lipco. Comparativeto an extended family, Lipco’sabsence doesn’t mean he’s out ofthe band.
“This has always been just agathering of friends. We’ve gonethrough a few members, but we’vealways wanted to be in this band,and Mark is still with us.”
Taylor explains that while there
are no solid plans to perform regu-larly, the band is open to do moreshould a good opportunity pres-ent itself.
“We’ll see what happens. It’s notabout the money, it’s just playingon our terms.”
Pac West Sound at Sunset Junction
During my visit to the 30thanniversary Sunset Junctionmusic and arts festival in SilverLake this past weekend, it wasgreat to see Bakersfield soundcompany Pac West in control.
Five stages were all run by famil-iar local faces, including companysound engineer Erik Madera, whobriefly described the massiveundertaking.
“The entire warehouse is emp-ty,” he said before scurrying off tocheck on some cabling.
And it was all put to good use. AsI caught sets from hip-hop legendBig Daddy Kane, indie bands SaintMotel, Girl In A Coma, plus Fish-bone and a newly energized BadBrains, who whipped up thebiggest mosh pit I’ve seen in a fewyears, the Pac West bunch keptthings crystal clear. Now, if onlyour DBA could figure out a way tothrow a similar festival, life wouldbe that much better in Bako.Check out photos from my SunsetJunction experience at: bako-topia.com.
Matt’s picks“Little Shop of Horrors” at
Caffeine Supreme, 20th and F, 8p.m., Friday, Free, 873-4712.
Not the 1986 musical version,this is the original 1960 Roger Cor-man black-and-white comedywith Jack Nicholson. Shot in twodays using leftover movie sets, itsoriginal running title was “ThePassionate People Eater.” I’vechecked out the cool outdoorscreen the Hectic guys built forthese free screenings and the pic-ture is nice. Just be careful not to
wreck your car while you’re drivingby to catch a glimpse like I almostdid last time. Pull over and watch.
Operation Comedy at Fishlips,1517 18th St., 8 p.m. Saturday, $20,324-2557.
Operation Repo’s Matt Burchand Froy Tercero headline thisshow, along with comedians JimTrino, Fat James, Rick Shapiro andBig Mike. I was a huge fan of theOperation Repo TV show until Ifound out it was fake. Oops, did Ispoil the surprise? Don’t forget toask Matt and Froy how it is co-star-ring with the Sea Witch from Dis-ney’s “The Little Mermaid.” They’llget it.
Funky Fight Night 3 at BRyder’s, 7401 White Lane, 6 p.m.Saturday, $10, 397-7304.
Current IBF boxing champJames Toney makes his MMAdebut against Randy Couture inwhat has become a monthly gath-ering of Bakersfield’s UFC fans at BRyder’s. The sport has come a longway from the original “no rules”approach of the early bouts. Nowat UFC 118, that’s a lot of brokennoses lined with good sportsman-ship. After the fight, stick aroundfor the “funky” portion with musicby Mento Buru and DJ Mikey. Noprotective gear required.
Welcome back, WichitasThe Lowdown with Matt Munoz
Influential localband playing again
Bakotopia Radio9 to 10 p.m. Sundays on 106.1
FM. KRAB Radio
Hosts: Matt Munoz and
Miranda Whitworth
This Sunday:
In-studio performance by Live
lead vocalist Ed Kowalczyk
Interview with Hectic Films’
Rickey Bird
Interview with comedian
Ralphie May, appearing Sept.
23 at the Fox.
Matt Munoz is editor of Bakotopia.com, a sister website of
The Californian that devotes itself to promoting Bakersfield’s art scene.
Matt’s column appears every Thursday in Eye Street.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WICHITAS
The Wichitas in 1995.
MATT MUNOZ / THE CALIFORNIAN
Erik Madera and Danny Almeydaof Bakersfield’s Pac West Soundat Sunset Junction in Silver Lake.
MATT MUNOZ / THE CALIFORNIAN
Solrak of The B-Side Players per-forms at Sunset Junction in Sil-ver Lake on Aug. 21.
Thursday, August 26, 2010 The Bakersfield Californian 23
Eye Street
AND NO COMPROMISE
“Tony’s Pizza really piles it on!” -Pete Tittl
2 LOCATIONS TO SERVE
4750 COFFEE ROAD • 588-4700 4130 CALIFORNIA AVE • 325-4717
NEW
2515 F Street • 322-9910 HOURS Lunch: Mon-Fri 11-2
Dinner: Mon-Thurs 5-10, Fri & Sat 5-10:30
$5 Off Lunch For Two
Must show this coupon before ordering. Up to total of four lunch entrees. Save up to $10. Not valid with any other offer. Dine in only. Expires 8/31/10
Must show this coupon before ordering. Up to total of four dinner entrees. Save up to $20. Not valid with any other offer. Dine in only. Expires 8/31/10.
STEAK HOUSE
$10 Off Dinner For Two
End of summer Specials
STEAK HOUSE End of summer Specials
One woman’s promise to herdying husband is being real-ized Saturday with the Bill
Brannon Memorial Fundraiser CarShow at Buttonwillow Park.
Organizer Cindi Brannon says shewill donate proceeds to VanderbiltResearch Center in Nashville in honorof her late husband, Bill, who suc-cumbed to Multiple System Atrophyin January 2009. The little-known butdevastating disease is somewhat simi-lar to Parkinson’s Disease, Cindi Bran-don said.
“If you are diagnosed with Parkin-son’s you can live for 20, 30 or even 40years. But MSA is atypical, meaning 10years or less.
“I made a vow to my husband tocontinue to fight against this disease. Ipromised to become an advocate andthis is how I’m doing it.”
Brannon is a member of an onlineMSA support group throughYahoo.com and helps local MSApatients with physical therapy. Someof those patients will be in attendanceat the benefit, along with the facilita-
tor of the support group, who will betraveling from San Diego for the event.
Bill was a longtime member of OldFarts Car Club. His old friends haverallied around Brannon to help makethe fundraiser a success. They will beout in force, showing their cars along-side Bill’s five automobiles, whichBrannon is rolling out for this specialoccasion.
“I need to show Bill’s cars. He had a’57 Chevy, ’56 Ford pickup, ’63 ChevyImpala, a ’65 Ford Mustang and a ’36Chevy Sedan.”
Brannon reminds would-be partici-pants that all cars are welcome at the
event with a $20 entry fee. In addition to the car show, the
event will feature fun for young andold. The Bobby Durham Band will betaking time out from regular stints atBuck Owens’ Crystal Palace to per-form.
Attendees can also enter a raffle,with more than 300 prizes waiting tobe given away. Arts, crafts and foodvendors will also be on sight and abarbecue lunch will be available cour-tesy of Buttonwillow’s Willow RanchRestaurant.
This is Brannon’s first year hostingthe benefit and she hopes her hardwork will pay off when it comes towriting a check to Vanderbilt Universi-ty. After doing a little research she saysit was clear to her which medicalresearch facility would put the moneyto the best use.
“There are two medical centers thatdo MSA research, one in Michigan andone in Tennessee. I just felt the pro-gram at Vanderbilt was more to myheart and to my needs when it cameto Bill.”
Car show to raise fundsto fight deadly disease
BY ALLIE CASTROCalifornian staff writer
For those itching for the start ofdove-hunting season, the BoyScouts of America is providing
the perfect opportunity for a pre-sea-son warmup that also serves a goodcause.
The 11th annual Sporting ClayTournament will take place Friday atFive Dogs Shooting Range. One of thebiggest fundraisers of the year, thetournament came about due to theabundance of hunting enthusiasts inthe community. Scout Executive Dan-ny Tucker says, “It was a niche that fit
into the Bakersfield climate. We sawthat opportunity, and that people hereenjoy hunting here in Kern County, soit was a natural progression for us.”
During the tournament — in boththe expert and the novice categories— teams of five will shoot at 20 sta-tions with each station having somesort of variation.
At the end of the tournament, prizesdonated by AT&T will be given to thewinning team in each category, alongwith a prize for the overall winner andan award for a newcomer still trying toget the hang of shooting. Teams arewelcome; individuals who sign up willbe placed on a team.
Attendees will also be treated to arib eye lunch, and will have the oppor-tunity to win prizes — such as shot-guns, a pig hunt for two donated byTejon Ranch and a 100th anniversaryshotgun specially designed to com-memorate the Boy Scouts’ 100-yearanniversary. The raffle takes placeafter the tournament.
All of the proceeds will go towardsupporting the various programs ofthe Kern, Inyo, and Mono counties’chapters of the Boy Scouts of Ameri-ca.
Scouts provide chanceto sharpen skills
Shooting tournament set for Friday
Bill Brannon BenefitMemorial Fundraiser Car ShowWhen: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: Buttonwillow Park,
Highway 58 and Meadow Street
Admission: $20 entry fee per
vehicle; no cost for spectators
Sporting Clay TournamentWhen: Friday; registration starts
at 7:15 a.m., tournament begins
at 8 a.m., lunch and awards begin
at 11:45 a.m.
Where: Five Dogs Shooting
Range, 20238 Woody Road
Admission: $150 per shooter
Information: 325-9036
Ska-punk band Sublime withRome have just announced theyare adding a show in Bakersfield
Nov. 5 to the second leg of their 2010concert tour. Tickets for the concert atthe theater at Rabobank ConventionCenter go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Original members of Sublime, BudGaugh and Eric Wilson, with newfrontman Rome officially returned to
the stage this spring, their first outingin 14 years.
In addition to performing their newsong “Panic” on tour, the band hasbeen performing songs from Sub-lime’s back catalog, many of whichhave never been performed live.
Sublime has sold over 17 millionalbums worldwide. Formed in LongBeach in 1988, Sublime’s final per-
formance — until the recent tour —was in the spring of 1996.
Doors for the Nov. 5 concert open at6:30 p.m.; the show is at 7:30 p.m. Tick-ets are $35 in advance and $40 the dayof the show, not including fees.
Tickets are available at theRabobank box office, 1001 TruxtunAve., at ticketmaster.com and byphone at 800-745-3000.
Sublime returns to stage at Rabobank on Nov. 5
24 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, August 26, 2010
Eye Street
BY MATT MUNOZBakotopia.com editor
It’s back to school for local jazz phenomIsaiah Morfin. Making a special concertappearance tonight at Metro Galleries,
the 20-year-old saxophonist is looking for-ward to continuing his music studies at theprestigious Berklee College of Music inBoston this September. But before hebegins his next round of studies, he’s throw-ing a jazzy farewell show.
“I just finished my third semester. But it’sa four-year program, and I have some timeto go,” said Morfin, who will be performingat Metro backed by an all-star band, includ-ing Doug Davis, keyboard; Glen Fong, bass;Jim Scully, guitar; Micah Nactia; CanaanMcDuffie on drums; along with JenniferScully and Joy Wright on vocals.
With a reputation for tearing up localstages and festivals like CSUB’s annual JazzFestival, Morfin has enjoyed the challengesof being in Boston since fall of 2009.Enrolling with a double major of perform-ance and professional music, he admitsadapting to life in the big city away fromfamily and friends took some time.
“It was crazy the first time I went, and itwas so cold you just don’t know what to do.It’s easy to get discouraged. There are somany musicians in the area and everyone’strying to gig. But it’s great being aroundpeople who are as excited as you are.”
Over the past year, Morfin has beenunder the direction of Berklee faculty musicheavies like saxophonist Joe Lovano anddrummer Terry Lynn Carrington to name afew. Ready to absorb even more musicknowledge upon his return, he plans on
performing some new jazz originals, plussome inspirational compositions at Metro.
“We’ll be playing some Latin and groovin’swing tunes to make you snap your fingers— music people can emotionally respond,too. It’s going to be a great concert,” Morfinsaid.
Morfin preparing to headback to college this fall
Local jazz musicianset for performance
BY ALLIE CASTROCalifornian staff writer
Now that Dewar’s has passed the 100-year mark, the candy and ice cream shopis spreading the love to others in theexclusive club, offering a brand-newpeanut butter-filled chocolate chew inhonor of the centennial of OildoradoDays in Taft.
The chew is available at both Bakers-field locations of Dewar’s and at the head-quarters of the festival, a newlyrefurbished beauty of a building at 430Main St. in Taft. The two-story brickbuilding, which opened in 1927 as aMasonic temple, has been returned to itsformer grandeur after remaining in direneed of a makeover these last 20 years.
“The store is the centerpiece for all thethings going on leading up to Oildorado,”said Taft Oildorado Inc. president EricCooper.
Events include open-mic coffeehouse
entertainment nights, talks by well-known residents of Taft, maybe a mid-night sale or two, and more. Visitors mayalso purchase Oildorado tickets and sou-venirs, including Oildorado T-shirts,polos, blankets, pocket knives, clocks, beltbuckles, glasses, even bronze sculpturesfrom the artists involved in the creation ofcommemorative sculptures made for theOildorado event.
In addition to the Dewar’s chews,snacks, soda, ice cream and candy areavailable.
For a listing of all of the events the storewill host in the weeks leading up to Oildo-rado, check the official Oildorado websiteat oildoradodays.com in the comingweeks.
Oildorado Days takes place Oct. 14-24.The store will be open now through Nov.1. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.every day but Sunday. (Hours will beextended during Oildorado Days in Octo-ber.)
Oildorado gets its own Dewar’s chew
An Evening with Isaiah Morfinand friendsWhen: 7 p.m. tonight
Where: Metro Galleries, 1604 19th St.
Admission: $8
Information: 634-9598
PHOTO COURTESY OF ISAIAH MORFIN
Isaiah Morfin will perform at Metro Gal-leries tonight.
Thursday, August 26, 2010 The Bakersfield Californian 25
Eye Street
• We accept most insurance
plans.
• We offer many payment
options including 0% interest
monthly payments to qualified
persons.
• We have flexible hours
including evenings and
weekends by appointment.
Back-To-School
Teeth Whitening for $75
Invisalign Special:
$11000000 ooffff$1000 off $ 1000 off for the first 20 patients
Exam, x-rays and professional cleaning*
for students at
Offer expires 9/30/10
(*additional procedures may be necessary).
$125$125 $ 125 9/30/10
Specials
2000 20 TH S T . B AKERSFIELD , C A 93301 661.323.7337 • WWW . JAREDSIMPSONDDS . COM
SIDEWALK BLOWOUT SALE! SIDEWALK BLOWOUT SALE! August 25th – August 28th
1700 K Street 283-4500
1712 K Street 334-1712
All merchandise from regular stock. All sales final and charge for
alterations on sale merchandise.
• Ties..................
• Dress shirts.......
• Dress slacks......
• Shoes................
• Sport Coats........
• Suits................
$19.99
$24.99
$39.99
$49.99
$99.99
$149.00
$49.99
Denim
True Religion, 7 for All Mankind, Paige Denim, PRVCY, Rich & Skinny
Starting at
Mens
Denim Discounted
$19.99
Clothes & Shoes
BCBG, French Connection, Sky, For Joseph, Splendid, Bejeweled,
and more!
Starting at
Taking a cool dip in the UnionAvenue Plunge, driving past thequaint Lebec Hotel, crossing
your fingers that the family sedan hadone more trip up the Grapevine in it,the spiffy service station attendant:They’re all memories of one artist’schildhood spent roaming up anddown the 99 visiting family. But theycould just as easily be from the mem-ory scrapbook of any 40-plus native ofthe valley.
Now those images form a collec-tion of paintings at a gallery in Lodi,and if the photos sent our way are anyindication, the exhibit, called “OldU.S. 99,” might warrant a ride of yourown up the highway.
More from the media release wereceived from the Knowlton Gallery:
Dennis Ziemienski, whose work hasbeen featured on book covers, postersfor the Super Bowl and Kentucky Der-by, as well as his work with RollingStone magazine and the New YorkTimes, has chosen the road trips hetook as a kid as inspiration for his newbody of work.
Old U.S. Highway 99 was Califor-nia’s first major north-south highway,at one time reaching from Mexico tothe Oregon border. Built in the 1910sand ’20s, many Dust Bowl refugeestraveled this road looking for employ-ment.
“A large part of the Sicilian side ofmy family,” says Ziemienski, “livedalong this route, so it became our fam-ily’s favorite road trip.”
His show will lead the viewer downthe mid-century eucalyptus andpalm-lined U.S. Highway 99, fromCalifornia’s capital south through theSan Joaquin Valley to greater LosAngeles. Take this journey and re-livea refreshment stop at a Giant Orange,the panorama of mile upon mile ofrow crops punctuated by producestands, competing neon arrows, DairyQueens and sleepy Main Streets.
“Nearly all these images have beenlost to highway upgrades and moderntastes, but the memories live on in theimagination of the people who trav-eled Old U.S. 99.”
99’s past as a roadsideculture is unveiled
Artisttravelingin reverse
Opening reception for ‘OldU.S. 99’ by Dennis ZiemienskiWhen: 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday;
exhibit runs through Sept. 25
Where: The Knowlton Gallery,
115 S. School St. #14 in Lodi
Information: 209-368-5123;
www.ziemienski.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBIN KNOWLTON
A swimmer at the old Union Avenue Plunge by Dennis Ziemienski, who isshowing a collection of paintings at a Lodi gallery inspired by trips he tookas a child with his family up and down Highway 99.
DennisZiemienski’swork “Trou-ble in theGrapevine”will beamong thepieces onexhibitstarting Sat-urday at theKnowltonGallery.
26 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, August 26, 2010
Eye Street
In celebration of National HispanicHeritage Month, all of Kern County isinvited to join the next communityread organized by One Book, One Bak-ersfield, One Kern.
The book, “Burro Genius” by VictorVillaseñor (“Rain of Gold,” “Macho!”),is a memoir of the author’s experienceas the child of Mexican immigrantsgrowing up in Southern Californiaduring the 1940s and ’50s. It is asmuch a commentary on the educationsystem that discriminated againstSpanish speakers — and failed to rec-ognize the author’s severe dyslexiathat made him seem like a “stupidMexican” — as it is a story of family,culture, heritage and coming of age.
Lead part-ners KernCounty Libraryand Cal StateBakersfieldhave organizedtwo months ofprogrammingrelated to thecommunityread, startingwith a kickoffon Sept. 16(Mexican Inde-
pendence Day) at the Beale MemorialLibrary, and culminating with theauthor himself giving a free talk atCSUB on Nov. 9.
One Book, One Bakersfield, OneKern encourages all community mem-bers, young and old, to read the book,hold book discussions, and participatein the many events related to NationalHispanic Heritage Month this fall.
According to hispanicheritage-month.gov, this year’s theme “recog-nizes the strength and hard work ofHispanic Americans, whose zeal forfamily and country has helped shapesociety” — a very fitting theme for acommunity read of “Burro Genius.”
For more information about OneBook, One Bakersfield, One Kern, con-tact organizer Kristie Coons at 325-9584 or [email protected].
— Cal State Bakersfield news release
Community reading eventsrecognize Hispanic heritage
(Events free unless otherwise
noted.)
5 p.m. Sept. 3: Opening reception
for “Latination II,” Metro Galleries,
1604 19th St.
Sept. 10 to 25: “Bordertown” at
Bakersfield Community Theatre,
2400 S. Chester Ave. Call 831-8114
for ticket prices.
11 a.m. Sept. 16: Kickoff of “Burro
Genius” community read and
National Hispanic Heritage Month
with speakers and entertainment,
Beale Memorial Library, 701 Truxtun
Ave.
2 p.m. Sept. 18: Pam Muñoz Ryan
Day, celebrating Bakersfield native
and children’s author Pam Muñoz
(“Esperanza Rising”), with
entertainment, reception and book
signing, Russo’s Books at The
Marketplace, 9000 Ming Ave.
7:30 p.m. Sept. 24: Showing of “Sin
Nombre,” a film made in Mexico
touching on themes of immigration
and gangs, Fox Theater, 2001 H St.
$5. flics.org.
Oct. 1 and 2: “Hispanic American
and Spanish Literary and Cultural
Symposium,” 9001 Stockdale
Highway. Free with $2 parking. Call
654-2359 for time and location.
9:30 to 11 a.m. Oct. 6: Panel
discussion on themes related to
“Burro Genius,” Bakersfield Museum
of Art, 1930 R St. Free for museum
members, $5 adults, $4 seniors.
bmoa.org.
7 p.m. Oct. 6: Showing of “The 800
Mile Wall,” a documentary about the
U.S.-Mexico border, Dorothy
Donahoe Hall, Room G102, 9001
Stockdale Highway. Free with $2
parking.
7 p.m. Oct. 7: Salsa y Salsa, a
celebration of Latin dance through
demonstration and instruction from
local experts with salsa tasting from
the best local salsa makers, Beale
Memorial Library, 701 Truxtun Ave.
7 p.m. Oct. 13: Discussion with
author Carlos Fuentes on
“Globalization: A New Deal for a
New Age,” Doré Theatre, 9001
Stockdale Highway.
7 p.m. Oct. 14: CSUB’s History
Forum with Dr. Gabriel Gutiérrez,
director of the Center for the Study
of the Peoples of the Americas at
Cal State Northridge, who will
present the historical context of
“Burro Genius,” Doré Theatre, 9001
Stockdale Highway. Free with $2
parking.
3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Oct. 15: Book
discussion about “Burro Genius,”
Russo’s Books at The Marketplace,
9000 Ming Ave.
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 24:Guelaguetza 2010, a festival
celebrating Oaxacan culture with
folkloric dances, music, art, crafts
and food, CSUB Outdoor
Amphitheatre, 9001 Stockdale
Highway. Adults, $7.50; children
under 12, free; $2 parking. upbj.org.
Noon to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 1: Dia de los
Muertos workshop with guest
speaker Eva Patino, Student Union
Multipurpose Room, 9001 Stockdale
Highway, free with $2 parking.
5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 2: “Altares de
Familia,” a Day of the Dead
celebration, Bakersfield Museum of
Art, 1930 R St.
7 p.m. Nov. 9: Victor Villaseñor,
author of “Burro Genius,” will speak
about his memoir and sign books,
CSUB Icardo Center, 9001 Stockdale
Highway. Free admission and
parking in Lot I.
UPCOMING EVENTS
CASH 4 GOLDCASH 4 GOLD CASH 4 GOLD 832-5782
1304 Wible Road Next to Target on Wible Rd. off Ming Ave.
UP TO $27 A GRAM PLUS 10% ADDITIONAL with this ad
In Business Since 1974
A portion of theproceeds to benefit
4809 Stockdale Hwy 661.834.5522
Showtimes: Friday and Saturdays at 7:00PM, Sunday at 2PM 12748 Jomani Dr. Call for reservations 587-3377 www.themelodrama.com
T H E A T R E & M U S I C H A L L
Rosedale Hwy.
Jomani Dr.
Alle
n R
d. N W E
S
THE
BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN
READERS’ CHOICE POLL
2010
You Asked for It! We’re bringing it back
Aug 20th thru Sept
25th
9000 Ming Ave664-2644
Hours: M-F 10-6, Sat. 10-5:30, Sunday 11-5 At The Marketplace
20% - 50% OFF FALL SAVINGS
Bountiful
MANUFACTURERS SUGGESTED RETAIL SALE NOT VALID ON SPECIAL ORDERS, GIFT CERTIFICATES AND ELECTRICS
HUGE SAVINGS ON ALL DINNERWARE • FLATWARE • STEMWARE
HOUSEWARES • GIFTS 4 DAYS ONLY!
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25 TH - SUNDAY, AUGUST 29 TH
ALL SALES FINAL
JUST ARRIVED FALL AND HALLOWEEN MERCHANDISE
“Reach,” a play commissioned bythe Arts Council of Kern to teach the-ater to kids, will be presented Satur-day.
Local playwright Mary Amelia Rey-na taught the participants, who rangein age from 5 to 18, over four weeks atthe Martin Luther King Center insoutheast Bakersfield.
“Reach” consists of 10 vignettes thatdepict real-life stories of conqueringfear, realizing dreams and aspirations,triumphing against all odds, andreaching for the stars in a world full ofviolence and uncertainty.
“Although the kids could not envi-sion a final production, they readilyagreed to recount their stories ofeveryday lives for me to spin into aplay.
“Then they became not just actors,but also writers, directors, producers,set designers, and PR persons,” Reynasaid.
Also, under the tutelage of Bakers-field muralist Sebastian Muralles, thesame students discovered their ownartistic talents by adapting their sto-ries onto a mural that will hang out-side the center on the Stop theViolence building.
The program was made possible bya grant from the California TableGrape Commission.— Arts Council of Kern
‘Reach’ puts kids in the producers’ seatPerformance and mural unveilingWhen: 10 a.m. to noon Saturday
Where: Martin Luther King
Center, 1000 S. Owens St.
Information: 324-9000
Thursday, August 26, 2010 The Bakersfield Californian 27
Eye Street
BY DIANNE HARDISTYContributing writer
You won’t find a lot ofmoaning and groaning atEthel’s Old Corral on
Alfred Harrell Highway as thetemperatures climb over thetriple-digit mark. In fact, youwill find people cheering thethermometer in hopes it climbsover 105 degrees.
That’s because the northeastBakersfield restaurant and bardrops the price of its draft beeras the temperature climbs.When it reaches 100 degrees,draft beer drops to $2 a glass.When it hits 105 degrees, theprice drops to $1 a glass.
“It gives people a reason to beglad it’s hot, rather that justcomplain about it,” said NatalieMears, the restaurant’s owner.
As Bakersfield’s “dry heat” gothotter in July, Mears cooked upher “beat global warming” idea.She says she has made good onher offer at least five times thissummer, mostly serving up $2-a-glass beer as temperaturescrested 100 degrees.
She predicted $1-a-glass beer
would be flowing freely thisweek as temperatures were pre-dicted to be well above 105degrees.
“One dollar beer tones downthe heat. It’s not so much adrudgery,” said Mears, who hasowned Ethel’s for six years.
“It’s a fun thing,” said JohnHayes, a retired Chevronemployee and East BakersfieldHigh graduate who stops by forlunch nearly every day.
Ethel’s, which also goes by thename The Old Corral, is north-east Bakersfield’s equivalent to“Cheers,” where regulars hangout and everyone seems toknow your name. But even“newcomers,” like Mike andLoretta Schield, who moved toBakersfield in 1996, find Ethel’senduring. “It’s one of Loretta’sand my very favorite places,”Mike wrote in an e-mail alertingThe Californian to the discount.
The discount beer offer isbased on the readings from asimple thermometer hung onEthel’s patio.
“There’s nothing fancy atEthel’s,” Mears said.
Best benefit of theheat? Cheap beer
BY MIRANDA WHITWORTHContributing writer
Are you a music enthusiast, Bakersfield HighSchool supporter or just looking to settle ascore? Head out to Yokuts Park Saturday as the
Bakersfield High School Instrumental Music Boostersattempt to break the world record for largest waterballoon fight.
“It will be Drillers against all. So if you are from Bak-ersfield and have always wanted to drench a Driller,here’s your chance,” said band director and eventorganizer Randy Bennett.
Bennett is hoping to have 5,000 people come to Sat-urday’s event to snatch the title from current GuinnessBook of World Records holders Brigham Young Univer-sity for their “Cougar Cool Down” on July 23, whichboasted 3,927 attendees. A turnout of 5,000 is a loftygoal, but Bennett says he and the Band Boosters havebeen doing the legwork to get the numbers on the field.
“We have commercials running on four radio sta-tions, we have big electronic billboards, we’ve beenhanding out fliers at the malls and we have peoplecoming from as far away as San Diego to support thehigh school. We want anybody and everybody.”
Bennett knows what it’s like to travel for a goodcause. He grew up in Oceanside and went to LongBeach State. He says that while Bakersfield is not hishometown, he was happy to come here and has been
happy to stay. “I moved here for the school. I couldn’tbeat the opportunity. It has been a blast!”
While the water balloon fight may be the mainattraction, the club has organized a daylong event sur-rounding the fundraiser.
A carnival will be held at Yokuts Park from noon to 5p.m. with food, games and rides for the whole family,including bounce houses, face painting, virtual battingcages and more. Chick-fil-A and the Bakersfield Con-dors will be on hand with games and prizes. At 5 p.m.,Bennett says the fighters will be loaded into a tempo-rary fenced stadium and the balloons will fly at 6 p.m.
“For the Guinness record, there are rules to follow.We need to fence people in so we can verify the count.We are taking the soccer field and creating a game are-na. One side will be for Drillers, the other will be foreveryone else.”
The cost to participate is $5. The fee earns you a T-shirt, two water balloons and a sandwich provided byChick-fil-A. All proceeds from the event will benefitthe Bakersfield High School Band.
Bennett says due to recent budget cuts there isn’tmuch money left over for students to take part inmany activities beyond their work in class.
“This is band, it’s performance ensemble. If we wantto perform at any venues, go anywhere or do anythingoutside of the classroom, we need to push this our-selves. From traveling to even repairing instruments,this is what the money will go to.”
Ready, set,duck! Waterballoons flying
Water balloon fightWhen: Carnival starts at noon; water balloon
fight at 6 p.m.
Where: Yokuts Park, Empire Drive and Truxtun
Avenue
Fee: $5, which includes a T-shirt, sandwich and
two water balloons.
28 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, August 26, 2010
GO & DO
TodayConcerts by The Fountain, ska,
rock and funk with Mento Buru, 7
to 9 p.m., The Marketplace, 9000
Ming Ave.
Jazz Live with Isaiah Morfin &Friends, 7 to 8:30 p.m., Metro
Galleries, 1604 19th St. $8 at the
door. 634-9598.
Grand Opening Celebration,and presentation of “Two Faces
of Plastic Surgery” by Dr.
Lawrence M. Birnbaum who
relocated to Essentiels Spa, 6:30
p.m., Essentiels Spa Et Beauté,
9000 Ming Ave., Suite K7.
Celebration continues through
Saturday. For appointments or a
complimentary consultation, call
322-2025.
City of Bakersfield Departmentof Recreation & Sports offers a
wide variety of lessons, sports,
classes and more. For more
information, call 326-3866.
FridayLocal music showcase, with
Right Cross, 8 p.m., Bright House
Networks Amphitheatre, Stockdale
Highway and Buena Vista Road.
Free. bakersfieldamphitheatre.us
or or 852-7300.
11th annual Boys Scouts ofAmerica Sporting ClaysTournament, 7:15 to 7:45 a.m.,
check-in/registration, 7:30 a.m.
warmup trap shooting, 8 a.m.
tournament begins, 11:45 a.m.
lunch, noon awards/raffle, Five
Dogs Shooting Range, 20238
Woody Road. $150 per shooter.
325-9036.
CSUB Women’s Soccer vs.Eastern Washington, 7 p.m.,
CSUB campus, 9001 Stockdale
Highway. $4 to $10. 654-2583.
Fire Donation Collection, for
helping local victims from two
fires this summer, The Salvation
Army will be collecting cash
donations, gift cards and gently
used items, 2 to 4 p.m., Interim
Healthcare, 4801 Truxtun Ave. All
proceeds go toward assisting
relief efforts. 395-1700.
Late Night Skate, 7 p.m. to
midnight, Rollerama West, 7850
Brimhall Road. $10, rental
included. 589-7555.
“Spontaneous Expression withPaint,” an Art for Healing
program of Mercy Hospitals of
Bakersfield; 9:30 to noon, Mercy
Hospital, Truxtun Campus, Truxtun
and A streets. Free.
mercybakersfield.org/art or to
register, 324-7070.
Wine Bar Flight, featuring a look
back at the great Cabernet of
2003 Harvest, Karl Lawrence Dr.
Crane Vineyard, Harlan, Bryant
Family (96/100 WA) and more, 4
p.m., Imbibe Wine & Spirits
Merchant, 4140 Truxtun Ave.
Tastes, $5 to $30. 633-WINE.
Wine Tasting, includes different
wines and appetizers, 5:30 to 8
p.m., Cafe Med, 4809 Stockdale
Highway. $25 per person. 834-
4433.
SaturdayFish Pierce Summertime BlueRevue, presented by Fish
Entertainment and the Asthma and
COPD Education Center; featuring
Fish Pierce and friends, 12 blues
bands with special guests, 3 to
10:30 p.m., Trout’s & The
Blackboard Stages, 805 N. Chester
Ave. $15 advance, $20 at the door
and can be purchased at Front
Porch Music. 325-7161.
Jack Ingram, 7 p.m., Buck Owens
Crystal Palace, 2800 Buck Owens
Blvd. $23.50 to $33.50 plus fee.
vallitix.com or 322-5200.
Operation Comedy with Mattand Troy, 8 p.m., Fishlips Bar &
Grill, 1517 18th St. $20 plus fee; 21
& over only. vallitix.com or 322-
5200.
World’s Largest Water BalloonFight, Drillers vs. All, hosted by
Bakersfield High School Band
Boosters; with food, raffle prizes,
dunk tank, carnival is from noon to
5 p.m., arena gates open at 5:30
p.m., balloons begin flying at 6
p.m., Yokuts Park, 4200 Empire
Drive. $5. E-mail
Bakersfield Speedway,Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Mini
Stocks, Mini Dwarfs, gates open at
4:30 p.m.; races begin at 6 p.m.,
Bakersfield Speedway, 5001 N.
Chester Ave. $10; $5 ages 6-12;
under 5 free.
bakersfieldspeedway.com or call
393-3373.
Summer Lecture Series:Archaeology, Up Close &Personal, on “Basin Religion and
Animal Ceremonialism and
Egyptian Mummies Uncovered,” 6
p.m., Tehachapi Museum, 310 S.
Green St. $15. 822-8152.
Ceramic Group ProjectWorkshop, for items that will be
entered into the Kern County Fair;
10 a.m., The Ceramic Shop, 2550
E. Belle Terrace, Suite 300. Free
but registration required. 834-
1000.
CSUB Men’s Soccer AlumniGame, 7 p.m., CSUB campus,
9001 Stockdale Highway. $4 to
$10. 654-2583.
Drag Racing, gates open at 3
p.m., Buttonwillow Raceway, 24551
Lerdo Highway, Buttonwillow. 764-
5333.
Family Skate Night, 7 to 10 p.m.,
Rollerama West, 7850 Brimhall
Road. $30 includes admission for
four (two adults/two children),
skate rental, one pizza and pitcher
of soda. 589-7555.
Free How-to-Work Workshops,Saturday classes: 10 to 11 a.m.
“Decorative Painting Solutions”; 11
a.m. to noon “Do It Yourself
Flooring Made Easy”; 1 to 2 p.m.
“Small Bath Updates”; and Sunday
class: 1 to 2 p.m. “Storage & Closet
Organization Solutions”; Home
Depot. homedepot.com or call
800-430-3376.
Street Teams, opportunity to
reach the hurting and needy parts
of our community with food, love
and prayer, 10:30 a.m., Jesus
Shack, 1326 30th St.
jesusshack.com or call 324-0638.
Kids Free Day, last Saturday of
every month, CALM, 10500 Alfred
Harrell Highway. 872-2256.
Performance & "REACH" MuralUnveiling, local children create
play and mural depicting every day
challenges, 10 a.m. to noon
Saturday, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Community Center, 1000 S. Owens
St. Free. 324-9000.
Twilight at CALM, with a wildlife
presentation, scavenger hunt, 5:30
to 8 p.m., CALM, 10500 Alfred
Harrell Highway. Regular admission
prices apply; CALM members are
free. calmzoo.org or 872-2256.
Farmers markets: 8 a.m. to 2
p.m., Caffeine Supreme, on the
lawn, corner of F and 20th streets.
caffeinesupreme.com; 8 a.m. to
noon, next to Golden State Mall,
3201 F St.; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.,
Brimhall Square, 9500 Brimhall
Road; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., “Nuui
Cunni” Native American Cultural
Center, 2600 Highway 155, Lake
Isabella. 760-549-0800.
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post97 Steak Dinner, with a DJ, 6
p.m., VFW Post #97, 5350 S. Union
Ave. $10. 304-5654.
SundayBill Brannon MemorialFundraiser Car Show, with food,
DJ, vendor booths, trophies, 50/50
drawing and raffle, 9 a.m. to 2
p.m., Buttonwillow Park, Highway
58 and Meadow Street,
Buttonwillow. $20 entry fee. All
proceeds go toward Vanderbilt
University Research for a cure in
Bill Brannon’s name. 764-5498.
CSUB Women’s Soccer vs.Loyola Marymount, 7 p.m., CSUB
campus, 9001 Stockdale Highway.
$4 to $10. 654-2583.
ART“Artistic Chaos” art exhibit, by
appointment only, on display until
Oct. 8, The Micro Gallery, 6300
Coffee Road. 301-3283.
“Ebb and Flow Kern’sVanishing Water” art exhibit,on display until Oct. 3, JP Jennings
Gallery, 1700 Chester Ave. 323-
1622.
“On the Road Again,” group art
show on display through August,
Bakersfield Mazda, 3201 Cattle
Drive. 328-8000.
All Media Class, by instructor
Phyllis Oliver, all media welcome,
with color theory stressed. For
more information or to register, e-
mail [email protected] or
call 348-4717.
Art classes, beginning
watercolor, beginning drawing,
advanced drawing and watercolor
painters’ group, taught by Carol
Bradshaw. Call or e-mail for
details and enrollment.
760-376-6604.
Basic Beading & WireWrapping Workshop, with Susi
Klassen, private instruction or by
appointment, The Bead Hut, 610
18th St. To schedule an
appointment, call 324-0975 or
706-6490.
Beginning Oil Painting, with
instructor Glen Jelletich, classes
held 1 to 3 p.m. Mondays. Call
399-3707 for more information or
to register.
Beginning, Intermediate andAdvanced Drawing, by
instructor Nina Landgraff, series of
five two-hour classes. Call for
more information or to register.
304-7002.
Framing Clinic, with Toni Lott,
for artists who want to frame
their work, began April 7, running
noon to 4 p.m. Wednesdays. Call
205-3488 for more information or
to register.
Native American ArtsAssociation, meets to learn
basketry, beadwork and more, 9
a.m. to noon each Thursday, The
Stockdale Moose Lodge, 905 Stine
Road. 852-5050.
Shirley Rowles, featured artist
for August, Russo’s, 9000 Ming
Ave. russosbooks.com or 665-
4686.
The Art Center, 1817 Eye St.,
869-2320; offers a variety of
painting and drawing classes. Call
for details.
The Art Shop Club, 9 a.m. to
noon each Thursday, Friday and
Saturday, The Art Shop, 1221 20th
St. All mediums. 322-0544, 589-
7463 or 496-5153.
“Spontaneous Expression withPaint,” an Art for Healing
program of Mercy Hospitals of
Bakersfield; 9:30 to noon Friday,
Mercy Hospital, Truxtun Campus,
Truxtun and A streets. Free.
mercybakersfield.org/art or to
register, 324-7070.
Ceramic Group ProjectWorkshop, for items that will be
entered into the Kern County Fair;
10 a.m. Saturday, The Ceramic
Shop, 2550 E. Belle Terrace, Suite
300. Free but registration
required. 834-1000.
Free art classes, for home-
school parents, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Saturdays. Call to reserve your
spot. Moore’s Art Studio, 10205
Hurlingham Drive. 588-7769.
Grand Opening Reception, with
local and international artists, live
music, wine, appetizers, 5 to 11
p.m. Saturday, La Galeria, 1414
High St., Delano. Visit
yessy.com/maryselva25 or 444-
1564.
“Mandala-Making as a Sourceof Healing & Wholeness,” an
Art for Healing program of Mercy
Hospitals of Bakersfield; 6:30 to
8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Mercy
Hospital, Truxtun Campus, Truxtun
and A streets. Free.
mercybakersfield.org/art or to
register, 324-7070.
THEATER“My Big Fat Oildale Wedding,”followed by the Vaudville Revue,
“Everything and the Kitchen Sink
— The Greatest 38 Shows of All
Time,” 7 p.m. Thursday through
Saturday; 2 p.m. matinee Sunday,
Gaslight Melodrama Theatre &
Music Hall, 12748 Jomani Drive. $9
to $20. 587-3377.
“Once Upon a Mattress,” doors
open at 6:30 p.m., show at 8 p.m.
Friday and Saturday; doors open at
12:30 p.m., show at 2 p.m. Sunday,
Stars Dinner Theatre, 1931 Chester
Ave. $50 to $55; show-only tickets
$30. 325-6100.
“The Killing Ghost,” 8 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, The Empty
Space, 706 Oak St. Suggested
donation $15 adults; $10
students/seniors. 327-PLAY.
Auditions for “A Merry Christmas
at Stars” (dancers) noon to 4 p.m.,
(singers) 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday,
Stars School of Fine Arts, 1927 Eye
St.
Major League Improv,improvisational comedy show,
appropriate for families, 6 p.m.
Saturdays, The Empty Space, 706
Oak St. Free but donations are
accepted. 327-PLAY.
“The Magic of Frank Thurston,”11 a.m. Saturday, Gaslight
Melodrama Theatre & Music Hall,
12748 Jomani Drive. $6. 587-3377.
MUSIC
AcousticKern River Brewing Company,13415 Sierra Highway, Kernville,
760-376-2337; Mike Fleming, 7:30
to 10 p.m. Friday.
AlternativeFishlips Bar & Grill, 1517 18th St.,
324-2557; Joey Romley & Friends,
9 p.m. Tuesdays.
BluesVinny’s Bar & Grill, 2700 S.
Union Ave., jam session, 2 p.m.
Sundays. 21 and over.
myspace.com/vinnysbarandgrill
blues/rock.
Classic Rock Buck Owens Crystal Palace,2800 Buck Owens Blvd., 328-
7560; Token Okies, 7:30 to 9:45
p.m. Thursday.
Bellvedere Cocktail Lounge,3090 Brundage Lane, 325-2139;
Really Big Midgets, 9 p.m. Friday
and Saturday.
Pyrenees Cafe, 601 Sumner, 323-
0053; Mike Montano Band, 1 to 5
p.m. Saturday.
Sandrini’s, 1918 Eye St., 322-
8900; The People’s Band, 9 p.m.
Wednesday.
ComedyB. Ryder’s Sports Bar & Grill,7401 White Lane, 397-7304; with
Just Another Hangover, Thursday.
Doo Wop Diner, 1534 19th St.,
327-4360; 9 to 11 p.m. Saturday. 21
& over only.
CountryTrouts & the BlackboardStages, 805 N. Chester Ave.,399-6700, offers karaoke, line
dancing, West Coast Swing among
other various activities. Call for
times and days.
Ethel’s Old Corral Cafe, 4310
Alfred Harrell Highway, 873-7613;
Nightlife, 7 to 11 p.m. Friday; Still
Kickin’, 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Eye Street
Thursday, August 26, 2010 The Bakersfield Californian 29
Iron Horse Saloon, 1821 S.
Chester Ave., 831-1315; Two Timers
Band, 9 p.m. Friday and 2 to 6 p.m.
Saturday; Sunday Snake Oil, 8 p.m.
to midnight Saturday.
Sandrini’s, 1918 Eye St., 322-
8900; Country Club, 9:30 p.m.
Friday.
Tejon Club, 117 El Tejon Ave., 392-
1747; Crossroads, 6 to 10 p.m.
Sunday.
DancingJoaquin Squares, 7:30 to 9:30
p.m. Thursday, Rasmussen
Center, 115 E. Roberts Lane. $5.
324-1390, 325-3086 or 399-
3658.
Folklorico Classes, advance
dancers/performing group 6 to 8
p.m. Fridays; and beginners, all
ages, 10:30 a.m. to noon
Saturdays, Fruitvale-Norris Park,
6221 Norris Road. $22 per month
for beginners; $25 per month for
advance dancers. 833-8790.
Mavericks Singles, ballroom and
country dancing with music by
Lost Highway, 6 to 9:15 p.m. Friday,
Kern City Town Hall, 1003 Pebble
Beach Drive. $6 member; $8
guest. 831-9241.
Pairs and Spares Dance, 7:30
p.m. each Friday, Rasmussen
Senior Center, 115 E. Roberts Lane.
$5; $7 nonmembers. 399-3575 or
332-1537.
Country Dance, with music
provided Jerri Arnold & Stars &
Guitars, jam session, all artists
welcome, 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Le
Corusse Rouge, 4647 White Lane.
Dance classes, beginning west
coast swing, intermediate/
advanced West Coast swing with
instructor Mimi Johanson, at 8214
Mossrock Drive. Call 330-9616 for
details.
Scottish Country Dancing, with
the Kern County Scottish Society,
beginners welcome, 7 to 9 p.m.
Mondays, Norris Road Veterans
Hall, upstairs, 400 W. Norris Road.
822-3998.
Whirlaways Square DanceClub, with caller Rick Hampton, 7
to 9:30 p.m. every Monday,
Veteran’s Hall, 400 W. Norris Road.
whirlaways.org or 398-3394.
Dance Drill Classes, beginning
belly dancing, 8 p.m. every
Tuesday; advanced belly dancing, 7
to 9 p.m. every Thursday, Centre
Stage Studio, 1710 Chester Ave. $5
drop-in fee for beginning belly
dancing; $15 for advanced belly
dancing. Bring knee pads and yoga
mat to advanced class. 323-5215.
DJIron Horse Saloon, 1821 S.
Chester Ave., 831-1315; 7 p.m.
Thursdays.
Le Corusse Rouge, 4647 White
Lane, 834-1611; with DJ Chill in the
Mixx, 5 p.m. every Friday until 2
a.m. Saturday.
Rockstarz Party Bar, 7737 Meany
Ave., Suite B5, 589-6749; 9 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays. Free.
Tam O’Shanter, 2345 Alta Vista,
324-6774: with DJ Escandalosa in
the Mixx, 8:30 p.m. Fridays and
Saturdays.
Sandrini’s, 1918 Eye St., 322-
8900; 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
B. Ryder’s Sports Bar & Grill,7401 White Lane, 397-7304; 8 p.m.
Wednesday.
Jazz Le Corusse Rouge, 4647 White
Lane, 834-1611; Bakersfield Jazz
Workshop, 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.
every Wednesday.
Cafe Med, 4809 Stockdale
Highway, 834-4433; Richie Perez,
7:30 to 11 p.m. Thursdays.
Live Jazz & Wine Bar, featuring
Jazz Connection with Lawanda
Smith and Mike Raney, along with
24 wines, 6 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday,
Imbibe Wine & Spirits Merchant,
4140 Truxtun Ave. 633-WINE
Wine & Cheese Cellar, 695
Tucker Road., Suite C, Tehachapi,
822-6300; Richie Perez, 7 to 10
p.m. Saturday.
Live Jazz & Wine Bar, featuring
Jazz Connection with Paul Cierley
and Pat O’Conell, along with 24
wines, 5 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday,
Imbibe Wine & Spirits Merchant,
4140 Truxtun Ave. 633-WINE.
Karaoke Bellvedere Cocktail Lounge,3090 Brundage Lane, 325-2139; 9
p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursdays and
Sundays.
Cactus Valley MexicanRestaurant, 4215 Rosedale
Highway, 633-1948; 6 to 10 p.m.
Thursday; beer pong and happy
hour all day with karaoke 3 to 6
p.m. Sunday.
Crossroads Pizzeria, 4200 New
Stine Road, 397-5000; 6:30 to
9:30 p.m. Thursday.
Don Pour House, 4041 Fruitvale
Ave., 589-9300; 9 p.m. Thursday
through Saturday.
Que Pasa Mexican Cafe, 9000
Ming Ave., 664-1400; 9:30 p.m. to
1 a.m. Thursdays. karaoke.
Perico Restaurant, 2660 Oswell
St., Suite 133, 871-2001; 7 to 11
p.m. Thursdays.
The Old River Monte Carlo,9750 Taft Highway, 837-0250; 8
p.m. every Thursday.
The Wright Place, 2695-G
Mount Vernon Ave., 872-8831, 8
p.m. every Thursday.
Tomi’s Cowgirl Cafe, 1440
Weedpatch Highway, 633-1949;
Karaoke King Show, all ages, 7 to
10 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays.
Vinny’s Bar & Grill, 2700 S.
Union Ave., 7 p.m. Thursdays. 21
and over. myspace.com/
vinnysbarandgrill.
Banacek’s Lounge, 4601 State
Road, 387-9224; 9 p.m. Fridays
and Saturdays.
Casa Lopez, 8001 Panama Road,
Lamont, 845-1000; 7:30 to 10:30
p.m. Friday (country) and Saturday
(Spanish).
Julie’s The Branding IronSaloon, 1807 N. Chester Ave., 6 to
10 p.m. every Friday.
Maria Bonita MexicanRestaurant, 10701 Highway 178,
366-3261, 7 to 11 p.m. Fridays. All
ages.
The Prime Cut, 9500 Brimhall
Road, 831-1413; hosted by Ed
Loverr, 9 p.m. to midnight Friday.
Pyrenees Cafe, 601 Sumner, 323-
0053; 8 p.m. to midnight
Saturdays.
Rocket Shop Cafe, 2000 S. Union
Ave., 832-4800; 8:30 p.m. to
midnight Saturday.
Sports & Spirits, 6633 Ming Ave.,
398-7077; 9 p.m. Thursdays and
Saturdays.
Tejon Club, 117 El Tejon Ave., 392-
1747; 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday.
Camino Real Restaurant, 3500
Truxtun Ave., 852-0493; 9:30 p.m.
Sundays.
The Playhouse, 2915 Taft
Highway; 397-3599; 7 to 10 p.m.
Sundays.
Schweitzer’s Pit Stop, 10807
Rosedale Highway, 587-8888; 8
p.m. Mondays and Thursdays.
The Wrecking Yard, 9817 S.
Union Ave., 827-9192; 7 to 10 p.m.
Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
B. Ryder’s Sports Bar & Grill,7401 White Lane, 397-7304; 8 p.m.
Tuesday.
Buck Owens Crystal Palace,2800 Buck Owens Blvd., 328-
7560; 7:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays.
Cataldo’s Pizzeria, 6111 Niles St.,
363-7200; 6:15 to 10:15 p.m.
Tuesdays.
Le Corusse Rouge, 4647 White
Lane, 834-1611; Wild West
Entertainment, 8 p.m. to midnight
Tuesdays.
Lone Oak Inn, 10612 Rosedale
Highway, 589-0412; 8 p.m.
Tuesday and Thursday.
Magoo’s Pizza, 1129 Olive Drive,
399-7800; 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Tuesday.
McMurphy’s Irish Pub & SportsBar, 14 Monterey St., 869-1451; 7
p.m. to 1 a.m. Tuesdays.
Round Table Pizza, 2060 White
Lane, 836-2700; 6 to 9 p.m.
Tuesday.
The Prime Cut, 9500 Brimhall
Road, 831-1413; karaoke with host
Ben Lara, 8 p.m. Tuesdays.
Trouts & The BlackboardStages, 805 N. Chester Ave., 399-
6700; 7 p.m. Mondays and
Thursdays, 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays,
Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays
and Sundays.
Ethel’s Old Corral, 4310 Alfred
Harrell Highway, 873-7613; 6 to 9
p.m. every Wednesday.
Latin/SalsaLatin Salsa Dancing, 8 p.m.
Thursdays, DoubleTree Hotel, Club
Odyssey, 3100 Camino Del Rio
Court. 323-7111.
Camino Real Restaurant, 3500
Truxtun Ave., 852-0493; Son
Tropical, 7 to 10 p.m. Fridays.
Tam O’Shanter, 2345 Alta Vista,
324-6774: Salsa dancing, 7:30 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays.
Chencho’s Bar & Grill, 2201 V
St., 327-0190; Salsa Sundays, with
a DJ, 3 to 10 p.m., salsa lessons are
offered at 6 p.m. Sundays. $5 after
6 p.m.
Mariachi Camino Real Restaurant, 3500
Truxtun Ave., 852-0493; Mariachi
Imperial, 6 to 9 p.m. Sundays.
Oldies KC Steakhouse, 2515 F St., 322-
9910; Jimmy Gaines, Bobby O and
Mike Halls, 6:30 p.m. Thursday
through Saturday.
Old School Que Pasa Mexican Cafe, 2701
Ming Ave., 832-5011; Al Garcia &
the Rhythm Kings, 8:30 to 11:30
p.m. every Thursday.
Tam O’Shanter, 2345 Alta Vista,
324-6774; The Press featuring
Benny and the Bunch, 8:30 p.m.
Friday; Synergy featuring Joey
Zaza “The Rockamole Kid,” 8:30
p.m. Saturday.
The Bistro After Dark, 5105
California Ave., 323-3905; Old
School Saturdays with Noe G, 10
p.m. every Saturday. Ladies
free/$10 cover.
RockRockstarz Party Bar, 7737
Meany Ave., Suite B5, 589-6749;
live bands, 9 p.m. every Thursday.
B. Ryder’s Sports Bar & Grill,7401 White Lane, 397-7304; Road
Doggs, 9 p.m. Friday.
Elevation Lounge, 818 Real
Road, 325-6864; Elevation 406, 9
p.m. Friday.
Rockstarz Party Bar, 7737
Meany Ave., Suite B5, 589-6749;
Tribute to Nickelback featuring
Nickelband with vocalist Andrew
Freeman and Andreas Fault, 9 p.m.
Saturday. $4 cover.
Rock remixes“Rock It Fridays,” 9 p.m. to 1:30
a.m. every Friday, DoubleTree
Hotel, Club Odyssey, 3100 Camino
Del Rio Court. 323-7111.
Ska/reggaeB. Ryder’s Sports Bar & Grill,7401 White Lane, 397-7304; UFC
fight at 7 p.m., Mento Buru with
DJ Mikey at 9 p.m. Saturday. $10
includes dinner; $5 after fight.
Trivia nightSandrini’s, 1918 Eye St., 322-
8900; Trivia Night with Dave
Rezac, 10 p.m. Tuesdays. trivia
night.
VarietyCafe Med, 4809 Stockdale
Highway, 834-4433; Shades of
Grey, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Marriott Hotel at theConvention Center, 801 Truxtun
Ave., 323-1900: In the Mixx with
DJ Noe G., mixing all your feel-
good music every Friday. 21 & over
only.
Golden State Mall, 3201 F St.,
Dance to Joe Loco, duet every
Sunday, 2 to 5 p.m.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday 8/30Recreational Swim Team, year-
round swim team, learn to develop
swimming skills, strokes,
techniques, abilities, 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Monday through Thursday,
McMurtrey Aquatic Center, 1325 Q
St. $60 per month.
www.bakersfieldswim.us or 852-
7430.
Recreational Swim Team, for
ages 5 to 18, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. or
5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday through
Thursday, Bakersfield College, 1801
Panorama Drive. Open enrollment.
395-4663.
Senior Discovery Days, each
Monday for seniors 60 and older
receive 50 percent off admission,
10 percent discount in the gift
store, CALM, 10500 Alfred Harrell
Highway. 872-2256.
Tuesday 8/31“Mandala-Making as a Sourceof Healing & Wholeness,” an Art
for Healing program of Mercy
Hospitals of Bakersfield; 6:30 to
8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Mercy Hospital,
Truxtun Campus, Truxtun and A
streets. Free.
mercybakersfield.org/art or to
register, 324-7070.
Sierra Club Conditioning Hikes,three to five miles, 7 p.m.
Tuesdays, meet at corner of
highways 178 and 184. 872-2432 or
873-8107.
Wednesday 9/1Bargain Night, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Rollerama West, 7850
Brimhall Road. $5 per skater; free
rental. 589-7555.
CSUB Men’s Soccer vs. UCSanta Barbara, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, CSUB campus, 9001
Stockdale Highway. $4 to $10.
654-2583.
Farmers Market, 3 to 6 p.m.
Wednesdays, Kern County
Department of Public Health, 1800
Mt. Vernon Ave. 868-0328.
Film Club, with Cody Meek, 7
p.m. Wednesday, Barnes & Noble,
4001 California Ave. 631-2575.
First Wednesday, special events
and refreshments, 9:30 to 11 a.m.
Wednesday, Bakersfield Museum
of Art, 1930 R St. $4 nonmembers.
323-7219.
Food & Wine Pairing Nights,featuring six wines paired with a
plate of small bites tied together
for a delicious tasting theme,
learn how food interacts with
wine, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays,
now until Oct. 27, Imbibe Wine &
Spirits Merchant, 4140 Truxtun
Ave. $25 per person, per session.
633-WINE.
Good Neighbor Day, local florist
will be giving away over 20,000
roses, come pick up a dozen roses,
keep one for yourself and give the
rest away to others, beginning at 7
a.m. Wednesday, Log Cabin Florist,
800 19th St. 327-8646.
Songwriters’ Showcase, hosted
by Chuck Seaton and Billy Russell,
7 p.m. Wednesdays, The Prime
Cut, 9500 Brimhall Road. 831-1413.
Thursday 9/2Asia, 8 p.m. Thursday, Fox Theater,
2001 H St. $15 to $45 plus fee.
vallitix.com or 322-5200.
Eye Street