20 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, May 5, 2011 Eye Street Editor Jennifer Self | Phone 395-7434 | e-mail [email protected]BY SUSAN SCAFFIDI Contributing writer I t was right after the first Bakersfield Jazz Festival in 1986 that music director Doug Davis realized he was in for the long haul. “I realized we’ll have to do it again,” Davis said. “Because it was a success.” This year marks the 25th anniversary of the festival, a daring project when it started, and now a mainstay of Kern County’s entertainment calendar. “We had a lot of success in the very early concerts, even before the festival began,” Davis said, referring to perform- ances by Chick Corea, Spyro Gyra and other big names, at the CSUB Dore’ The- ater. From Dizzy to Bela, the greats have taken bows at CSUB The record turnout for those events demonstrated to at least a few people that Bakersfield might be ready for a large-scale festival, which first began as a collaboration with Bakersfield College. Davis said the two schools scheduled their respective events on successive days at their respective campuses. But the tandem arrangement did not last after the second year. In fact, the festival itself almost didn’t survive the second year. “It was pouring rain at like 11 in the morning and we were supposed to start at 2,” Davis said. “We couldn’t put any- thing up — the lights, sound equipment were still in the trucks.” Davis said he came close to having to cancel the day, but at the last minute the weather cleared, and the show went on. But the unstable weather was some- thing concert-goers did not forget. Davis said organizers tried to get around the weather by holding the festival at the fairgrounds the next year, but audiences remained wary. “That was the biggest threat to sur- vival after the second year because (the festival) took such a big hit financially,” Davis said. Davis said BC stopped participating at that point, and he went on his own. But he hasn’t been alone. Long-time sponsors such as the late Bill Burton of Advance Beverage, the college itself and the local music community have kept the festival going. There is also Davis’ wife, Adele, who has marshaled an army of volunteers each year and has dedicat- ed as much time to the festival as Davis has. Moving the festival to later in the spring — audiences can now count on the festival occurring Mother’s Day weekend — helped clear up the weather problem, and the festival has enjoyed a solid turnout year after year. The festival can boast an all-star line up performers over the years: Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard, David Benoit, Dianne Schurr, Lee Ritenour, Yellowjackets, Bela Fleck and the Fleck- tones, and dozens of others. But beyond promoting jazz and adding to the local entertainment calen- dar, the festival has also provided schol- arships to hundreds of CSUB students. Davis estimates that in the last 10 years alone, the festival has provided about $30,000 each year for scholarships. “It’s about 50 scholarships a year, so they’re not necessarily huge checks,” Davis said. “We’re spreading out a little bit of support over eight to 10 academic disciplines each year, not just music.” Who will take over when the Davises move on? Davis has been on leave from the CSUB music department this year, but not from the festival, an arrangement that has left him with less, not more, free time. “To be perfectly frank, rehearsals and classes were a great relief (from manag- ing the festival),” Davis said. Davis has used the time to document everything he does to make the festival happen, hoping to leave a legacy to keep the festival going, as he nears retire- ment. “The last move that I can make is to pass on all the decision-making to somebody else in the hopes that it will continue after me,” Davis said. “Everyone knows that Adele and I can’t continue doing this,” Davis said. Index First Friday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 26th annual PCRA Stampede Days Rodeo . . . . . .23 Arts Alive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Back From The Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 The Lowdown with Matt Munoz . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 13th annual Crawfish Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 All-American Car Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30-33 A good idea keeps giving Jazz Festival marks 25 years as local institution PHOTOS COURTESY OF BAKERSFIELD JAZZ FESTIVAL Saxophonist Eric Darius started playing at the age of 10, and within a year was touring with the ensemble America’s Youngest Jazz Band. He produced his first commercial CD, “Cruisin’,” at age 17, and has grown to become a leading solo performer. Bakersfield Jazz Festival When: 7:30 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. Saturday Where: CSUB Amphitheater, 9001 Stockdale Highway Admission: $55 for two-day combo tickets; $35 students; $32, $23 in advance for Friday only, $36 and $27 at the gate; $35 and $25 in advance for Saturday only, $40 and $30 at the gate. Available through Vallitix, 322-5200. Pete Escovedo will be making his third appearance at the Bakersfield Jazz Festival.
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20 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, May 5, 2011
It was right after the first BakersfieldJazz Festival in 1986 that musicdirector Doug Davis realized hewas in for the long haul.
“I realized we’ll have to do it again,”Davis said. “Because it was a success.”
This year marks the 25th anniversaryof the festival, a daring project when itstarted, and now a mainstay of KernCounty’s entertainment calendar.
“We had a lot of success in the veryearly concerts, even before the festivalbegan,” Davis said, referring to perform-ances by Chick Corea, Spyro Gyra andother big names, at the CSUB Dore’ The-ater.
From Dizzy to Bela, the greatshave taken bows at CSUB
The record turnout for those eventsdemonstrated to at least a few peoplethat Bakersfield might be ready for alarge-scale festival, which first began asa collaboration with Bakersfield College.Davis said the two schools scheduledtheir respective events on successivedays at their respective campuses. Butthe tandem arrangement did not lastafter the second year. In fact, the festivalitself almost didn’t survive the secondyear.
“It was pouring rain at like 11 in themorning and we were supposed to startat 2,” Davis said. “We couldn’t put any-thing up — the lights, sound equipmentwere still in the trucks.”
Davis said he came close to having tocancel the day, but at the last minute theweather cleared, and the show went on.But the unstable weather was some-thing concert-goers did not forget. Davissaid organizers tried to get around theweather by holding the festival at thefairgrounds the next year, but audiencesremained wary.
“That was the biggest threat to sur-vival after the second year because (thefestival) took such a big hit financially,”Davis said.
Davis said BC stopped participatingat that point, and he went on his own.But he hasn’t been alone. Long-timesponsors such as the late Bill Burton ofAdvance Beverage, the college itself andthe local music community have keptthe festival going. There is also Davis’wife, Adele, who has marshaled an armyof volunteers each year and has dedicat-ed as much time to the festival as Davishas.
Moving the festival to later in thespring — audiences can now count onthe festival occurring Mother’s Day
weekend — helped clear up the weatherproblem, and the festival has enjoyed asolid turnout year after year. The festivalcan boast an all-star line up performersover the years: Dizzy Gillespie, WyntonMarsalis, Freddie Hubbard, DavidBenoit, Dianne Schurr, Lee Ritenour,Yellowjackets, Bela Fleck and the Fleck-tones, and dozens of others.
But beyond promoting jazz andadding to the local entertainment calen-dar, the festival has also provided schol-arships to hundreds of CSUB students.Davis estimates that in the last 10 years
alone, the festival has provided about$30,000 each year for scholarships.
“It’s about 50 scholarships a year, sothey’re not necessarily huge checks,”Davis said. “We’re spreading out a littlebit of support over eight to 10 academicdisciplines each year, not just music.”
Who will take over when theDavises move on?
Davis has been on leave from theCSUB music department this year, butnot from the festival, an arrangementthat has left him with less, not more, freetime.
“To be perfectly frank, rehearsals andclasses were a great relief (from manag-ing the festival),” Davis said.
Davis has used the time to documenteverything he does to make the festivalhappen, hoping to leave a legacy to keepthe festival going, as he nears retire-ment.
“The last move that I can make is topass on all the decision-making tosomebody else in the hopes that it willcontinue after me,” Davis said.
“Everyone knows that Adele and Ican’t continue doing this,” Davis said.
A good idea keeps givingJazz Festival marks 25years as local institution
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BAKERSFIELD JAZZ FESTIVAL
Saxophonist Eric Darius started playing at the age of 10, and within a year was touring with the ensemble America’s Youngest JazzBand. He produced his first commercial CD, “Cruisin’,” at age 17, and has grown to become a leading solo performer.
Bakersfield Jazz FestivalWhen: 7:30 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m.
Saturday
Where: CSUB Amphitheater, 9001
Stockdale Highway
Admission: $55 for two-day
combo tickets; $35 students; $32,
$23 in advance for Friday only, $36
and $27 at the gate; $35 and $25
in advance for Saturday only, $40
and $30 at the gate. Available
through Vallitix, 322-5200.
Pete Escovedo will be making his third appearanceat the Bakersfield Jazz Festival.
Thursday, May 5, 2011 The Bakersfield Californian 21
I've experienced my share ofamazing moments at the Bak-ersfield Jazz Festival over the
years, going back to the festival’ssecond year.
Meeting the late Dizzy Gille-spie back in ’87 stands out imme-diately, as I was just a youngsaxophonist right out of McFar-land High. A new student of jazzmusic as a college freshman, myonly knowledge of the mastertrumpeter was seeing Dizzy per-form on “The Muppet Show”with those blowfish cheeks of his.I was a member of the Bakers-field College student day bandunder the direction of ChuckWoods, who knew just aboutevery living jazz legend on a first-name basis.
“Mr. John Birks Gillespie, alsoknown as 'Dizzy'” will be ourheadlining artist this year,” Irecall him saying to the class oneafternoon. Not surprisingly, aburst of excitement came overthe room, but it wasn't until thefinal rehearsal before the showthat we knew we were about totake part in something really spe-
cial. Strolling in with a laid-backswagger, wearing suspendersand a T-shirt emblazoned with abright Panama Jack rum logo,Dizzy said hello to the advancedbacking night band, glanced atthe charts on his stand beforewalking over to his horn to warmup. There it was — the signatureGillespie trumpet with the bellbent up at 45 degrees.
Counting off his classic 1942composition “A Night in Tunisia,”the opening line by Bakersfieldbassist Glenn Fong made Gille-spie's head nod in approval. Backbehind the drum set, Delanodrummer Ramon Martinez, whowas known for being a young hotshot on the traps, laid down aCaribbean cha-cha rhythm thatdidn't sit well with the song'scomposer.
“Not like that — I want you toplay it like this,” he said beforegrabbing Martinez's drumstickand tapping the high-hat cym-bals in a less busy, direct rhythmpattern. It was one of those hum-bling moments for Martinez,who listened attentively, but howcould you not respect the direc-tion? “Straight ahead,” Gillespieadded, watching and listening
closely until everything felt right. Continuing through a selec-
tion of handpicked tunes for theshow, among them TheloniousMonk's “Round Midnight” andGillespie's very own “Manteca,”credited with blending AfroCuban rhythms into mainstreamjazz, his feisty demeanor had allthe vets on their toes. Gillespiewas a jokester and storyteller,which really came out on stagethat night. He shared storiesabout his old friend saxophonistCharlie Parker, and reminiscedthat bebop was how the “cats”did it back in the '40s. I can evenrecall a few Michael Jackson jabs.I have one photo taken withDizzy after the show, and I'msure it's hidden among myarchives somewhere. Talk aboutan unbelievable brush with jazzgreatness. I still get the chills talk-ing about it.
Around that time, CSUB's rep-utation for being the go-to schoolfor up-and-coming musicianswas growing. Doug Davis haddeveloped a program for higherjazz learning and if you were seri-ous, there wasn't a better place intown to hone your skills.
Besides being taught how to
properly swing notes and followchord changes, one benefit hasalways been the annual festivalnurtured by Davis and his wife,Adele.
In addition to always bookingtop-tier acts, one of the festival'sstrong points is allowing studentsa chance to share a stage with thestars as well. It's not only awe-inspiring, but enriching for ayoung musician.
There are too many greatmemories to list here, but somefavorites include dancing to PeteEscovedo and Cecilia Noel, talk-ing to guitarist Charlie Hunterbackstage about the Bay Areamusic scene, watching saxo-phonist David Sanborn underthe moonlit sky, and of courseperforming various years withthe CSUB Jazz Ensemble and mygroup, Mento Buru.
From its beginnings at the Bak-ersfield College outdoor theaterand Kern County Fairgrounds, tothe CSUB soccer field and per-manent home at the campusoutdoor amphitheater, the annu-al Bakersfield Jazz Festival hasbecome a beloved tradition inthe community. Congratulationson 25 years.
ANNUAL JAZZ FESTIVAL LINEUP FEATURES SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Rick Braun Allan Holdsworth
Before heading to the Bakersfield JazzFestival, Cal State Bakersfield invites thecommunity to raise a glass — andscholarship funds.
Since the CSUB Alumni Associationstarted its annual Party in the Parkevent 15 years ago, it has raised morethan $40,000 in scholarships for CSUBstudents. The event is a great way toenjoy good wine, beer, food and friendsin CSUB’s Alumni Park before headingover to the Outdoor Amphitheatre foropening night of the jazz festival. Partyin the Park will be held from 5:30 to 7:30p.m. Friday.
More than 500 attendees will experi-ence offerings by 30 wineries, such asSteinbeck, Tobin James, Rio Seco, PearValley, Bella la Vina and Las Flores.Lengthwise Brewing Co. and eventsponsor Stella Artois will offer beertastings. Guests receive two compli-mentary glasses, one for wine and onefor beer.
CSUB’s fine dining catering staff willoffer treats such as a “crunchy station,”gourmet burgers, sweet potato fries andchocolate-covered strawberries. Addi-tionally, new event sponsor EagleMountain Casino will serve appetizers,including shrimp cocktail, stuffedmushrooms and steak-wrappedasparagus.
Musical entertainment will be pro-vided by local band Elevation 406.
Last year’s Party in the Park raised$8,000, which was awarded as scholar-ships to two CSUB students. One ofthose students, Devon Lendsey, is a sin-gle dad from Antelope Valley who hasbeen commuting to Bakersfield to earnhis masters in public administration.He will graduate in June with a 4.0 GPA.The scholarship, he said, has allowedhim to stay overnight in Bakersfieldwhen necessary so he can spend moretime studying and less time commut-ing. Family members care for hisdaughter when he is at school.
“It was absolutely critical to get thisscholarship or else it would not havebeen possible to earn this degree,”Lendsey said.— Cal State Bakersfield
Event features food, drink andchance to boost scholarships
CSUB partykicks offjazz fest
Party in the ParkWhen: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: CSUB’s Alumni Park, 9001
Stockdale Highway
Admission: $50 until midnight
tonight at csub.edu/alumni. After
that, they’re $60 at the event.
Package prices for Party in the
Park and the Bakersfield Jazz
Festival are available.
Information:www.csub.edu/alumni or 654-3211
22 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, May 5, 2011
Eye Street
THE BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN
Everything feels fresh andnew in the spring, so it’s aperfect time for a display of
student art. For First Friday, MetroGalleries will display the worksfrom the 30th annual “An ArtisticDiscovery” Congressional ArtCompetition.
U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy willbe on hand at Friday’s receptionto honor the young artists whocompeted in the annual event.The competition was open tostudents from 12 high schools inthe 22nd Congressional District,which includes part of Kern, SanLuis Obispo and Los Angelescounties.
The overall winner among the70 entries is 15-year-old ChristianaKallemeyn for her work “Imagina-tion Soars.” Created under thedirection of her Grace ChristianAcademy art teacher Alicia Garver,the colored pencil work featuresKallmeyn’s father and two cousinsreading a book with colorful birdsin the background. The congress-man had only praise for the artistsand the competition.
“The Congressional Art Compe-tition is a great opportunity toencourage artistic expression inour communities,” McCarthy said.“I am continually impressed bythe incredible talent and creativityof our young people, and amproud of every artist who entered apiece.”
Kallemeyn will be invited toattend the exhibit opening of “An
Artistic Discovery” in Washington,D.C., on June 22 with her parents,Dennis and Tina Kallemeyn. Herartwork will be displayed in thecorridor leading to the U.S. Capitolfor a period of one year. As theoverall winner, she will also receivethree round-trip tickets to theexhibit opening, as well as a cashaward to be presented at the dis-trict reception.
Awards will also be presented tothose students who placed first,second, third or received an hon-orable mention in the categoriesof photography, computer-gener-ated art and all other mediums. Inaddition, all winners will have the
option of displaying their artworkin McCarthy’s Washington officefor one year.
Also on display Friday“Sweet 16” at The Foundry:
The sweets-themed exhibit,which benefits Teen Challenge,opens Friday. Reception guestswill have the opportunity to votefor the artwork they think bestfits the “sweets” theme.
Mike Barker at Farmacy Cafe:The local contemporary artist’sworks are still on display at thePadre Hotel’s coffeeshop.
“Modernism, ’60s, Pop, Vera,
’70s, Swank, Palm Springs inthe ’60s” at Bossanova Studios:Gallery owner and artist JohnnyRamos will display a new seriesof abstract and floral paintings.
Lila Martin at the BAA ArtCenter: The Bakersfield Art Asso-ciation’s Art Center will host areception for Lila Martin’s show“The World Through My Eyes.”
The exhibit focuses on scenesfrom her travels to France andItaly as well as her many trips toMexico, Spain and Scotland.
Norma Eaton at Dagny’s: Viewthe collage landscapes of NormaEaton, and meet the artist tolearn more about her unusualapproach to collage, using paint-ed papers.
Young artists shine at competitionFirst Friday exhibits“An Artistic Discovery”Congressional ArtCompetition Reception, 5 to
9 p.m., Metro Galleries, 1604
19th St. 634-9598.
Artist Reception & Show, for
Lila Martin, 6 p.m., Bakersfield
Art Association Art Center,
1817 Eye St. 869-2320.
“Sweet 16,” 5 to 8 p.m., The
Foundry, 1700 Chester Ave.
301-3283.
Norma Eaton, 6 to 8 p.m.,
Dagny's Coffee Co., 1600 20th
St. 634-0806.
“Modernism, ’60s, Pop,Vera, ’70s, Swank, PalmSprings in the ’60s,” 6 to 9
p.m., Bossanova Studios, 814
18th St. 369-9606.
VALLEY PLAZA MALL, WIBLE ROAD AT HI-WAY 99
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BAKERSFIELD’SBEST MOVIE VALUE
ADVANCED SHOWING OF INSIDIOUS12:01AM TONIGHT!ADVANCED SHOWING OF SCREAM 4 12:01AM TONIGHT!
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS (PG-13)(12:00PM, 2:40, 5:20), 7:00, 8:00, 9:45MADEA’S BIG HAPPY FAMILY (PG-13)(12:00PM, 1:15, 2:25, 3:35, 4:50, 5:55),7:15, 8:15, 9:40RIO (G) 3D: (1:00PM, 3:20, 5:45)2D: (11:45AM, 12:25, 2:00, 2:45, 4:20,5:00), 7:20, 9:50
Fast Five – PG-13 10:30 12:40 1:00 1:30 3:30 4:00 4:30
6:30 7:00 7:30 9:30 10:00 10:30
Hoodwinked Too – PG
10:40 12:45 2:50 5:05 7:10 9:15
Prom – PG
12:00 2:45 5:35 8:00 10:25
African Cats – G
11:00 1:05 3:25 5:25 7:25 9:25
Madeas Big Happy Family – PG-13
10:50 1:25 6:50 9:20
Water for Elephants – PG-13 10:40 11:10 1:20 1:50 4:20 4:50
7:05 7:35 10:05 10:40
Rio – G
10:35 1:15 4:05 6:45 9:10
Scream 4 – R
11:15 2:25 5:10 7:45 10:15
The Conspirator – PG-13
3:50PM
Insidious – PG-13
6:55 9:40
Hop – PG
11:05 1:35 4:10
Diary of Wimpy Kid 2 – PG
10:45AM
Hanna – PG-13
5:45PM
Fast Five – PG-13 11:15 2:15 5:15 8:10
Madeas Big Happy Family – PG-13 11:35 2:00 4:35 7:20 9:50
Rio 3D – G 12:20 3:15 6:00 8:45
HOTDOGMondays
$1$1
Tickets On Sale Now For Midnight Showing Of Thor Thursday May 5
Directed by Kathleen SchafferVocals by Char Gaines
Choreography by Marnie Forzetting & Brent Rochon
Performances held at The Harvey Auditorium
1341 G Street
Tickets available online at bmtstars.com or by phoning the Ticket Office
(661) 325-6100.
Adults $35, Students $15 with
Valid ID
April 30, May 1 and May 7
Overall winnerChristiana Kallemeyn, Grace
Christian Academy in Lancaster,
“Imagination Soars”
PhotographyFirst: Jesse Starks,
Independence High School in
Bakersfield, “love”
Second: Jules Najera,
Independence High School in
Bakersfield, “DREAM”
Third: Renee Olshefski,
Atascadero High School,
Atascadero, “Hurdling into the
Shadows”
Computer-generated art First: Sabrina Millard,
Independence High School in
Bakersfield, “Just makes me
want to pull my hair out”
Second: Jennifer Nusser, West
High School in Bakersfield,
“Magic Music Girl”
Third: Maria Sandoval,
Independence High School in
Bakersfield, “The Silverstein
Tree”
Honorable mention: Brianna
Symonds, Independence High
School in Bakersfield, “P.L.V.R
Life”
All other mediumsFirst: Justin Bingaman, Vista
West High School in Bakersfield,
“Play full” (linoleum carving)
Second: Hannah Macy, Grace
Christian Academy in Lancaster,
“Bundle of Joy” (colored pencil)
Third: Dakota Hokanson, Golden
Valley Virtual Charter School,
“Sunset Rust” (pastel)
Honorable mentions: Camille
McGee, West High School in
Bakersfield, “Endless
Possibilities” (cardboard);
Heather Grossbard, Frontier
High School in Bakersfield, “Jay”
(pen, ink and watercolors); and
Yasmine Suleiman, Stockdale
High School in Bakersfield,
“Raising Hope” (pencil)
CONTEST WINNERS
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN HARTE
“Imagination Soars,” by Chris-tiana Kallemeyn, is the overallwinning entry of the 30th annual“An Artistic Discovery” Congres-sional Art Competition.
Thursday, May 5, 2011 The Bakersfield Californian 23
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BY MIRANDA WHITWORTHContributing writer
They call it “The Biggest Little Rodeo inCalifornia,” but there’s nothing littleabout the 26th annual PRCA Stam-
pede Days Rodeo. From the event’s rich his-tory to the manpower behind theproduction, Stampede Days is putting KernCounty on the map in a big way.
Taking place this weekend, StampedeDays will bring competitors from aroundthe nation to the Kern County Fairgrounds.Stampede Days is a Professional RodeoCowboy Association event and riders will becompeting for points in their run at thePRCA national tournament in Las Vegas.Cowboys will have a chance to compete inall things rodeo, including bull riding, bare-back, saddle bronc, tie down roping, teamroping, barrel racing and steer wrestling.
Stampede Days’ premier bullfighter isHollywood Yates, a veteran stunt man andactor who competed as “Wolf” on NBC’sAmerican Gladiators. Yates has spent 25years in the rodeo arena and has earned twoworld titles and three National Final RodeoRings. He’ll be joined by veteran bullfighterDusty Duba, who has been contracted withthe PRCA for the past 13 years. Taking themicrophone at Stampede Days for the sixthtime will be rodeo announcer Doc Boene.This event is close to home for Boene, whomanages a commercial cattle operation onthe Loop Ranch in Keene.
As for the competitors, Stampede Dayschairman Richard Frank said the events willbe full.
“You never know what you’re gonna getuntil the day of. But I can tell you there willbe about 20 or so riders for every event. Thatmeans there will be about 120 guys compet-ing and they will be good. They travel allaround the country doing this and they arecoming here to give us a show.”
Formerly known as Buck Owens RodeoDays, the Kern County Sheriff’s DepartmentReserves took over management of theevent in 1985, renaming it Stampede Days.All of the event’s proceeds will benefit theKern County Sheriff’s Reserve Association.
Frank, who recently retired from thereserves, stayed on to run the event, whichhe said gives an important financial boost tothe organization.
“We are contracted for big events like theKern County Fair, March Meets and WhiskeyFlats. All of those deputies you see out there
keeping an eye on things, they are from thereserves.”
According to Frank, proceeds from eventslike this help keep reserve deputies fine-tuned.
“When you call for help, that deputy thatresponds and knocks on your door — theycould be reserves — you don’t know. They’lldo the same job. So it’s important that wehave equipment and training.”
PRCA rodeo sponsored byKern Sheriff’s Reserves
‘Stampede’ ridesinto fairgrounds
26th annual PRCA StampedeDays RodeoWhen: Gates open at 6 p.m.,
performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday and
Saturday
Where: Kern County Fairgrounds, 1142
P St.
Admission: $16 in advance, $18 at the
gate, box seats $22; $12 for kids 6-12,
free for 5 and under; parking $3
Information: stampededaysrodeo.com
or 399-3159
CALIFORNIAN FILE
Jason Amon, of Payson, Ariz., holds on fora wild ride while competing at the 22ndannual PRCA Stampede Days Rodeo.
24 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, May 5, 2011
Eye Street
During a preview of MonicaNelson’s solo show lastweek what impressed me
most about her oil paintings istheir radiance. She handles lightin a way that creates a pleasingglow, both in her landscapes andher portraits.
“I love playing with the light atdifferent times of the day,” theartist explained, indicating a
deeply shadoweddesert scene of asingle Joshua treethat is silhouettedagainst thegleaming rays ofthe rising sun.
Nelson’s exhib-it, which includesboth portraits and
landscapes, opens tomorrowevening at Juliana’s Art Studio andGallery.
Another distinctive feature ofher work is her attention to detail.This is especially evident in four 6-by-6-inch landscapes that arehung in a vertical line. The uppertwo show scenes along the hikingtrail along the Kern River, done atmidday. The lower ones reveal thefreshness of the grasslands nearNew Cuyama late in the afternoonafter a rainstorm.
A Bakersfield resident for nineyears, Nelson got her start at age15 as a graphic artist in her fami-ly’s advertising company inCincinnati. Then from 1988-90she majored in graphic art andjournalism at Kent State Universi-ty and about six years ago beganstudying fine art with AnthonyRyder in Santa Fe, N.M., and inLos Angeles.
Her exhibit can be seen atJuliana’s through May 31.
‘The Mikado’ at RabobankI’m sure that like a lot of other
Bakersfield Community Concertmembers I’m eager to seetonight’s production of “TheMikado” by the New York Gilbertand Sullivan Players, or NYGASP.
bly be its best offering in 2010-11. But I admit I have a bias. I love
both the humor and music of justabout anything by Gilbert andSullivan. And NYGASP, now in its36th year, has a solid reputationfor putting on entertaining per-formances.
Colorful as well as comical, theoperetta is filled with livelytongue-twisting lyrics and charac-ters with such fun-to-say nameslike Nanki-Poo, Yum-Yum, Pitti-Sing and Pooh-Bah.
It’s set in the town of Titipu andtells the story of a wandering min-strel who falls in love with a beau-tiful young maiden who isengaged to someone else. After anumber of twists and turns,including a pretended beheadingand the revelation that the min-strel is actually the heir to theJapanese throne, all turns out wellin the end.
‘Stage Door’ at The EmptySpace
Back in January when BobKempf announced auditions for
“Stage Door,” I questionedwhether he’d be able to fill all 27roles, especially since more thanhalf of the characters call forfemales.
Turns out I shouldn’t havedoubted The Empty Space’s artis-tic director, who said at the timehe didn’t foresee any problemsand that his optimism stemmedfrom knowing “there are a lot ofterrific actresses in town.”
Tomorrow night the classicabout Broadway wannabes writ-ten in the 1930s by Edna Ferberand George S. Kaufman openswith what Kempf says is thelargest cast to ever fill the stage atThe Empty Space.
Although it’s not a musical,there is a lot of nostalgic music inthe show, mainly recordings fromthe ’30s. Kempf said there’s alsolive piano music from a charactercalled Olga Brandt, who is por-trayed by Chelsea Zent, a classi-cally trained Russian pianist whohas, due to hard times, resorted toplaying piano for Broadway showrehearsals.
Set in a boarding house, it tellsthe story of young women strug-gling to find stage work in themidst of the Great Depression.Some find success such as danc-ing in a nightclub, touring in aroad show or even being discov-ered by Hollywood.
Among those starring “StageDoor” are Amy Hall, KevinGanger, Justin L. Brooks, CodyGanger, Barbara Gagnon, CarolineClark, Guinevere PH Dethlefson
and Ellie Sivesind. Performancescontinue through May 28.
Mel Brooks comedy atSpotlight
Director Jarred Clowes has apersonal connection to “The Pro-ducers,” which opens tomorrowat the Spotlight Theatre.
“I've been a fan of the show forquite a while, and in fact owe it adebt of gratitude,” he says. “I metmy wife (costume designer KatClowes) while working on themusical's touring production.”
A zany musical, the showrevolves around a pair of theatri-cal producers, portrayed by AlexNeal and Kenneth Whitchard,who are trying to get rich by invei-gling investors to put money in aBroadway flop. In typical Brooks’style, it features over-the-topaccents, put-downs and carica-tures of Hitler and the Nazis, andlots of insider jokes.
Others in lead roles are Jeff Mal-one, Jason McClain, Carolyn Foxand John Paul Horn. The showalso includes a 17-member cho-rus, with choreography by MarvinRamey and vocal direction byAshton Smith. Performances endon May 28.
Youth Theater presents ‘Midas’
The Tehachapi Youth Theaterwill open the curtains tomorrowevening on a nine-performancerun of “The Midas King and theMiraculous Golden Touch.”
Kendric Bertram plays the Kingin Michele L. Vacca’s play that’sinspired by an ancient Greek mythand a 19th century story byNathaniel Hawthorne. Also in thecast are Cody Steinbach, MagnetoMorgan, Kennedy Caudle, CarsonBruner and Emma Grimes.
Monica Nadon, director, saidsome of the young thespians inthe show have gained experienceby attending Tehachapi Commu-nity Theater Junior acting classesand summer drama camps.
Artist lights up the canvas
Camille Gavin’s “Arts Alive!”column appears on Thursday. Write to her
‘King Midas and theMiraculous GoldenTouch’When: 7 p.m. Friday and
Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: BeeKay Theatre, 110
S. Green St., Tehachapi
Admission: $10
Information: 822-4037
GO & DO
Touring, local showscrowd theaters
Coming soonDon’t miss Camille Gavin’s
look back at 75 years of the
Kern women's Amateur Golf
Championships, plus a
preview of this year’s event.
CASEY CHRISTIE / THE CALIFORNIAN
Jason McClain plays the part of Franz Liebkind during a dress re-hearsal of “The Producers,” which opens at the Spotlight Theatre onFriday.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KAYLEIGH PEAKER
A scene from “Stage Door,” which opened last week at The EmptySpace. From left: David Rock, Caroline Clark, Guinevere PH Dethlef-son and James Kopp.
Nelson
Thursday, May 5, 2011 The Bakersfield Californian 25
Eye Street
BY ASHLEY FISCHERContributing writer
Get your plutonium ready, andmake sure your flux capacitor ischarged to 1.21 gigawatts,
because the Gaslight Melodrama issending you and your family “BackFrom the Future.”
Beginning on Friday and runningthrough June 25, the Gaslight will paytribute to one of the most beloved filmtrilogies of all time: “Back to theFuture.”
“We’re actually building and paint-ing the time machine as we speakright now,” said Michael Prince, artis-tic director for the theater. Prince, alifelong fan of the “Back to the Future”films, wrote the script for this produc-tion and will be starring as the play’scentral character, Smarty McFry.
In case you’re not a dedicated fol-lower of the movies, Smarty is Prince’sequivalent of the film’s original star,Marty McFly, famously played by ayouthful Michael J. Fox. This is justone of the many delightful puns andparodies audiences can expect fromPrince’s original script.
“It’s more of a satire or a parody — acomedic tribute to the film,” saidPrince. “I’ve seen each of the movies atleast 150 times or more, so I wanted todo the show as a tribute to the movies.They’re such great stories — they’reuniversal.”
Prince’s script features an entirelynew (yet familiar) story, in whichSmarty and his companion, “Doc”Clown, must traipse through time inorder to rescue Smarty’s parents, whohave been captured by the evil BuffTanman, Biff Tannen’s great-great-grandfather. But fans of the originalfilms needn’t worry — the action-packed play remains true to the fran-chise’s spirit and features many iconicelements one would expect from any“Back to the Future” adventure.
“We didn’t want to get too boggeddown in the specifics,” explainedPrince. “The characters are all verymuch representative of the movies intheir costumes. And we do have aDeLorean, but it’s not a big feature,because Buff has stolen it. This is whyDoc and Marty have to use the (timemachine) prototypes, which are aYugo and a Pinto.
“The action starts off right out of thegate. Smarty gets a letter from the pastfrom his parents, very much like in themovie, where everything is propelledby a letter. The letter from his motherthat explains to him that they’ve beenkidnapped by evil Buff Tanman. Thissends Smarty on a mission to save hisfamily. Smarty and Doc travel throughtime, everywhere from the 1920s inParis, France, to the 1970s at Studio 54to the very, very distant future.”
The play features a cast of six sea-soned Melodrama performers, includ-
ing Prince as Smarty; Don Kruszka as“Doc;” Michael Kubik as the evil BuffTanman (Biff’s great-great-grandson);Jill Burdick and Jay Stodder as Smarty’sparents, Elaine and George McFry;and finally, Shaylan Trone, who plays atotal of seven smaller characters.
And while theater is traditionallyconsidered some pretty “heavy” stuff,the main goal of the Gaslight is toensure that audience membersbecome immersed in an exciting, the-atrical world, and, most importantly,have a lot of fun.
“I always tell people, ‘This is the the-ater to come to if you don’t like the-ater,’” said Prince. “What we do ismore of an experience. It’s more abouthaving fun, laughing and getting away
from life for a couple of hours, and let-ting laughter take over. It’s all family-friendly; everybody has a good time.”
Giving the traditional melodramaformat a slightly modern spin, manyof the Gaslight’s productions poke funat popular movies and television pro-grams with its over-the-top sense ofhumor. And audiences can expectplenty of opportunities to join in onthe fun.
“We like to get the audienceinvolved as much as possible,” saidPrince. “We’ll write in charactersspecifically for an audience memberto play. During our production of ‘TheMobfather,’ we had an audiencemember play a bodyguard who gotshot, and then we gave him an Oscarfor his performance.”
Prince and the rest of the crew at theGaslight are eager to get “Back fromthe Future” up and running.
“We’re all really excited about this.We love working together here — welove each other. We’re very much afamily here: my wife, my in laws, evenmy 4-year-old son — we’re all hereevery day. And we put this together forother families to come and enjoythemselves,” said Prince. “We can’twait to get this play on stage and infront of an audience.”
Theater takes slyapproach to classic
A spoof with a twist
‘Back From the Future’When: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday,
2 p.m. Sunday; runs through June
25
Where: Gaslight Melodrama
Theatre & Music Hall, 12748
Jomani Drive
Admission: $12 to $23
Information: 587-3377 or
themelodrama.squarespace.com
Do you Twitter?
Sign up today and follow some very
useful Californian tweets.
twitter.com/bakersfieldcali
twitter.com/tbcbreakingnews
twitter.com/bakodeals
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twitter.com/bakobiz
Twitter is a free service available through twitter.com. You can find out what people are doing, what they are reading, what issues are the hot
topic of the day, and get up-to-the-minute with the latest news and events.
For reservations 587-3377 12748 Jomani Drive
�TH
E
BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN
READERS’ CHOICE POLL
2010
Opening: May 6th through June 25th
PHOTO COURTESY OF GASLIGHT MELODRAMA
From left, Michael Prince, Michael Kubik and Don Kruszka are shown in ascene from “Back From the Future.”
26 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, May 5, 2011
Eye Street
When you’re the hottestband in the country,with both a single and
album at the top of the Billboardcharts, you pretty much have yourpick of major cities and plush ven-ues to prepare for your highlyanticipated world tour. So if you’reDave Grohl of Foo Fighters, wheredo you go? Bakersfield, California— and more specifically, theRabobank Arena.
Straight off the best reviews oftheir career and a No. 1 debut fortheir latest album, “WastingLight,” the band has set up campat the Rabobank to rehearse andgo over logistics for the tour,which has no scheduled stops inBakersfield as of yet. The guyswanted to keep their time in Bak-ersfield a secret, but word is out —with a vengeance — and severalsources who work closely with theFoo Fighters have confirmed theband has been rehearsing heresince at least Monday and possi-bly as early as Friday. They areexpected to wrap rehearsals nextWednesday, according to thesources, who requested anonymi-ty.
Why did the Foo Fighterschoose Bakersfield? The reason issimple, according to our sources:affordability and proximity tohome. Band members Grohl, Tay-lor Hawkins, Pat Smear, Chris Shi-flett and Nate Mendel reportedlyare commuting from Los Angeles
semi-regularlyand are look-
ing to dosome localhonky-tonk jam-
ming.Don’t besurprised if
a few
members show up for a renditionof “Streets of Bakersfield” at somelucky venue. After all, guitarist PatSmear can be seen playing a red,white and blue Buck Owens-styleacoustic guitar in an “MTVUnplugged” Nirvana concert, withGrohl on drums. Rumor also has itthat Smear is hoping to score anofficial Owens’ guitar for his col-lection.
The band definitely seems tohave an affinity for our town —this isn’t the first time they’ve beenhere. Fans may remember theband’s last local concert in 2003 atthe venue, when it was still calledCentennial Garden. That showwas followed by a secret 2005music video shoot for the single“All My Life,” inside the arena,which masqueraded as the LosAngeles Forum.
Currently experiencing themost successful run of their 16-year career, the group’s album,“Wasting Light,” is considered tobe the band’s opus. Produced byButch Vig, Nirvana’s “Nevermind”producer, the critically acclaimed
release also features a guest spotby former Nirvana bandmate KristNovoselic on bass.
Foo Fighters kick off their 2011world tour with a show on May 14at the UK’s One Big Weekend festi-val, according to the band’s officialwebsite, foofighters.com.
The Californian’s attempts toreach the band for an interviewhave been unsuccessful, but if anyof the guys in the band are readingthis, by all means give us a ring.
Rock and country collideTwo musical worlds are about
to collide in Bako over the nextfew days.
Let’s start with tonight’s concertby the pride of Denton, Texas —The Eli Young Band at BuckOwens’ Crystal Palace. Well awareof today’s Cinco de Mayo festivi-ties, bassist Jon Jones says tocount them in.
“It’s probably a bad idea, butyeah,” he laughed. “Tequila makespeople act strange, so if we’redrinking it, you’re gonna know.”
Since appearing at Buck’s last
September, the group has beenwaiting for the ink to dry on a newlabel deal while riding high on thestrength of their last single, “Guin-evere.” Now, with another hit ontheir hands with “Crazy Girl,” anda new five-song digital-only Epreleased on Tuesday, the quartetare anxiously moving into the nextphase of their career.
“This is by far the fastest mov-ing single we’ve had, so we’re try-ing to get the ball rolling,” saidJones. “Our fans have really gravi-tated to this song and hopefully tothe rest of the new record.”
But it’s not all shiny boots andbuckle bunnies for these wild-eyed Texas boys. Last December,the group had a meltdown in frontof a stadium full of Kansas CityChiefs football fans when singerMike Eli forgot the words to “TheStar-Spangled Banner.” It was acareer blooper that would alsodog pop singer Christina Aguileraa month later at the Super Bowl.Jones recalls the sea of boos andonline flogging they enduredafterward.
“It was brutal, but we made it.You’re nervous in a completelydifferent way doing the anthem. Ithink we’ll probably start singingat high school games and workour way back up again.” There’salways more tequila, fellas.
Tickets for tonight’s show are$11.50 to $17.50. 7 p.m. at BuckOwens’ Crystal Palace, 2800 BuckOwens Blvd. 328-7560.
Papa Roach to rock StramlerOne band mindful of the perils
of taking on our national anthemin front of a crowd of rabidly patri-otic fans is radio rockers PapaRoach, who make their return toBakersfield with a big outdoorshow Friday night at StramlerPark.
“That’s a difficult song to sing,”said Papa Roach lead vocalistJacoby Shaddix, via telephonefrom a recent tour stop in Boise.“It’s all about the range. If you startyour cue too high, by the time youget to the last part of the song,you’re (expletive.) I was asked todo it for a Sacramento Kings game
once, and I said no. If I blow it, themedia will be all over it, and youknow how they like doing that.”
Whatever made him think that?Sticking to the safety of his rock
domain, Shaddix and crew aremost known for their ‘99 monsterhit “Last Resort.”
Fearful of the sophomoreslump, the Vacaville quartet chosean extreme makeover going fromsneaker wearing, skate rock hood-lums to eyeliner blazing, leather-wearing rock gods.
“We started out in an era of noimage. Part of the creative processof our band was to evolve theimage, in the creative process withour music. The way we connectwith our fans is still the same,along with our passion and con-victions to our performances.Since ‘Last Resort,’ we’ve had aslew of rock hits. We’ve been pret-ty blessed.”
One of the few rock bands toscore slots on both the VansWarped and Ozzfest tours, PapaRoach continues to infest air-waves with their latest record,“Time For Annihilation.”
Shaddix says Bako fans won’t bedisappointed with Friday’s liveassault.
“It’s full on knock down, dragout, savage rock and roll. We’reone of the most energetic rockbands on the planet right now.Straight up, man.”
Also appearing are FingerEleven, The Councilmen, AndreasFault and Dirt Head. Tickets are$29.75.
Pre-party begins at 4 p.m., gatesat 6 p.m. For more information,visit timgardeapresents.com.
Foo Fighters in BakersfieldThe Lowdown with Matt Munoz
Hottest band in U.S.rehearsing for tour
Bakotopia UnpluggedOpen Mic Night With host Matt Munoz
When: 8 to 11 p.m.
Wednesdays. Signups start at
7:30 p.m.
Where: Fishlips, 1517 18th St.
Information: 324-2557 or
visit the Facebook page for
updates.
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.
NICKI THOMAS / TORONTO STAR
Foo Fighters are in Bakersfield rehearsing for their tour. From left:Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Taylor Hawkins, Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear.
Thursday, May 5, 2011 The Bakersfield Californian 27
Eye Street
BY STEFANI DIASCalifornian assistant lifestyles editor
From the South to the Southland,they come in search of the delec-table crustaceans that bring a
taste of the bayou to Bakersfield. Findout what all the fuss is about at PrimeCut’s 13th annual Crawfish Festival onSaturday.
Held for years at Stramler Park, theevent will be at the restaurant in north-west Bakersfield this year. Prime Cutco-owner Merv Crist said the decisionwas made in part because of the econ-omy. At its maximum, the festival had600 to 800 in attendance, but in recentyears that number has been halved.
Moving the event from the park toPrime Cut also gives Crist the opportu-nity to show off the restaurant.
“Let’s drive people there. There are alot of people who come to the CrawfishFestival, but they haven’t been to therestaurant,” Crist said.
Those dedicated attendees are a mixof locals and those willing to travel forgood food, Crist said, and includeSouthern transplants, Louisiana StateUniversity alumni, a man claiming tobe the great-grandson of New Orleansvoodoo priestess Marie Laveau — “I’veseen him three times,” Crist said —and a yacht club group of 15 or 20 thatcomes up in motorhomes.
“People from all over town, allwalks of life. They come together andhave a good time,” Crist said.
They will be a bit more tight-knitthis year as the event will take placein a fenced-in area around therestaurant.
“With people closer, there will bemore socialization.”
And there will be lots to talk about,including the music. This year’s musi-cal headliners hail from the Los Ange-les area but sound very Southern.Bonne Musique Zydeco plays tradi-tional zydeco and blues.
Also playing the blues will be localband Foster & Friends, complete witha horn section and backup singers,said Prime Cut co-owner MichelleCrist.
“They love what they do and itshows.”
George the Giant will be on hand,performing sideshow acts includingsword swallowing and making bal-loon animals for the kids. Other activ-ities include face painting byFUNominal FACES, bean bag andwater balloon tosses, a bounce houseand a crawfish petting pond.
For those kids, like the Crists’daughter Alexis, who might pet thecrustacean but won’t eat them, a
plate with a hot dog, chips and adrink will be available as well as cot-ton candy.
Crawfish, of course, is the star ofthe event menu. Flown in fromLouisiana, it’s boiled along with redpotatoes and corn in a mix fra-granced with garlic, onion andlemon. Further beefing up the offer-ings are andouille and boudinsausages, a chicken and sausagejambalaya and barbecue pork ribs.
Don’t expect to load up your platewith everything at once though.Unlike many other local events, theCrawfish Festival is not a “wait inline, sitdown meal”-type day.
“It’s an experience, not a meal,”Merv Crist said. With food stationsand booths for beer and Hurricanes,the festival is designed for grazingand gabbing.
You may really start chatting if youdon’t pace yourself on the Hurri-canes. The drink popularized in NewOrleans is a potent rum-based cock-tail that has been served at the festi-val for years.
“Hurricanes are pretty nice, butthey’re called that for a reason.They’ll sneak up on you. At leastdon’t try to underestimate them,”
Merv Crist said.With warm and dry weather pre-
dicted, Crist advised to stay hydrated(water and soda are also available)and plan for a designated driver ifyou really want to imbibe.
“We want them to have all the funthey can stand and be safe. Getsomething, listen to a band ... It’s atwo- to four-hour eating experience,”Crist said.
Whether you start eating as soon asfood is served at 1 p.m. or linger,make sure to save room for treatsserved later in the day: raw oysters onthe half shell and sliced watermelon.
“We started with watermelon fiveor six years ago. Lips were burningfrom all the spicy food” and the freshmelon was a hit, Crist said.
Pleasing people is what the festi-val, which developed as a customerappreciation event, is all about,Michelle Crist said.
“My favorite part is seeing the joyin people's faces while they are at theevent. Watching them get a littlebounce in their step or chair whilethey are listening to the music.
“It’s great to see people laughingand having a good time with theirfriends, making new ones and beingwith family, too,” she said, mention-ing that along with her children thather mother-in-law is coming fromOklahoma.
Time with family is great, but don’tforget about the food. Crist, who saidthe restaurant’s crawfish etouffee isone of her favorite dishes, alsoenjoys getting her hands dirty at theevent.
“I like doing the whole ‘peel ’em,suck ’em, eat ’em’ thing. Sure, it ismessy, but it is tasty!”
Crawfish fest moves to Prime Cut this year
A little bayou boogiein Bakersfield
13th annual CrawfishFestivalWhen: Noon to 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Prime Cut, 9500 Brimhall
Road
Admission: $40 for adults, $12
for kids, pre-sale; $45 and $15 at
the door
Information: 831-1413
2nd Location
Now Open 6801-B1
White Lane 836-0070
www.RandDLeatherFurniture.com
2180 Wible Road • 661-833-8167
DOORS OPEN AT 7PM MUST BE 21+ NO COVER
NIGHTCLUB THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011
NILE NIGHTCLUB - 1721 19TH ST. BAKERSFIELD, CA - 661-323-8575
THE MENU: TEQUILA SHOT SPECIALS ALL NIGHT $3 DOS XX – $3 CORONAS – $3 MARGARITAS
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THE PRESS
HENRY A. BARRIOS / THE CALIFORNIAN
Jeri Campbell prepares to crack into a crawfish at the 11th annual CrawfishFestival held at Stramler Park in 2009. This year’s event moves to Prime Cuton Brimhall Road on Saturday.
28 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, May 5, 2011
Eye Street
BY MIRANDA WHITWORTHContributing writer
Many of life’s milestones take placebehind the wheel of a car. Whenyou talk to auto enthusiasts about
the vehicles they have owned and the rea-son they are passionate about a certainbrand, stories that define their lives tumbleout as they describe the car they were driv-ing — way back when.
For Lloyd Hines, president of the MoparMuscle Club International of Bakersfield,that statement rings true. Whether it is thestory of his first car purchase or how hemet the love of his life, his affinity forMopar has been a driving force behindmany of his big moves.
Mopar is short for Motor Parts and is theparts and service arm of Chrysler GroupLLC. When you hear people say they loveMopar, that means they drive Chrysler,Plymouth, Jeep, Dodge and any otherbrand associated with the group. Hinesand the Mopar Muscle Club Internationalof Bakersfield will be putting that devotionon display this weekend at the Kern Coun-ty Museum for the 2011 All-AmericanPowered Car Show. While he is a Mopardriver through and through the show itselfis open to all — almost all, that is.
“As long as it’s American powered youare welcome to come,” said Hines. “It canbe any year, just as long as you can drive itonto the museum. No towing.”
Hines’ love for the Chrysler line beganwhen he bought his first car from his dadat the age of 13. Hines said he spent $45 onthe 1954 Plymouth Savoy and then pro-ceeded to make it his own.
“I took out the engine, rebuilt the trans-mission, did the upholstery and paint.Then I drove it to school.”
Hines joked that growing up in a smalltown back east had its perks: “When youlive in a 600-person village and have a lotof family in law enforcement or who werejudges you can get away with a lot.”
Hines eventually found himself in Bak-ersfield working in oil and continuing tobuy, fix and sell Mopar. He said he first laideyes on his future wife, Candi, when sheaccompanied her father to his house on amission for parts. Within a few years he raninto Candi again while he was out cruisingin Hart Park. She was driving a a 1971Dodge Challenger and remembered Hinesimmediately.
“She told me she wanted to date me formy parts and I wanted to date her for hercar,” recalled Hines. “A year later we weremarried. We ended up selling the Chal-lenger and I’ve still got her.”
The couple’s current everyday cars arenot as exotic, but Hines said they still havea classic tucked away. He calls the car theirbaby, a 1970 Dodge Challenger Convert-ible. According to Hines, only 211 weremade in 1970 and he keeps the rare pieceof machinery up on jacks in the pair’sgarage. The Challenger was purchased byHines from the original owner in Kernville.He said he got it running the weekend afterhe brought it home.
“It’s red with a white convertible top andwhite interior. We used to drive it all thetime around town and to car shows. Butonce we bought a house with a garage 18years ago it went into the garage and I wasgoing to do some work on it. But there it’ssat ever since.”
Hines isn’t the only car lover with stories,and if you head to the Kern County Muse-um Saturday the anecdotes will continueto flow. Twenty-five different classes of carwill be on display, with awards being givenfor the top three in each class. The trophiesare handed out by people’s choice exceptfor the Memorial Award which Hines saidis chosen by the Mopar Club members.
“We give out that trophy kinda based onthe people we have had in the club thatpassed away. We look at the cars and seewhich particular one reminds us of some-one and the car they used to drive and wegive it out that way.”
In addition to the competition amongthe cars, there is a competition on brandknowledge for the entrants. The club willhave trivia associated with vehicleemblem recognition and trivia regardingthe museum itself with awards handed outto the highest scorers. A 50/50 drawing willalso take place and raffle prizes will becalled all day. Every entrant will get a good-ie bag donated by vendors and sponsorsand as a special gift from the Mopar Club,each vehicle owner will get a professionalphotograph of their car.
In addition to the games and rides ondisplay vendors selling everything frombarbecue to baby items will be on themuseum grounds. All proceeds from thisyear’s event will benefit the BakersfieldRonald McDonald House.
Car club president asucker for Chrysler
2011 All-American Powered Car ShowWhen: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: Kern County Museum, 3801
Chester Ave.
Admission: Adults, $10; seniors (60
and older) and students 13 to 17, $9;
ages 6 to 12, $8; 3 to 5, $7; free for
museum members and children under
3
Information: 289-0151
“She told me she wanted to date me for my parts and Iwanted to date her for her car. A year later we were married.
We ended up selling the Challenger and I’ve still got her.”— Lloyd Hines
100% Americanunder the hood
Thursday, May 5, 2011 The Bakersfield Californian 29
Adowntown Bakersfield theater istesting just how far its spotlight willreach with the help of $10,000 in
funding from the county — “our firstmajor grant,” said Steven Littles, schoolcoordinator at the Spotlight Theatre.
The Kern County Board of Trade is dol-ing out grants totalling $100,000 to 13organizations attempting to lure touristsand their wallets to the area, fortuitoustiming considering how hard cultural andartistic groups have been hit in the cur-rent economic climate.
Littles, one of four full-time employeesat the theater, said beyond the obviousshot in the arm, the money will enableSpotlight to remain on track with anambitious five-year development plan tobecome an Equity theater, a distinctionthat could attract professional actors andother perks, not to mention a measure ofprestige.
“It’s going to take more than Kern Coun-ty audiences for us to hit our goals,” Littlessaid. “There’s more than a half a millionpeople in the county and only 7 percent gosee a show regularly once a year. We havefive theaters here working off 7 percent ofthe population. This helps with exposure.If people are coming from Southern Cali-fornia to see shows, it helps the populationhere realize they have something great.”
The Spotlight’s budget is about $300,000a year, most of it from private donors. Lit-tles credited the Spotlight board of direc-tors — particularly members Mary HelenBarro and Lauren Franconi — with secur-ing the grant.
“The good thing is with this grant andother things in the works, we’re starting to
rebuild a stronger theater,” Littles said.“But we still have a long way to go. We’dlove for more people to come out andenjoy the theater.”
And there’s plenty of theater to enjoy.Littles noted the Spotlight season runsfrom September to August, with basicallyno dark periods (“we’re kind of killing our-selves”). Most shows run over four week-ends, filling on average a little more thanhalf of the 99 seats. The Spotlight has 14productions lined up for next season.
But though the terms of the grant dic-tate that the theater expand its focus toareas outside the county, Littles said theSpotlight is in no way giving up on home-grown audiences. In fact, a recent buy-one-get-one-free season ticket promotionhas worked out well, drawing new faces tothe theater.
And the Spotlight is offering its stage tooutside productions as well. Frontier Highjust ended a run there, and East Bakers-field High will present a play based on theRandom Acts of Kindness campaign cre-ated by Bakersfield educator and entre-preneur Chuck Wall. That show will takethe stage May 13, 14, 27 and 28.
But is Bakersfield theater excitingenough to entice Southern Californians tospend $4.27 a gallon to get here?
“I’m going to be very honest, and youprobably won’t believe me, but Bakers-field has a lot of good theater going on,and that’s not just at the Spotlight but TheEmpty Space, BCT and Stars,” Littles said.“For a population of this size to have the-ater going on at all times is just unheardof.”
Also receiving the highest grant of$10,000 were campaigns to market theKern River Valley, Ridgecrest and the Cali-fornia Hot Rod Reunion at Famoso Race-way. Groups receiving smaller grantsinclude the National Chavez Center, WestKern Oil Museum and a spiritual festivalin Pine Mountain Club.
Theater gets $10,000to attract customers
Live at the DenTHIS WEEKEND May 6-8
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Friday: Rock Bands
Mr. Rude — 10pm to 1:30am
Saturday: Classic Rock
The Parris Bros. — 10pm to 1:30am
Sunday: Hot Latin Jams
Spun by DJ Juice — 9pm to 1am
��������� � �� �������� � ������ �
Tachi Palace Fights 9Friday, May 6
Main EventWorld No. 3 Ranked Flyweight Ian McCall vs.
Undefeated Dustin Ortiz
Tachi Outdoor Event CenterDoors open at 5 pm
First fight 6 pm
Tickets start at $30tachipalace.comStreamed live on Sherdog.comStream starts at 5:30 p.m. (PST)
Cinco de Mayo is Bakersfield’s favoriteexcuse to party, second only to St.Patrick’s Day. Adopted by Americans
as a day for dancing, tequila and spicyfood, the real story behind the Mexicanholiday goes all the way back to May 5,1862, in the city of Puebla, Mexico.
Commemorating a small victory by Mexi-can forces against the occupying French inthe region, the victorious but brief Battle ofPuebla was followed by defeat at the handsof their French enemies.
No one is sure how today’s Cinco de Mayocame to be such a holiday hit in the States,but most point to the decadent ’80s and thenational marketing of Corona beer.
Here’s a list of some Bakersfield’s best betsto celebrate today’s Cinco de Mayo. Pleasehave a designated driver and always be
good amigos!Fishlips: “Pachanga 2011,” with Mento
Buru, Glenda Robles and Bandoleros, Vanity
Avenue, DJ Frankie P., 6 p.m. 1517 18th St. $7.
Iron Horse Saloon: dancing, drink specials,
food, music, 7 to 11 p.m. 1821 S. Chester Ave.
La Minda Cantina: Cabo Wabo and Jager
girls, DJs, music by Latin Breeze and Sunday
Snake Oil, party favors, 5 p.m., 4001 Auburn
St. $10 advance; $13 at the door.
Sandrini’s: Velorio, 9 p.m., 1918 Eye St. $5.
B. Ryders: Thee Majestics, food and drink
specials, 7:30 p.m., 7401 White Lane. $5.
Aguie’s: Club Myst, Sunny Rose, The
Beatnuts, DJ, DJ Redeemed, DJ In Da Mix, DJ
Adub, 9 p.m., 2781 Calloway Drive. $15.
The Nile: The Press, 7 p.m., 1721 19th St.
Padre Hotel: Jay Smith Jazz Band, with DJ
Noe G., 5 p.m., 1702 18th St.
Jacalito Grill: Prisoners of Love, 7 p.m.,
900 Truxtun Ave., Suite 110.
Party planner: Your Cinco in a blink-o
County awards Spotlight as partof $100,000 in tourism grants
30 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, May 5, 2011
Eye StreetGO&DO
Today18th annual Spring SteakBarbecue, Harris Ranch
steak and chicken dinner,
beans, salad, roll, ice cream,
5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Our Lady
of Perpetual Help, 124
Columbus St. $25. 323-3108
or 809-2491.
Bank of America Essay &Speech Contest Finals,featuring students who
must deliver a three-to-five
minute speech; 6:30 to 8:30
p.m., University Square,
2000 K St. Awards will be
given. 636-4330.
Bookseller’s Book Group,7 p.m., Barnes and Noble, in
the cafe, 4001 California
Ave. 631-2575.
DiGiorgio School P.T.F.Annual Deep Pit BBQ, with
carnival, meal includes deep
pit barbecue, chili beans,
salad, roll and dessert, take
out 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., dining
room 6 to 8 p.m., DiGiorgio
School, 19405 Buena Vista
Blvd, Arvin. $7; $4 children.
854-2604.
Eli Young Band, 7 p.m.
Details, Page 26.
Hoffmann Hospice 17thannual Voices ofInspiration Dinner,featuring Marcus Luttrell,
entertainment, dinner, raffle,
silent and live auction, doors
open at 5:30 p.m.,
DoubleTree Hotel, 3100
Camino Del Rio Court. $100.
410-1010.
SPCA Book Sale, 10 a.m. to
8 p.m. Mondays through
Saturdays; noon to 6 p.m.
Sundays, near the old
Michael’s store near East
Hills Mall, 3501 Mall View
Road Ste. 113.
bakersfieldspca.org or 323-
8353.
“The Mikado” Details,
Page 24.
Friday15th annual Party in thePark, Details, Page 21.
25th annual BakersfieldJazz Festival, Details,
Pages 20-21.
26th annual PRCAStampede Days Rodeo,Details, Page 23.
Annual “Junk-A-Tique”Yard Sale, furniture,
clothing, books, toys,
appliances, collectibles and
more; 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday, 6 a.m. to noon
Saturday, Calvary Bible
Church, 48 Manor St., just
below the bluffs. All
proceeds go toward
missions work. 327-5921.
Cubensis-Grateful DeadTribute, with Moonalice
Details, Page 26.
First Friday Downtown.Details, Page 22.
Mike Montano, solo guitar,
5:30 to 8 p.m., Ellie Jaye’s,
1608 19th St. classic rock.
Papa Roach, with Finger
Eleven and Pop Evil. Details,
Page 26.
Seventh annual Tri-TipLunch Fundraiser,sponsored by Mossman’s
Dinner and Catering
Company, drive-through
pickup 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., First
Presbyterian Church, 1705
17th St. $10; proceeds
benefit the Salvation Army
summer camps. 836-8438.
Saturday12th annual Rotary CarShow, with a lake cruise,
pet parade and more, 9 a.m.
to 3 p.m., Riverside Park,
Kernville. Free to watch. $40
pre-entry fee, $45 day of
show. rotarycarshow.com or
760-378-3888.
13th annual CrawfishFestival. Details, Page 27.
2011 All-AmericanPowered Car Show.Details, Page 28.
Annual Carnival; car show,
games, bingo, auction, raffle,
door prizes, food, 11 a.m. to
3 p.m., Shirley Lane
Elementary School, 6714
Shirley Lane. 363-7684.
Art & Craft Faire,demonstrations, opportunity
drawing, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Enchanted Cottage, 30 H St.
Free. 319-9977.
Bakersfield Diamond DivaRough Cuts Roller Derby,vs. Central Coast Rough
Diamonds, 6 p.m.,
Skateland, 415 Ming Ave.
$10 advance for adults; $12
adults; $5 children and
seniors. 831-5567 or 331-
1003.
Bakersfield Speedway“Racing for Wishes,”silent auction, raffle, IMCA
Modifieds, Hobby Stocks,
Mini Dwarfs, races begin at
6 p.m., Bakersfield
Speedway, 5001 N. Chester
Ave. $15; $5 children.
Proceeds benefit Make-A-
Wish Foundation. 472-8734.
BHS Driller Drumline &Color Guard CarwashFundraiser, 8:30 a.m. to