Bakersfield Californian Eye Street / 8-11-11

16 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, August 11, 2011

Eye StreetEditor Jennifer Self | Phone 395-7434 | e-mail [email protected]

BY MATT MUNOZBakotopia.com editor

[email protected]

On her journey from the brightlights of reality TV to the glim-mering stages of big productionmusicals, Bakersfield singer Amy

Adams believed she’d never stop singing.Adams made her initial splash as a final-

ist on the third season of “American Idol,”where she emerged as a wild-child favoritewith her attitude and multi-colored spikyhair.

Though she didn’t reach the show’s finalcompetition, opportunity continuedknocking in the form of the “American Idol”concert tour and a high-profile stint on atouring production of Andrew Lloyd Web-ber’s “Joseph and the Amazing TechnicolorDreamcoat” in 2005.

But even Adams’ golden pipes couldn’twithstand the rigors of touring and relent-less production schedules. Before she knewit, she was being sent home on strict voicerest after injuring her vocal chords. It’s asecret she tried hiding from her fans fornearly five years.

But given a clean bill of health from herdoctor to begin again at full range, the 32-year-old is excited to raise her voice oncemore, this time for a good cause, when sheappears tonight at the Helping Little Heartsbenefit concert at Buck Owens’ CrystalPalace.

“I was forced to take two years off by mydoctors,” said Adams of her 2006 medicallyimposed exile, which took her off the roadand into quiet life in Bakersfield. “I wasunder contract and I had a vocal hemor-rhage. It was a pretty strict contract, soeverything I did had to be cleared by a doc-tor before I could do anything. It was scarybecause singing was my livelihood.”

Though she played small gigs to stay inthe public eye, Adams said pulling the plugon her ambition made life difficult, but notimpossible.

“It was an interesting adjustment.Because my vocal chords didn’t heal natu-rally, I had to wait until I could have thesurgery needed, which was January of lastyear. I just received my vocal clearancewhen I went back to the doctor.”

During her extended break, Adams wast-ed no time. She charted a course for herprofessional return, which includes theupcoming release of her long-awaited newCD, more singing appearances, and con-tinuing the local music mentoring pro-gram she founded through a partnership

with Garden Pathways two years ago. “‘American Idol’ gave me so many tools,

but what about these kids who have thedreams I had growing up? I came from aplace where I didn’t know about availableresources. That was my soul food. I could-n’t put all my stuff in my voice anymore,so I found these kids with all thesedreams.”

Adams began her latest mentoring ses-sion with the budding performers on Mon-day. Students are offered workshops invoice, music theory, performance andinsights into the music industry, amongother courses.

“I started teaching safe voice singing,which I did a lot of while I was injured. Thiswas something that students need to know.When I see these kids come in singing ran-dom songs that they hear on the radio, Ialso show them they can write their own,because I taught myself. That’s the stuff Icare about — helping these kids find theirown voice as an artist and who they’regonna be. I just started the first camp forthis year and the kids are unbelievable.”

Lending a hand at tonight’s benefit con-cert is another way Adams can contributeto a worthy cause, and this one hits close tohome.

She’ll be singing with her friend MontyByrom, whose 6-year-old son, Jake, has acongenital heart condition.

“When my friend Monty asked if I wouldpartner for the event I said, ‘Of course Iwould.’ My son, Harrison, is the same ageas his son. Every time I look at Jake, I seemy son. The hardest thing to do is trying totell your kid what they’re going through,and it’s important to have these supportsystems for kids and parents that have todeal with all the emotions involved. Mend-ed Little Hearts has camps for kids who willhave scars forever from open-heart surger-ies. Your heart breaks for the things thatthey have to go through.”

For the evening’s entertainment, bothAdams and Byrom will take turns at themic as well as perform together on a fewnumbers, namely Byrom’s “Love Ain’tEasy,” which he contributed to Adams’upcoming CD, “Never Looking Back.” Slat-ed for release later this year, the CD may bepre-ordered at tonight’s show, with a por-tion of each purchase benefitting MendedLittle Hearts.

Byrom appreciates Adams’ involvementin the fundraiser, adding that bringing

awareness to support groups like MendedLittle Hearts, which offers education andsupport for kids and families dealing withcongenital heart defects.

“We did a little research and found outthat there are about 1,000 to 2,000 of theseheart babies in Kern County, and most ofthe families don’t know there is supportavailable,” Byrom said. “It’s amazing howthese kids bounce back from treatment.When you see them run and throwing abaseball, it’s all worth it. I’m proud of mylittle guy. We hope this event is the first ofmany.”

Also scheduled are live and silent auc-tions for autographed guitars from MerleHaggard, James “Munky” Shaffer of Korn,special party gift baskets, Xbox video gam-ing system and more.

And if you can’t catch Adams tonight,head to the Spotlight Theatre, where she’sstarring in the comedy “Dirty RottenScoundrels.”

IndexNelson Varon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17Michael Armendariz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18Bakersfield Community Theater season . . . . . . .19Arts Alive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20Young Audiences workshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21The Lowdown with Matt Munoz . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22BC planetarium schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26-29

She knows thetune by heartAmy Adams gets back onthe mic for benefit show

PHOTO COURTESY OF AMY ADAMS

Bakersfield singer Amy Adams appears at Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace tonight.

Helping Little Hearts BenefitWhen: 6 tonight

Where: Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace,

2800 Buck Owens Blvd.

Admission: $75; includes dinner

Information: 304-2173 or

Bakersfield.mendedlittlehearts.net.

“I was under contractand I had a vocal

hemorrhage. It was apretty strict contract, soeverything I did had tobe cleared by a doctor

before I could doanything. It was scary

because singing was mylivelihood.”

— Amy Adams

Thursday, August 11, 2011 The Bakersfield Californian 17

Eye Street

BY CAMILLE GAVINContributing columnist

It’s not every day you meet an enter-tainer who can boast of having cut histeeth in Vaudeville — especially con-sidering that the heyday of that

unabashedly American brand of barn-storming variety entertainment was about100 years ago.

But Nelson Varon can. “It was in the waning days of Vaudeville,”

said Varon, who owns and operates theKern Piano Mall. “Every week there was anew show, and we played for about 50 dif-ferent acts.

One old-time venue that sticks in hismemory is a resort in Myrtle Beach, S.C.,where he and his five-piece band played forthree summers in the mid-1950s. Each actbrought its own music, which often wasscored for an orchestra that had 16 instru-ments.

“We’d get their music on a Wednesdaynight and I’d distill it into five parts becauseall we had was an organ, trumpet, piano, saxand drums,” he said. “Then we’d rehearse.”

Varon reeled off a list of old-time per-formers he played for, including Little JackLittle, Bingo the Chimp and the comedianChuck McCann, who, with his sidekick,Paul Ashley, a puppeteer, later appeared on“Captain Kangaroo” and other televisionshows for kids.

“Another act we had was ballroomdancers that did pratfalls,” Varon added,chuckling as he described the high point ofthe dance act, which came as the elegantlyclad couple was executing an expert tango.“They’re dancing, and then he spins her outand she falls flat on her face.”

That start in Vaudeville segued into a longcareer selling pianos and organs, an intereststoked when he began piano lessons as achild. The New York native quit lessonswhen he was 12, but continued playing onhis own. After graduating from StuyvesantHigh School in New York in 1945, hereturned to his original piano teacher andmanaged to get an audition at Juilliard,arguably the most prestigious music schoolin the country.

“For the exam at Juilliard I playedChopin’s ‘Revolutionary Etude,’” he said. “Igot in about 15 measures before one of the(examiners) told me to stop and said, ‘Mr.Varon, did you ever consider anothercareer?’ So I put my tail between my legs,enrolled in Queens College and became anengineering major.”

During his student days and for severalyears after his college graduation, he playedpiano and the Hammond organ at state andcounty fairs.

“That was another kick-and-a-half,” hesaid. “You’d do your show, then after thatyou got to hang out with the carnival guys.”

In 1961 he got a job selling and demon-strating pianos at department stores — firstat Abraham Strauss and then at Macy’s.Oddly enough, it was at Gimbel’s, Macy’schief competitor, where he met his futurewife, Edith Gethin, who happened to beselling theater tickets at the store.

A few years later they married, and Varonopened his first piano and organ store. Hesaid he had 63 stores in the New York Cityarea by the 1970s.

“Then in 1979 and ’80, everything wentto pot,” he said. “The electronic keyboardcame in and that was the end of the organindustry, the demise of organ companies.”

Nonetheless, he continued in the retailpiano business until 1993, when he sold allof his properties and moved to Los Angeles.His wife, who had done live commercials inthe early days of television, resumed hercareer. Before her death in 2003, Varon said,she appeared regularly in the soap opera“Search for Tomorrow,” had roles in a Lau-ren Bacall movie and in a Sam Shepard play

produced in Ojai. Over the years, Varon continued to per-

form for local churches and communitygroups. He also arranged several books oforgan music, including “The Joy of OrganMusic,” published in 2005.

His move to Bakersfield happenedalmost by chance.

“One day I took a ride up to Bakersfieldwith a woman, a friend of mine,” he said. “Ithought it was a very friendly town and Iliked it.”

After moving here in 2008, Varon workedfor Stockdale Music Co. until it went out ofbusiness. Then, last December, he openedhis own business on Lake Ming Road,where he sells pianos made by Steinway,Boston, Kuwai and Pearl River.

Incidentally, the piano store owner alsowrites short stories. His piece “FixingThings,” was read in January on “ValleyWriters Read,” a weekly program on theNational Public Radio station in Fresno,KVPR-89.1 FM.

Bakersfield retailer got his start in Vaudeville

A grand life for piano man

“Then in 1979 and ’80, everything went to pot. The electronic keyboard came in and that was the end of the organ industry, the demise of organ companies.”

— Nelson Varon

HENRY A. BARRIOS / THE CALIFORNIAN

Not many people can say they worked in Vaudeville, but Nelson Varon can. He draws on his life as a performer as owner/operator ofKern Piano Mall, where he sells Steinways, among other models.

Nelson Varontickles theivories — ashe’s been do-ing since hewas 12.

Nelson Varon, at home, displays memen-tos from some of the musical projects hewas involved in.


Eye Street

BY ASHLEY FISCHERContributing writer

Michael Armendariz hasalways been a fan of some-thing. In fact, he said his life

has been defined by three of the fun-damental elements from any goodgeek’s periodic table: acting, moviesand comic books.

Now, this 32-year-old entertainer istaking his considerable knowledgeand expertise of his three favoriteinterests and using them to do hispart to keep Bakersfield audiencesentertained — whether he’s high-lighting the best in local music,stand-up comedy, or theater with hisperformances in “The NighttimeShow with Michael Armendariz” atThe Empty Space, or simply provid-ing people with the best cinematicexperience possible in his role asmanager of a local movie theater.

Armendariz’s artistic journeybegan with what turned out to be afortuitous decision he made as a teento attend Garces Memorial High,which was quite a commute from hishome in Delano.

“I was more of a brainy, arty stu-dent than my classmates that decid-ed to stay. I never really fit in, inDelano. I guess I never really fit in atGarces, either. But I heard they had abetter theater program, and more ofan arts focus. I felt like I had moreartistic opportunities at there than inDelano. Turns out, I was mostlyright.”

It was at Garces that Armendarizmet Porter Jamison, the school’s the-ater director and a major player inthe local theater scene. Jamison gaveArmendariz his first shot at perform-ing in a production outside of the rel-ative safety of high school theaterwhen the mentor advised Armen-dariz to pick up a role in a productionof “The Complete Works of WilliamShakespeare (Abridged).”

Armendariz has been acting onlocal stages ever since, and his“Nighttime Show” has been runningsteadily at The Empty Space. Format-ted in the spirit of late-night televi-sion talk shows (Carson, Conan, Let-terman, and the like), the productiontypically features three local guests— with a lot of banter in between,provided by Armendariz and his co-host on the couch, Jason Monroe.

In fact, Friday’s performance willmark the official one-year anniver-sary of the “Nighttime Show,” a mile-stone its host is reluctant to celebratewithout some pretty stellar stipula-tions.

“Now that you mention it, I’ll haveto see if I can come up with some-thing special for this show,” helaughed. “Although we don’t reallywanna celebrate our anniversaryuntil we get one or all of our dream

guests on the show: Alec Baldwin,Harrison Ford, comedian JimmyPardo and Pearl Jam. If we ever man-age to get any combination of one orall of those four, I’d find a way tomake that our big anniversary showblowout.”

Though Armendariz’s love for thestage remains true, passion doesn’talways pay the bills.

So, throughout his career, Armen-dariz has taken a variety of day jobs,all of which have in some way relatedto his three primary passions. Seek-ing to learn everything possibleabout film, he worked as a projec-tionist, first at U.A. East Hills, andthen for five years at what is nowReading Cinemas. He also helpedturn Russo’s Books into one of thefew places in town where readers ofcomics could go to pick up theirbeloved volumes, by acting as thestore’s comic book buyer for threeyears.

But like so many of us, some ofArmendariz’s truly definingmoments happened as a childwatching the daring adventures ofIndiana Jones, or the powerful bondsof friendship form between a youngboy and an extraterrestrial unfold onthe big screen. And for the last twoand a half years, he’s channeled his

excitement for the cinema into hiscurrent career as general manager ofStarplex Cinemas.

“I’m such a nerd for movies that it’skind of ridiculous,” Armendariz said.“What’s funny, is now I can look backand remember coming to the theaterI run now to see movies here as a kid.I very distinctly remember seeing‘Return of the Jedi’ here in ’83. And Ithink that only makes me work hard-er. I know how much going as a kidshaped my enjoyment of movies,and I want to make sure everyonehas as good of an experience as Idid.”

Although his big childhood dreamsdidn’t quite play out the way that heexpected, this entertainer of alltrades still has plenty of them —becoming a writer for “Conan” ormaybe having one of the projects hewrites in his spare time picked upand published — but for the timebeing, Armendariz is happy with therole he’s created for himself here andis confident that Bakersfield’s localtheater, music and entertainmentscene can still provide ample oppor-tunities for any of the other youngthespians out there.

“Bakersfield has everything thatyou’re gonna get in L.A. and in NewYork, just on a much smaller scale. It’sa perfect place to hone skills andpotentially flourish. And you’regonna be just as fulfilled here as youcan be anywhere else. You can get themost rewarding things out of Bakers-field, if you’re willing to do it. You cancomplain about it, how there’s notenough art or theater or whatever.But if there’s something missing, thatjust means you need to work extrahard to make that culture you wantto see here come to life.”

Actor finds you can livethe dream right here

‘The Nighttime Show withMichael Armendariz’When: 11 p.m. Friday

Where: The Empty Space, 706

Oak Street

Admission: $5

Information: esonline.org or 327-

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FELIX ADAMO / THE CALIFORNIAN

Jason Monroe and Michael Armendariz at The Empty Space theater.


Eye Street

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Once again supporters of theunstoppable Bakersfield Commu-nity Theatre are gearing up for a

new season. Believe it or not it’s the 85thanniversary of their birth — the theater,that is, not the performers.

As I looked over the list of people whowill direct shows in 2011-12, I noticed atleast two — Roger Mathey and EricTolley — who in my mind are more oftenconnected to The Empty Space, ratherthan BCT.

But Thomas G. Robinson, who suppliedthe information, reminded me that bothmen have directed One-Act Festival showsat the playhouse on South ChesterAvenue.

BCT works with various directors usual-ly known from one particular theaterquite often, he said, citing as an exampleJames Kopp, another Empty Space regularwho just finished “Super Villain” at BCT.

And then Robinson couldn’t resist thisquip about the theater’s age: Having beenaround for so long, everyone will usuallyend up doing something at BCT in oneway or another.

In the coming season the theater willproduce five main stage shows and anequal number in its youth series.

Ticket prices remain the same and aresold prior to the scheduled opening ofeach show. Season tickets are also avail-able. Call 831-8114 for details.

For main stage productions admission

is $15 for adults, $12 for students, seniorsand members of the armed forces, $10 forchildren 10 and under. Youth series showsare $12 for adults, $10 for children, seniorsand military.

Shows to be presented in 2011-2012 andtheir run dates are:

Main Stage seriesOct. 7 to 22: “Doubt, a Parable,” by John

Patrick Shanley, directed by Roger MatheyJan. 13 to 26: “The Light in the Piazza,”

book by Craig Lucas, music and lyrics byAdam Guettel, directed by Sheila McClure.

Feb. 10 to 26: “For Colored Girls WhoHave Considered Suicide &When the Rain-bow is Enuf,” by Ntozake Shange, directorto be announced.

May 4 to 26: “The Rocky Horror Show,”book, music and lyrics by Richard O’Brien,directed by David Lollar.

June 9 to 24: The 25th Anniversary One-Acts Festival; various playwrights and direc-tors.

Youth Theatre series Sept. 9 to 18: “With Their Eyes,” edited

by Annie Thomas and Taresh Batra, createdby Batra and Anna Belc, directed by DavidLollar.

Nov. 4 to 13: “The Giver,” by Eric Coble,directed by Eric Tolley.

Dec. 2 to 18: “A Christmas Story,” byPhilip Grecian, directed by Pat Kerley.

April 13 to 21: “Alexander and the Terri-ble, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,”book and lyrics by Judith Viorst, music byShelly Markham, director to be announced.

July 13 to 29: “Honk!” based on a storyby Hans Christian Andersen, book andlyrics by Anthony Drewe, music by GeorgeStiles, directed by Kenneth Whitchard.

Community playhouseunveils another season

The little theater thatcould: 85 years at BCT

PHOTO COURTESY OF THOMAS G. ROBINSON

Norman Colwell played a radio personality in Bakersfield Community Theatre’s pro-duction of “Talk Radio” in May. The theater’s new season opens in October with theproduction “Doubt, a Parable,” by John Patrick Shanley.


Eye Street

I’m always fascinated with theway ideas for some arts eventsbubble up to the surface. But

what else should I expect fromcreative people?

In this case it’s a student artexhibit with music and dancingcalled “Jet Set Our Dreams,” andit’s happening Friday evening atthe Bakersfield Museum of Art.

It came about because MariahSherman Graham, an art major atCal State Bakersfield, will spendher junior year studying in Flo-rence, Italy, as part of the CSUInternational Studies Program. Itcomes, however, with a price tagof about $22,000, and so far she’scome up a bit short of the total.

Of course, just being acceptedin such a program is a hurdle initself. Understandably, Graham isoverjoyed at being selected.

“Words can’t define how I feelright now,” she said during aphone interview. “I think it’sabsolutely phenomenal that I getto go there and see the originals,and here at home (students) canonly look at them in books.”

To help meet at least a portionof the money she needs, Grahamhas combined her talents withLauren Nolasco, a communica-tions major, along with severalstudents in related fields who willshow their work at Friday’s event.

It’s called “Jet Set Our Dreams”with an emphasis on the “our”part because ultimately, Grahamwants to form a company or anonprofit organization that raisesscholarship money for art stu-dents.

“I definitely want to pushJSOD,” she said. “Art students aregetting a bad rap on campus andart programs are often the first tobe cut. The typical (attitude)about art majors is negative —they think of us as starving artists.But we put a lot of hours into ourwork — some of my projects takeas long as six weeks.”

Graham said her family is verysupportive of her endeavors andhas always stressed the value of

educa-tion.

“But it’snot justthe edu-cation, it’syourexperi-

ences inlife and by

studying abroad, living in anotherculture. I’m applying that (philos-ophy) in a situation that’s normal-ly outside of my frame ofreference.”

And what will happen if shedoesn’t come up with the totalamount before Aug. 23, the dayshe plans to leave?

“I will still go,” Graham said. “Itwill be a lot harder on myself andmy family, but we understand thatit is possible for us to not raise themoney we need.”

Friday’s event will feature theartwork of about 10 students,including Graham. It will includesculpture, painting and photogra-phy, and all pieces will be avail-able for sale. A band called Easewill play during the evening, andrefreshments will be served.

Benefit at SpotlightTomorrow evening’s perform-

ance of the comedy “Dirty, RottenScoundrels” at Spotlight Theatre isa fundraiser for the Gay & LesbianCommunity Center.

As yet the center doesn’t exist

physically, but David Trujillo, theleader of the organizing team,says plans are moving ahead. Hesees the proposed facility as a“drop-in place, a safe place wherepeople can feel free to be whothey are and not be judged.”

In addition, the center will actas an educational resource and avenue for out-of-town speakerswho can educate the public aboutgender differences.

“The idea really came aboutafter Seth Walsh’s suicide — wewant to be able to reach out toyouths when they are in crisis,”Trujillo said. “If we remainbeneath the radar, tragedies likeSeth’s will continue to happen.”

Trujillo said the center group is“separate and distinct from theLGBTQ organization, but we havebeen in conversations with them;both organizations want to be inconcert.”

The performance at Spotlight isthe Gay & Lesbian CommunityCenter’s first major fundraiser.Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the 7p.m. show, and free appetizersand wine will be served.

Jazz in TehachapiGuitarist and composer Jim

Scully has put together a new

quartet made up of himself andthree other local musicians. Itincludes trumpet player KrisTiner, Canaan McDuffie on drumsand Glen Fong, bass.

The “4-Tet,” as he calls it, willpresent a free concert on Sundayafternoon as part of the TehachapiSummer Concert series in themountain community’s PhilipMarx Central Park.

“We have a few other gigs linedup to present a bunch of newmusic I have written,” Scully said.“The project is dubbed the LyricInspiration Project.”

Scully said the inspiration forhis project arose from multiplethreads he selected from a singleline of lyrics from each of a num-ber of pop singer-songwriters. Hethen used those threads — thetext only — as a jumping-off pointto compose new instrumentaljazz.

He describes the music he’swritten as “melancholy, lyrical andintense, with lots of room for thisquartet of improvisers to dig inand express themselves.”

A grant he received from theAmerican Composers Forum wasused to support the writing of thismusic and to help pay for arecording project of this newmaterial.

“If all goes well,” he said, “a CDwill be released in early 2012.”

Two vocalists — Jennifer Neil,who is married to Scully, andlocal tenor Ron McOwen — willalso be part of the performanceon Sunday. The first half of theshow will feature music from thestandard vocal jazz repertoire,including works by Lambert,Hendricks and Ross, Chet Bakerand Antonio-Carlos Jobim,among others.

Scully also teaches at Cal StateBakersfield and is the director ofthe CSU Bakersfield Guitar Arts

Series. The series’ second annualseason begins on Oct. 21 with“Tin/Bag,” a duo featuring Tinerand New York guitarist MikeBaggetta.

Local playwrights in LATwo different plays, each writ-

ten by a Bakersfield author, arebeing presented back to back asone production at the ElephantStages-Elephant Theater on SantaMonica Boulevard in Los Angeles.One is Roger Mathey’s “You MakeMe Physically Ill.” The other is Pat-ty Wonderly’s "So Damned Heav-enly Bound."

Both shows are being directedby Mathey, and running time istwo hours with an intermissionbetween each play. Performancesbegan Friday and continue onweekends through Sept. 10.

‘Jet’ set on aiding student travel

Camille Gavin’s “Arts Alive!”column appears on Thursday. Write to her

via e-mail at [email protected]

Camille Gavin CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST

‘Jet Set Our Dreams’When: 6 p.m. Friday

Where: Bakersfield Museum

of Art, 1930 R St.

Admission: $10 at the door,

$8 in advance

Information: 477-4428

Gay & Lesbian Community

Center benefit performance

of ‘Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels’

When: 6:30 p.m. Friday

Where: Spotlight Theatre,

1622 19th St.

Requested donation: $30


Jim Scully QuartetWhen: 2 p.m. Sunday

Where: Philip Marx Central

Park, 311 East E St., Tehachapi

Admission: Free


GO & DO

CSUB art major plansexhibit to raise funds

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARIAH SHERMAN GRAHAM

“The Smile of Defiance” is one of the works that will be on display atthe “Jet Set Our Dreams” exhibit at the Bakersfield Museum of Art.

ROD THORNBURG / SPECIAL TO THE CALIFORNIAN

Karin Harmon playing Muriel Eubanks and Bryce Rankins as Andrepractice a dance scene of the “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.” The castwill have a benefit performance for a Gay and Lesbian CommunityCenter on Friday night at the Spotlight Theater.


Eye Street


To have a dream of what youwant to be when you grow up isa good thing, and Nicole Saint-

John of the Arts Council of Kern helpsyoung people explore ways ofexpressing their desires using one ofthe programs designed by YoungAudiences.

A few weeks ago she was in FrazierPark, working with 20 middle-school-age children who were attendingCamp Ozone. It involved, among otherthings, having the kids sketch out acartoon-like cloud on a large piece ofnewsprint.

“We talked about what each onewants to be,” she explained, “and thenwe talk about learning what to do totake the next step to reach yourdream.”

Occasionally, Saint-John tells stu-dents about the steps she took to real-ize her dream of coming to the UnitedStates and becoming a recognizedartist.

“I tell them about growing up in theshadow of the Berlin Wall during theCold War,” she said. “I was born inHamburg, in the western sector, butmy mother and grandmother escapedfrom Leipzig in East Germany —thankfully that was before I was born.”

Her family wasn’t rich and moneywas scarce, she said, but they werehard workers.

“My father was a gardener and heused to say that as a boy there were somany in his family he had to eat stand-ing up because there weren’t enoughchairs,” she said. “But I think maybe itwas a joke.”

Saint-John found a way to earn

money to attend college. Later shebecame a partner in a music softwareproducts company in Hamburg anddesigned labels for its products. Thecompany had an office in Los Angelesand when the opportunity arose, shemoved there. As an independent artist,her fine art work has been shownnationally and she has won severalawards. About 10 years ago she movedto Bakersfield, mainly because hous-ing was less expensive.

Presently she is director of visual artprograms for the Arts Council and overthe past two years has attended semi-nars and conferences in various partsof the country to qualify as a teachingartist in the Young Audiences programand to mentor others who want toteach in the program.

“The standards are quite high andyou have to go through a screeningprocess to qualify,” she said. “ As theprogram director, I received training atthe Young Audiences workshops inPortland, Indianapolis, and NewOrleans, including the Young Audi-ences Art in Education National Lead-ership Institute. This training was oneof the most intensive and effective

training programs I have ever beenpart of.”

The Arts Council’s goal is to offer theYoung Audiences programs to all stu-dents of Kern County. This year, fromJanuary to June, the council hasreached 3,888 students in 21 differentprojects held at 17 different venues.The project is being funded by a size-able grant the council received from ananonymous donor and was coordinat-ed by the Kern Community Founda-tion. The programs are presented atthe request of schools and school dis-tricts.

Saint-John is one of 19Young Audi-ences-approved teaching artists whowill participate this year. Only four arelocal residents and she invites profes-sionals in all areas of the arts — music,dance, theater and visual art — to con-tact her if they are interested in beingconsidered for training. She can bereached at the Arts Council office bycalling 324-9000.

“Recently we trained four mentorartists to mentor students with Asperg-er’s Syndrome and/or high functioningautism to teach an arts-supportedlearning program with a social skilland a literacy component,” she said.“This program was partially funded bythe Bakersfield Californian Founda-tion — Bakersfield and Ridgecrest arethe communities where the programhas been implemented so far.”

Young Audiences was founded in1952 and is the nation’s leading sourceof arts-in-education services. Thegoals of the organization are to helpmake the arts an essential part ofyoung people’s education and toadvance the artistic and educationaldevelopment of children and youth bybringing them together with profes-sional artists of all disciplines to learn,create and participate in the arts. Thelocal council has been affiliated withYoung Audiences since 2009.

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Young Audiences Workshop “Turning Dreams into Goals” at Summer Camp Bethel in Frazier Park.

“To Train Hard” is Ben’s first step toachieve his goal of being an athletein this piece for the Young Audi-ences workshop.


Eye Street

There’s some sizzle left in thelocal summer show lineup.Even better, fall is just a few

degrees away with some coolshows coming to Bako. Grab yoursmartphone social planner andblock these dates out.

Remember when “MADtv” gave“Saturday Night Live” a run for itsmoney with some of sketch come-dy’s more inventive characters?The supporting cast turnover ratefor the show moved quicker than“SNL”’s, but some actors, likecomedian Anjelah Johnson, stuckaround just long enough to leavean impact during season 13 of“MADtv” with two of her signaturecharacters: “Bon Qui Qui” and theVietnamese “Beautiful Nail” lady.Permanently associated with herTV creations after leaving, shecontinues selling out venues,mostly because of YouTube, wheremany of her clips live on.

She’ll most likely have some-thing new perfected for the stagewhen she performs at the Fox The-ater on Sept. 17. According to herofficial website, anjelahnicole-johnson.com, she has Bako listedas city No. 3 on the tour, meaningshe should have all the kinks out ofher set by then. Not that it shouldmatter, because there’s no crossingJohnson’s Bon Qui Qui, who “willcut you” should you make hermad. Tickets for her show are$28.50 and on sale now at the FoxTheater, 2001 H St., or online at

vallitix.com.A week later,’60s guitar

god CarlosSantanaand hisband will

be atRabobank

Arena

on Sept. 27. According to thegroup’s official Web archive at San-tana.com, the last time he per-formed in Bakersfield was openingnight of the Kern County Fair onSept. 20, 1989. I was there for thatfree show along with thousandspacked like sardines. It was thepre-“Supernatural” era whenextended jams from classic

albums like “Abraxas” and “Cara-vanserai” were still in the set list. Iwas happy to see his comeback,but if I have to hear “Smooth” onemore time, it might get ugly. Thestory goes, Santana refused toreturn to Bakersfield after thatconcert 22 years ago because thesight of cows and pigs awaitingjudgment in pens behind therodeo grandstand stage angeredhim. Apparently Carlos wasn’t hav-ing it and said, “No más.” It seemsall is forgiven now, and just in timefor the fair again. I’m kidding. Tick-ets are $28 to $88 and can be pur-chased at the Rabobank ticketoffice, 1001 Truxtun Ave. or at tick-etmaster.com. For more informa-tion, call 852-7777.

Also coming to the Fox is punkicon Billy Idol on Oct. 19. Still fist-pumping with a better head of hairthan the majority of his peers, Idol

has more good songs out therethan I can remember. I recentlysaw a video of fellow ’80s Britsinger Adam Ant on a BBC talkshow, also looking fairly well forhis age. But if you’ve followed Ant’slife in the tabloids, you’ll remem-ber his shiny dome was arrestedfor threatening people with a gunat his hometown pub a few yearsback. He cleaned up his act andwears a pirate wig now, but inIdol’s case, the 55-year-old neverhit the skids like others from theearly MTV generation. After pop-ping up as himself in Adam San-dler’s “The Wedding Singer,” theIdol revival continues “Rebel Yell”-ing around the world. Longtimesideman guitarist Steve Stevens isstill in the Idol lineup and comethe midnight hour, you’ll cry“more, more, more.” Tickets forthis show are $42.50 to $80 andavailable now for purchase. Call324-1936 for more info.

Most of my friends know thatI’ve had an embarrassingly undy-ing crush on Mexican singer-song-writer Julieta Venegas for years, soit should be no surprise I’m over-joyed that Venegas is coming toRabobank Convention Center onOct. 22. One of the most innova-tive artists in the Latin alternativemusic lexicon, the Long Beach-born, Tijuana-raised accordion-slinging rockera has been a criticalfavorite on both sides of the bor-der.

Starting out as a member of leg-endary rock ska act Tijuana No!,Venegas established herself as thenew voice of punk feminism in thecountry with solo debut “Aqui.”But following her second album,the brilliant “Bueninvento,” shewent through a pop makeover,shocking hard-core fans, butquickly became a householdname, winning five Latin Gram-mys and one American Grammyaward over the course of hercareer. If you’re a newbie to Vene-gas’ music, I recommend you pickup her records “Limon Y Sal” and“MTV Unplugged,” and join thecrush club. Tickets can be pur-chased at the Rabobank and atTicketmaster.com.

Reality TV Don’t forget to check out

tonight’s live finale of Fox’s “So YouThink You Can Dance” to see ifBakersfield dancer Sasha Mallorywill take home the title of “Ameri-ca’s Favorite Dancer.” The Fox The-ater will once again be hosting afan gathering to see the results liveon the big screen tonight, begin-ning at 8 p.m. The event is free andopen to the public.

In other reality TV competitionnews, Vallitix’s Josey Hernandezwill be appearing on tonight’s edi-tion of the wild ABC game show“Wipeout.” Filmed earlier this yearat the series’ secret Santa Claritacompound, the popular show is alaugh riot. Sworn to secrecy byproducers, Hernandez can’t revealthe outcome, but invites all to wit-ness the carnage. “Wipeout” airstonight on ABC at 8 p.m.

Heading northThis weekend’s Outside Lands

festival at Golden Gate Park in SanFrancisco just might take the bigCalifornia summer festival crown.This year’s lineup has The Shins,Phish, Arcade Fire, The Black Keys,The Roots, Ximena Sarinana, OKGo, Foster The People, ErykahBadu, The Original Meters, Dead-mau5 and more. I love these mas-sive music, food and multimediafestivals. The weather is expectedto be in the low ’60s, and my cam-era is ready. I’ll be back with a fullreport next week. For more infor-mation, visit sfoutsidelands.com.

Silly to ‘Smooth,’ lineup deliversThe Lowdown with Matt Munoz

Comedian, Santanaamong shows slated

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.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIETA VENEGAS

Julieta Venegas will appear at Rabobank Convention Center on Oct. 22.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BILLY IDOL

Tickets are currently on sale forBilly Idol’s Oct. 19 concert at TheFox.


Eye Street

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Bakersfield College’s William M.Thomas Planetarium has announced theshow schedule for the fall semester.

Each show will begin with a short tourof the evening sky using the planetarium’sGoto Chronos star projector.

The schedule:Ice Worlds (7:30 p.m. Sept. 22; $6.50;

seniors/children $4.50). A 24-minute full-dome show using the planetarium’s SpitzSciDome to travel to the Arctic andAntarctic to examine the ecosystems thatlive and thrive there, and see how theirsurvival is connected with our own.Beyond Earth, we’ll see how the existenceof ice shapes the landscapes and the nat-ural systems on other planets and moonsin our solar system, including Mars, Titanand Enceladus.

Dawn of the Space Age (7:30 p.m. Oct.20; $5.50; seniors/children $3.50). A 41-minute full-dome show from Mirage3d,which immerses the viewer in the first 50years of space exploration, from thelaunch of the first artificial satellite Sput-nik, to the magnificent lunar landingsand privately operated space flights(much of which is being pioneered justeast of us in the Mojave area).

Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity(7:30 p.m. Nov. 17; $5.50; seniors/children$3.50). Brings the current science of black

holes to the dome screen. Supported bygrants from NASA’s high-energy GLASTtelescope project and the National Sci-ence Foundation, this cutting-edge full-dome projection features high-resolu-tion, animated visualizations of cosmicphenomena, working with real data gen-erated by computer simulations. Visual-ization (as opposed to a Hollywood-typemovie) uses only real data and computersimulations of real processes, not someartist’s imagination.

Season of Light (7:30 p.m. Dec. 1;$6.50; seniors/children $4.50). A 37-minute all-dome presentation from LochNess Productions using the SpitzSciDome projector. This presentationtraces the history and development ofmany of the world’s most endearing holi-day customs, all of which involve lightingup the winter season, from the burningYule log, sparkling Christmas tree lightsand candles in windows, to the lighting ofluminarias in the American Southwestand the traditional ritual of the HanukkahMenorah.

More information on the shows is avail-able at the planetarium s website, bakers-fieldcollege.edu/planetarium. All showslast approximately one hour. To purchasetickets, call the Bakersfield College ticketoffice at 395-4326.

Tickets will not be sold at the door.Dates and shows are subject to change.Shows sell out regularly, so purchase tick-ets early.— Bakersfield College

Shows take viewers onout-of-this-world journeys

Planetarium setscalendar for fall

CALIFORNIAN FILE

The stunning night sky comes to life indoors at Bakersfield College’s William M.Thomas Planetarium.


Eye Street

BY MOIRA MACDONALDThe Seattle Times

Is the movie version of “The Help”better than the book? Yes, it is, pri-marily for one reason: The book

doesn’t have Viola Davis in it.Davis, who achieved the near-

impossible feat of stealing a scenefrom Meryl Streep in 2008’s “Doubt,”plays Aibileen, an African-Americanmaid in early-1960s Jackson, Miss. InKathryn Stockett’s wildly popularnovel, she’s one of three narrativevoices; the others are fellow maidMinny (played by Octavia Spencer),who’s more outspoken than the quietAibileen, and Skeeter (Emma Stone),a young white woman and new col-lege grad who hits on the idea of writ-ing a nonfiction book from the per-spective of black Southern maids.

Tate Taylor’s movie adaptation,however, subtly moves Aibileen frontand center: Hers is the only voice-over we hear. Speaking softly, with lit-tle of the heavy dialect with whichAibileen is written in the book, Daviscreates both an unforgettable charac-ter and an unexpected star turn.Aibileen doesn’t put herself out there;she’s quiet, resigned to a way of lifethat includes petty bullying from heremployers, and keeps her more radi-cal notions to herself and her diary.Davis lets us see this woman’sstrength, her heartbreak that’s stillfresh from the loss of her son (on the

anniversary of his death “every year Ican’t breathe,” she says, in a brokenwhisper), and the horrifying truth ofher life as a domestic worker, raisingthe children of women who won’t leta black person use their toilet.

“We love the children when they’relittle,” says Aibileen, shown in smilinginteraction with her toddler charge,“and then they turn out just like theirmamas.”

It’s an immensely moving perform-ance, finally giving Davis the widecanvas of a leading role — and ithelps to address the imbalance at theheart of the book, though doesn’tentirely solve it. Compared with thelives of the maids, and the injusticethey face daily, Skeeter’s storyline isfar less compelling and her characterseems callow and unformed. Youwonder why the book can’t focusmore on Aibileen and Minny, partic-ularly in the way it celebratesSkeeter’s bravery at the end. (Yes, itwas commendable and gutsy for herto embark on such a project — but far

more risky for the maids involved.Skeeter, a white woman of means andeducation, could simply move out oftown and start again if things hadmisfired.)

This problem persists on screen:We’re drawn to Skeeter because she’sso likable, but we’re not sure whyshe’s getting so much attention whenfar more intriguing characters are justover in the kitchen. But Stone’scharmingly natural performancewins us over. All around, “The Help” iswonderfully acted — I’d be remiss innot mentioning the wicked gleam inSpencer’s eye, the breathy screwballenergy Jessica Chastain brings to asmall role, and Sissy Spacek’s dotty-Southern-lady zip — and it’s a raretreat to see a movie focusing on sucha strong female ensemble.

Taylor and the actresses do wellwith the small moments that bringthis troubled era to life: the waySkeeter, however well-meaning,doesn’t realize that she’s being disre-spectful to Aibileen; or how the town’ssociety women smugly raise money“for African children” while turning ablind eye to their maids’ lives. Butultimately, this version of “The Help”comes down to Davis’ Aibileen, as shestrolls down a sunny road to a newlife. It may not be any easier than thelife that came before — but we canrejoice with her that, maybe just for amoment, she feels free.

Tale of perseveranceshows true character

‘The Help’★★★

Cast: Viola Davis, Emma Stone,

Octavia Spencer, Sissy Spacek,

Cicely Tyson

Running time: 137 minutes

Rated: PG-13

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DALE ROBINETTE / DREAMWORKS

In Jackson, Miss. in 1963, Skeeter Phelan (Emma Stone), left; Minnie Jackson (Octavia Spencer), center; and AibileenClark (Viola Davis) together take a risk that could have profound consequences for them all in “The Help.”


Eye Street

BY DONALD MUNROMcClatchy Newspapers

FRESNO

Philip Levine, the powerhouse poetwhose Pulitzer Prize helped put thewriting program at Fresno State on

the international map, received anothersignificant honor Wednesday: the title ofpoet laureate of the United States.

Levine, 83, was named to the positionWednesday by the Library of Congress. Hewill be the 18th Poet Laureate Consultant inPoetry, the post’s official title, and will servefor 2011-12.

The position has been in existence in var-ious forms since 1937. Levine’s name hadbeen kicked around for years in connectionwith the title, which includes a $35,000stipend and the opportunity to work on aproject while at the library.

“Actually, because of my age, I justassumed that I had been found wantingsome years ago,” Levine said Tuesday with atypical dose of self-deprecation. “I didn’teven think about it much.”

The job description includes giving anannual lecture, introducing poets in thelibrary’s annual poetry series and raising“the national consciousness to a greaterappreciation of the reading and writing ofpoetry.”

It does not involve actually writing anypoems, a common misconception thatagain brings up a lighthearted Levine riff.

“I don’t know if they’d want me writing

for official events,” Levine said. “A poem toCongress? No thank you.”

‘... a visionary of our dense,troubled, mysterious time’

In a statement, Librarian of CongressJames H. Billington called Levine one ofAmerica’s great narrative poets. “His plain-

spoken lyricism has, for half a century,championed the art of telling ‘The SimpleTruth’ — about working in a Detroit autofactory, as he has, and about the hard workwe do to make sense of our lives.”

Levine, who has written 20 collections ofpoems, received the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for“The Simple Truth.” He won the NationalBook Award in 1991 for “What Work Is” andin 1980 for “Ashes: Poems New and Old.” Heis a professor emeritus at Fresno State andalso taught at New York University, Colum-bia University, Princeton University and UCBerkeley, among other schools.

Critics have called him “a large, ironicWhitman of the industrial heartland” for hisemphasis in his poems on the lives of facto-ry workers trapped by poverty and thedrudgery of the assembly line. Joyce CarolOates once called him “a visionary of ourdense, troubled, mysterious time.”

Levine was born in Detroit and startedteaching at Fresno State in 1958. The univer-sity didn’t even have a creative writing pro-gram at the time. His close friend and fellowpoet Peter Everwine, who taught withLevine for many years, said the poet laure-ate designation is a significant honor forLevine that caps a long and distinguishedcareer. And it means more bragging rightsfor the university. But there’s somethingdeeper to consider: the timing.

“The country seems to be so occupiedwith who we are, what we are, what kind ofcountry we are,” Everwine said. “We have adysfunctional government, an economyfalling apart, two wars, terrible unemploy-ment. Everyone is sort of saying, ‘Who arewe as a people?’ I think Phil’s poetry isdirectly related to those kinds of things.”

Levine splits his time these days betweenFresno, where he lives seven months out ofthe year, and Brooklyn, where he lives theother five. Although retired from full-timeteaching, he makes guest appearances atwriters conferences around the country.

But he considers Fresno home, even withall the changes over the years.

“The air and the water got worse, but asidefrom that, the living got better,” he said.

When Levine looks back on his career,two things stand out.

“The single greatest reward was the writ-ing of the stuff itself, the poetry,” he said.“And the second biggest one had to do withmy students, mainly here at Fresno State. Ihad some amazing students here who wenton to wonderful careers as poets. Manybecame very good friends of mine.”

As for the national attention that will nodoubt be focused on him, Levine acknowl-edges that it’s nice to be recognized, but heinsists that no one should get too excitedabout awards and honors. (He has sat onenough awards committees to know howthe sausage gets made.) In the overall pic-ture, they mean very little.

“Something like the Pulitzer is quite won-derful for a couple of weeks, and then yougo back to work,” he said.

Fresno professor thoughthonor had passed him by

GO&DO

TodayConcerts by The Fountain, pop rock and

indie with The Bird Channel, 7 to 9 p.m.,

The Marketplace, 9000 Ming Ave.

Helping Little Hearts Benefit, for

children who have congenitial heart

defects, auction, dinner, dancing,

entertainment by Monty Bryom Band, Amy

Adams, 6 p.m., Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace,

2800 Buck Owens Blvd. $75. Tickets

available at Front Porch Music or can be

purchased at

bakersfield.mendedlittlehearts.net. 304-

2173.

So You Think You Can Dance viewingparty, doors open at 7 p.m., telecast begins

at 8 p.m., Bakersfield Fox Theater, 2001 H

St. Free but donations accepted.

Don Thompson, will be reading some of

his writings; open to others who are

welcome to bring prose and poetry, sign-

ups begin at 6:45 p.m., Russo’s, 9000 Ming

Ave. 665-4686.

Bakersfield Raider Nation Meeting,discussing the annual Raider Jam, 6:30 to

9:30 p.m., Cataldo’s Pizzeria, 6111 Niles

Street. 340-7167.

Comedy Night with Chris Lopez, 8 p.m.,

The Ice House, 3401 Chester Ave. $6 adults;

$1 children 12 and under. 412-3242.

Mystery & Adventure Book Group, with

host Marcia Stephens, 7 p.m., Barnes and

Noble, in the cafe, 4001 California Ave. 631-

2575.

Paws & Claws, an evening of fun and

information about animals, 5 to 7 p.m.,

Beale Library, 701 Truxtun Ave. 868-0770.

Read the Classics, for young readers ages

8 to 12, 4 p.m., Barnes & Noble, children’s

department, 4001 California Ave. 631-2575.

FridayMovies in the Park, presents “Up,” begins

at dusk, Silver Creek Park, 7011 Harris Road.

326-3866.

Fantastic Friday Storytime, with Miss

Olivia, 10 a.m., Barnes & Noble, 4001

California Ave. 631-2575.

Freise Hope House Grand Opening, open

house, speakers, music, food, refreshments,

tour of its facility, 10 a.m. to noon, Freise

Hope House, 721 8th St. 868-6608.

Saturday“Smoke” Cinema Saturday, begins at

sundown, Valentien Restaurant & Wine Bar,

1310 Truxtun Ave., Suite 160. 864-0397.

American Competitive Trail HorseAssociation Competition Timed TrailRide, live music by Open Range, 12:30 to

4:30 p.m., Ethel’s Old Corral Cafe, 4310

Alfred Harrell Highway. Registration, 363-

7613.

Chalk on the Walk!, get creative on the

sidewalks of Tehachapi, Downtown

Tehachapi, Main Street. $15 entry fee. 822-

6062.

Cupcake Decorating Party and Storytime,11 a.m., Barnes & Noble, children’s area, 4001

California Ave. 631-2575.

Golden Days of Spain RenaissanceFaire, with food, music and revelry, 10 a.m.

to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Tait Ranch,

3344 Frazier Mountain Park Road, 31⁄2 west

on Interstate 5, Frazier Park. $7.50 adults,

$5 children 10-17, $5 seniors (65+), children

under 9 are free; $2 parking. fmrf.info or

858-367-9708.

Lantern Light Tour & Ghost Hunt, 9 to

10:30 p.m., Silver City Ghost Town, 3829

Lake Isabella Blvd., Bodfish. $12 per person

of all ages. 760-379-5146.

Make Your Own Green BeautyProducts, for that special man in your life,

10 a.m. to noon, Greenshops, 4821

Stockdale Highway. 834-6477.

Old Fashioned Country Fair, cooking

demonstrations, petting zoo, farmer’s

market, ice cream making contest and

more, noon to 4 p.m., Tehachapi Museum,

310 S. Green St. Free. 823-7120.

Spanish Storytime, with Clara Castillo, 3

p.m., Barnes & Noble, 4001 California Ave.

631-2575.

Star Party with Kern AstronomicalSociety, 8 to 10 p.m., The Marketplace,

9000 Ming Ave. 487-2519.

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.

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. Free hot dogs, chips and

beverage to the first 500 people.

calmzoo.org or 872-2256.

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10859Rosedale & Ladies Auxiliary , 9:30 a.m.,

Greenacres Community Center, 2014

Calloway Drive. 588-5865.

Yokuts Park Fun Run, practice racing and

earn points, 7 a.m., Yokuts Park, Empire

Drive off Truxtun Avenue. No fee.

bakersfieldtrackclub.com or 203-4196 or

391-7080.

Certified Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to

noon, next to Golden State Mall, 3201 F St.

Please see PAGE 26

CRAIG KOHLRUSS / THE FRESNO BEE

Fresno author and Pulitzer Prize winnerPhilip Levine has been named the U.S.Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry by theU.S. Library of Congress.

“I don’t know if they’dwant me writing for

official events. A poem toCongress? No thank you.”

— Philip Levine, the newly installed

poet laureate of the United States

Valley poet named laureate

WIN A BURGERThe readers have spoken and

Californian restaurant critic Pete Tittl

was listening. We asked for

recommendations on the best burger

spots in town and received dozens of

nominations. Pete checked them all

out and the results are in Sunday’s Eye

Street. For a sneak preview of the

section — and a chance to win one of

more than a dozen gift cards to Prime

Cut, Juicy Burger and Crest Bar & Grill

— tune in to the Californian radio hour

on KGEO Radio 1230 from 10 to 11 a.m.

Friday. Tittl and Eye Street Editor

Jennifer Self will talk burgers with

callers and the top chefs at Prime Cut

and Juicy Burger.

To plug your favorite or win a gift

card, call 631-1230 during the show.


Eye Street

THEATER“A Chorus Line,” doors open at

6 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m. today

through Saturday, Stars Dinner

Theatre, 1931 Chester Ave. $45 to

$55; show-only tickets $35;

matinee $46 to $50. 325-6100.

“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: TheMusical,” 7 p.m. Friday and

Saturday, Spotlight Theatre, 1622

19th St. 634-0692 or

thespotlighttheatre.com.

Improv Comedy Show, with

Center For Improv Advancement,

8 to 9:30 p.m. Fridays and

Saturdays, Ice House, 3401

Chester Ave., Suite M. Adults: $5

on Friday and Saturdays, children

under 12 are $1 every day.

ciacomedy.com.Comedy.

“The Night Time Show withMichael Armendariz,” 11 p.m.

Friday, The Empty Space, 706

Oak St. $5. 327-PLAY.

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.

ARTArtwork on Display, “I Dream of

Art,” now until Aug. 27, The Empty

Space, 706 Oak St. 327-PLAY.

Reiter Gallery Art Parlor,presents “Heart” photography by

Jerome Lazarus R., Simon Cardoza

and Mitch Reiter, on display now

Aug. 19, Reiter Gallery, 1914

Chester Ave. 862-0059.

“Connections,” an exhibition of

works by artists participating in

the visual arts festival, on display

until August 28, The Bakersfield

Museum of Art, 1930 R St. 10 a.m.

to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; noon to

4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Closed Mondays. 323-7219.

All Media Class, by instructor

Phyllis Oliver, all media welcome,

with color theory stressed. For

more information or to register,

email [email protected]

or call 348-4717.

Art classes, beginning

watercolor, beginning drawing,

advanced drawing and watercolor

painters’ group, taught by Carol

Bradshaw. Call or email for details

and enrollment.

[email protected] or

760-376-6604.

Art for Healing program, of

Mercy Hospitals of Bakersfield has

many unique classes that may

help alleviate stress and anxiety

resulting in illness, loss, grief or

caring for another. All classes are

free but some suggest a donation

and are held at Mercy Hospital,

Truxtun Campus, Truxtun and A

St. Visit mercybakersfield.org/art

or to register, 632-5747.

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.

Free art classes, for home-

school children, 11 a.m. Thursdays,

Moore’s Art School, 837-1037.

Juliana’s Art Studio & Gallery,offers youth art, clay sculpture,

stained glass, silver jewelry, voice

lessons, Juliana’s Art Studio &

Gallery, 501 18th St. For times and

dates call 327-7507.

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.

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.

MUSIC

AlternativeJerry’s Pizza, 1817 Chester Ave.,

633-1000, Plug in Stereo, $10, 6

p.m. Wednesday.

BluesKern River Blues Society Jam,2 to 8 p.m. every second Saturday,

Trout’s, 805 N. Chester Ave. 872-

7517.

Sinaloa, 910 20th St., 327-5231;

Glenda Robles, 8 to 11 p.m.

Saturday.

Classic Rock Bellvedere Cocktail Lounge,3090 Brundage Lane, 325-2139;

Mike Montano Band, 9 p.m. Friday

and Saturday.

Ethel’s Old Corral Cafe, 4310

Alfred Harrell Highway, 873-7613;

Open Range Band, noon to 4 p.m.

Friday.

Iron Horse Saloon, 1821 S.

Chester Ave., 831-1315; Two

Timerz, 2 p.m. Saturday.

Lone Oak Lounge, 10612

Rosedale Highway, 589-0412; No

Limit, 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Banacek’s Lounge, 4601 State

Road, 387-9224; Dirt Road Band, 9

p.m. Saturday.

Pyrenees Cafe, 601 Sumner, 323-

0053; The Usual Suspects, 1 to 5

p.m. Saturday.

ComedyElevation Lounge, 818 Real

Road, 325-6864; Improv Tuesday -

Live comedy with DJ after party, 9

p.m. Tuesdays.

CountryTrout’s & the BlackboardStages, 805 N. Chester Ave.,399-6700:, offers karaoke, line

dancing, West Coast Swing,

among other various activities.

Call for times and days.

Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace,2800 Buck Owens Blvd., 328-

7560; Buddy Alan & the

Buckaroos, 7:30 p.m. Friday and

Saturday.



Still Kickin, 7 p.m. Friday; Angels

and Outlaws, 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday.



Nighlife with Pairs and Spares, 7

p.m. every Sunday. $5 members;

$7 nonmembers.

Tejon Club, 117 El Tejon Ave., 392-

1747; Crossroads, 6 to 10 p.m.

Sunday.

CoverSandrini’s, 1918 Eye St., 322-

8900; Chrisanova, 9 p.m. each

Monday.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

Please see PAGE 28

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5 Alison Beitzell


Eye Street

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, 7 to 10 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.

Dance classes, beginning west

coast swing,

intermediate/advanced west coast

swing with instructor Mimi

Johanson, at 8214 Mossrock Drive.

Call 927-7001 for details.

Whirlaways Square DanceClub, has workshops/classes

every first, third, fourth and fifth

Mondays, Park Stockdale Civic

Association Community Center,

205 Rio Bravo Drive.

whirlaways.org or 213-3105.

African Dance for Fitness,taught by national touring artists,

5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays and 1

to 2 p.m. Saturdays, Su Studio

Dance Academy, 1515 21st St. $5-

$7 per class.

africandanceclasses.com or 760-

917-3685.

Beginner Belly Dance Lessons,8 p.m. every Tuesday, Centre Stage

Studio, 1710 Chester Ave. 323-

5215.

DJRockstarz Party Bar, 7737 Meany

Ave., Suite B5, 589-6749; DJ

James, 9 p.m. Thursdays through

Saturdays. Free.

Banacek’s Lounge, 4601 State

Road, 387-9224; with DJ Casey

Overstreet, 9 p.m. Fridays.

Le Corusse Rouge, 4647 White

Lane, 834-1611; with DJ Chill in the

Mixx, 5 p.m. every Friday until 2

a.m. Saturday.

Sandrini’s, 1918 Eye St., 322-

8900; Beat Surrender, 9:30 p.m.

Friday.

Tam O’Shanter, 2345 Alta Vista,

324-6774: DJ Frankie Perez in the

mixx, 8:30 p.m. Friday.

The Bull Shed Bar & Grill, at

Hotel Rosedale, 2400 Camino Del

Rio Court, 327-0681; with Meg,

7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.


8900; The Press, 8:30 p.m.

Saturday.

Jazz Cafe Med, 4809 Stockdale

Highway, 834-4433; Richie Perez,

7:30 to 11 p.m. Thursdays.

Imbibe Wine & SpiritsMerchant, 4140 Truxtun Ave.,

633-WINE; live music & wine bar

with featuring local artists, along

with 24 wines, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Friday; featuring Jazz Connection,

along with 24 wines, 7 to 9:30

p.m. Saturday.

Jazz at the Nile, open to all jazz

artists, bring your instrument, 6

p.m. every Sunday, The Nile

Theater, 1721 19th St. $10.

Imbibe Wine & SpiritsMerchant, 4140 Truxtun Ave.,

633-WINE; live music & wine bar

with featuring Jazz Connection,

along with 24 wines, 6 to 8:30

p.m. Tuesdays.

Intimate Theatre & Music Hall,2030 19th St., 323-1976; Ron

Christian and his Big Band, 5:30

p.m. Tuesdays.

Padre Hotel, Prairie Fire, RoofTop, 1702 18th St., 427-4900; Jazz

& Martinis, 6 to 10 p.m. Tuesday.


Lane, 834-1611; Bakersfield Jazz

Workshop, 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.

every Wednesday.

Karaoke B. Ryder’s Sports Bar & Grill,7401 White Lane, 397-7304; 8 p.m.

Thursdays and Tuesdays.

Bellvedere Cocktail Lounge,3090 Brundage Lane, 325-2139;

Bellvedere Idol Karaoke Contest,

prizes for winners, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Thursdays and Sundays.

Cactus Valley MexicanRestaurant, 4215 Rosedale

Highway, 633-1948; 6:30 to 9:30

p.m. Thursday; beer pong and

happy hour all day Sunday.

Cataldo’s Pizza, 4200 New Stine

Road, 397-5000; 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Thursday.

Corona’s Cantina, 9817 S. Union

Ave., 345-8463; 7 to 10 p.m.

Thursdays.

Don Perico Restaurant, 2660

Oswell St., Suite 133, 871-2001; 7

to 11 p.m. Thursdays.

Pour House, 4041 Fruitvale Ave.,

589-9300; 9 p.m. Thursday

through Saturday.

T-Bones Steakhouse, 8020

District Blvd., 398-1300; with Irish

Monkey Entertainment, 6:30 to 11

p.m. Thursdays.

The Old River Monte Carlo,9750 Taft Highway, 837-0250;

8:30 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.

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 Pourhouse, 4041 Fruitvale

Ave., 589-9300; 9 p.m. every

Friday.

The Prime Cut, 9500 Brimhall

Road, 831-1413; hosted by Ed

Loverr, 9 p.m. to midnight Friday.

The Regent, 2814 Niles St., 871-

4140; 8:30 p.m. every other Friday.

Chateau Lounge, 2100 S. Chester

Ave., 835-1550; 9 p.m. every

Saturday.

Del Rio Cocktail Lounge, 5840

State Road, 393-0262; 8 p.m.

every Saturday.

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.

The Playhouse, 2915 Taft

Highway; 397-3599; 7 to 10 p.m.

Sundays.

Diana’s Pit Stop, 10807 Rosedale

Highway, 587-8888; 8 p.m.

Mondays and Thursdays.

Rockstarz Party Bar, 7737 Meany

Ave., Suite B5, 589-6749; 8 p.m.

Mondays through Wednesdays.

The Wrecking Yard, 9817 S.

Union Ave., 827-9192; 7 to 10 p.m.

Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Best Western , 2620 Buck Owens

Blvd., 327-9651; The Junction with

host Mac Clanahan, 8:30 p.m.

Tuesdays through Fridays.

Cataldo’s Pizzeria, 6111 Niles St.,

363-7200; 6:15 to 10:15 p.m.

Tuesdays.

City Slickers, 1001 W. Tehachapi

Blvd., 822-4939; 7 p.m. Tuesdays

and Thursdays.

DoubleTree Hotel, Club Odyssey,

3100 Camino Del Rio Court; 8 p.m.

to midnight Tuesdays.


Lane, 834-1611; A to Z Karaoke, 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 Bull Shed Bar & Grill, at

Hotel Rosedale, 2400 Camino Del

Rio Court, 327-0681; 7 p.m.

Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Trout’s & 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/Salsa

Latin Salsa Dancing, 8 p.m.

Thursdays, DoubleTree Hotel, Club

Odyssey, 3100 Camino Del Rio

Court. 323-7111.

Iron Horse Saloon, 1821 S.

Chester Ave., 831-1315; Latin

Breeze, 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Tam O’Shanter, 2345 Alta Vista,

324-6774: Salsa dancing, 7:30 p.m.

Fridays and Saturdays.

DoubleTree Hotel, ClubOdyssey, 3100 Camino Del Rio

Court, 633-1949; various levels, 3

to 9 p.m. every Sunday. $5 per

person, per lesson.


Lane, 834-1611; Salsa Solution, DJ

Ed Rivera, 7 p.m. Sunday. $8, 21 &

over only.

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 to 11 p.m.

every Thursday.

B. Ryder’s Sports Bar & Grill,7401 White Lane, 397-7304;

Michael Anthony’s Disco Ball, 9

p.m. Saturday. $5; 21 & over only.

Open Mic Fishlips, 1517 18th St., 324-2557;

Bakotopia Unplugged Open-Mic

Night, 8 p.m., sign-up sheet

begins at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays.

Reggae/ska The Prime Cut, 9500 Brimhall

Road, 831-1413; Dub Seeds, 9:30

p.m. Saturday. $5; 21 & over only.

RockRockstarz Party Bar, 7737 Meany

Ave., Suite B5, 589-6749; live

bands, 9 p.m. every Thursday.


8900; RevoltRevolt, No Captains,

Black Sails Western Shores, 9:30

p.m. Thursday.

Jerry’s Pizza, 1817 Chester Ave.,

633-1000, Vanna, In Fear & Faith,

Adestria, Chunk! No, Captain

Chunk!, Ten After Two, Close to

Homes, A Loss of Words, 5 p.m.

Tuesday. $14.

Rock ’n’ bluesPyrenees Cafe, 601 Sumner, 323-

0053; Robert Heft band, 8 p.m.

Friday.

Music showcaseThe Prime Cut, 9500 Brimhall

Road, 831-1413; featuring local

artists, 7 to 10 p.m. every

Wednesday.

Top 40DoubleTree Hotel, ClubOdyssey, 3100 Camino Del Rio

Court. 323-7111; 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

every Friday.

Trivia nightBellvedere Cocktail Lounge,3090 Brundage Lane, 325-2139; 7

p.m. Tuesdays.

Chuy’s, 2500 New Stine Road,

833-3469; 7 p.m. every Tuesday.


8900; Trivia Night with Dave

Rezac, 10 p.m. Tuesdays.

VarietyB. Ryder’s Sports Bar & Grill,7401 White Lane, 397-7304;

Revolution, Acapulco Sunrise,

2Faded, Indosurf, 9 p.m. Thursday.

$5; 21 & over only.

Vinny’s Bar & Grill, 2700 S.

Union Ave., 867-2898; The Dirt

Road, 9 p.m. Friday.

Crest Bar & Grill, inside

Bakersfield RV Resort, 5025 Wible

Road, 833-9998; Steve Woods, 6

to 9 p.m. Saturday.

Please see PAGE 29


The late Wes Moore, aka “TheColonel,” led the Driller march-ing band at Bakersfield HighSchool from 1941 to 1979, posi-tively influencing countlessyouth.

As Kern County collectivelypicks up the book “The OtherWes Moore” as the 11th annualOne Book, One Bakersfield, OneKern community read this fall,many who knew him will recallBakersfield’s own Wes Moore.The book, about two Wes Mooresgrowing up in similar neighbor-hoods, is about how life choicesand mentoring can make a dif-ference in a young person’sfuture.

As part of this communityread, the One Book committee iscollecting memories of our ownWes Moore to publish in TheBakersfield Californian andonline at onebookonebakersfiel-donekern.com.

Please submit your stories in300 words or less to JenniferBurger at [email protected] byWednesday, Aug. 31.

The community read kicks offSept. 20 and ends with a visitfrom the author to CaliforniaState University, Bakersfield onNov. 8.

For more information, pleasecall Jennifer Burger at 661-654-2138.

SHARE YOUR WES MOORE STORIES

PHOTO COURTESY OF MOORE FAMILY

Wesley Moore was the band di-rector at Bakersfield HighSchool from 1941 to 1979.


Eye Street

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Golden State Mall, 3201 F St.,

Dance to Joe Loco, 2 to 5 p.m.

Sundays.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Monday 8/15Bakersfield Blaze vs. VisaliaRawhide, 7:45 p.m. Monday

through Wednesday, Sam Lynn Ball

Park, 4009 Chester Ave. $8-$12.50

(Monday $1). bakersfieldblaze.com

or 716-HITS.

Cardio Kickboxing Classes, with

heavy Muay Tai bags, 6 p.m.

Monday through Thursday; 7 a.m.

Saturday, Kickboxing Bakersfield,

9601 S. H St. 374-5728.

Cartooning & Scrapbookingwith Jeanie Truitt, for ages 7 to

12, 10 a.m. to noon, Bakersfield Art

Association Art Center, 1817 Eye

St. Free, materials provided. 869-

2320.

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.

Roller Hockey Beginners Clinic,6 to 6:45 p.m., Rollerama, 1004

34th St. $5. 327-7589.

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 8/16Barney Live in Concert -Birthday Bash!, 3 and 6:30 p.m.,

Bakersfield Fox Theater, 2001 H St.

$15 to $33. vallitix.com or 322-

5200.

Oildale Farmers Market, 3 to 6

p.m., northeast corner of N.

Chester Ave. and Norris Road,

Oildale. 868-3670.

Sierra Club Conditioning Hikes,three to five miles, 7 p.m., meet at

corner of Highways 178 and 184.

872-2432 or 873-8107.

WWE Smackdown Live, with

Randy Orton, Ezekiel Jackson, Sin

Cara, The Great Khali and more,

6:45 p.m., Rabobank Convention

Center, 1001 Truxtun Ave. $15-$60

plus fee. ticketmaster.com or call

800-745-3000.

Wednesday 8/17Optimal Hospice NewVolunteer Orientation, volunteer

orientation for individuals

interested in volunteering time to

hospice families, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,

4700 Stockdale Highway, Suite

120. 716-4000.

Summer Kids Festival 2011 “TheChronicles of Narnia: Voyage ofthe Dawn Treader” Movie, 9 a.m.

Wednesday and Thursday, Maya

Cinemas, 1000 California Ave. $1 all

ages; hot dogs/popcorn are $1.25

w/purchase of child’s ticket. 636-

0434.

Thursday 8/18“A Chorus Line,” doors open at 6

p.m., show at 7:30 p.m. Thursday

through Saturday, Stars Dinner

Theatre, 1931 Chester Ave. $45 to

$55; show-only tickets $35;

matinee $46 to $50. 325-6100.

Bakersfield Blaze vs. LakeElsinore Storm, 7:45 p.m.

Thursday through Sunday, Sam

Lynn Ball Park, 4009 Chester Ave.

$8-$12.50. bakersfieldblaze.com or

716-HITS.

Buck Owens Birthday Bash,featuring Trace Adkins, 7 p.m.,

Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace, 2800

Buck Owens Blvd. SOLD OUT.

vallitix.com or call 322-5200.

Concerts by The Fountain, top

40 hits with A.K.A., 7 to 9 p.m.,

The Marketplace, 9000 Ming Ave.

Disaster Volunteer Meeting, 6

p.m., American Red Cross, Kern

Chapter, 5035 Gilmore Ave. 324-

6427.

Read the Classics, for young

readers ages 8 to 12, 4 p.m.,

Barnes & Noble, children’s

department, 4001 California Ave.

631-2575.

San Joaquin Sport Divers

Meeting, for those interested in

free diving, snorkeling and scuba

diving are welcome, 7:30 p.m.,

Rusty’s Pizza, 6675 Ming Ave. 589-

3334.

Third Thursdays Faire in thePark, entertainment, barbecue,

arts and crafts, games, contests,

farmer’s market, 5:30 p.m., Central

Park at Mill Creek, 21st and R

streets. 325-5892.

Friday 8/19“Beirut,” 11 p.m. Friday and

Saturday, The Empty Space, 706

Oak St. $5. 327-PLAY.

Dave Alvin & The Guilty Ones, 8

p.m., Fishlips Bar & Grill, 1517 18th

St. $20; 21 & over only. vallitix.com

or 322-5200.

Fantastic Friday Storytime, with

Miss Olivia, 10 a.m., Barnes &

Noble, 4001 California Ave. 631-

2575.

Movies in the Park, presents

“The Longshots,” begins at dusk,

Dr. Martin Luther Jr. Park, 1000 S.

Owens Street. 326-3866.

“Opera Fever,” featuring the

works by Mozart, Schubert, Puccini

and Strauss, being performed by

Guye Memmott, Scott Miller, Jesye

Havrilla, Philip A. Day Jr., 7 p.m., St.

Paul’s Anglican Church, 2216 17th

St. Free. 864-0490.

“Saved in The Nick (Tickle) ofTime,” 7 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m.

Saturday, The Empty Space, 706

Oak St. Visit tonicism.com.

“Seussical Jr. the Musical,” 7

p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m.

Sunday, Bakersfield Community

Theater, 2400 S. Chester Ave. Pre-

sale $10; $15 adults; $12 children.

831-8114.

“The Show Must Go On,”followed by the vaudeville revue

“Hot Summer Nights” 7 p.m. Friday

and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday,

Gaslight Melodrama Theatre &

Music Hall, 12748 Jomani Drive. $12

to $23. 587-3377.

Third annual Center of theWorld Festival, three-day festival

with an amateur playwriting

competition, music, Chumash

storytelling, reader’s theater

performance of 10 selected plays,

community jam fest and more,

opening ceremony begins at 7 p.m.

Friday; events begin 1:30 p.m.

Saturday; and closing ceremony

begins at 1 p.m. Sunday, Pine

Mountain Club, in the commercial

center gazebo, 1626 Askin Trail,

Pine Mountain Club.

cowfestival.org,

centeroftheworldfestival.org or

242-1583.

Saturday 8/2026th annual “The Rockin’ Ridefor Life” Poker Run, benefitting

Muscular Dystrophy in Kern

County; with music, food, prizes,

bounce house, face painting, bike

show, 50/50 raffle, chance to win a

Harley, registration begins at 8

a.m., ride leaves at 10 a.m., event

until 4 p.m., Bakersfield Harley

Davidson, 35089 Merle Haggard

Drive. $25 per motorcycle; $40

w/two riders. Email debbie@

bakersfieldhd.com or 325-3644.

48th annual TehachapiMountain Festival, pet parade,

carnival, arts & crafts booths,

pancake breakfast, gem and

mineral show, parade, beer garden,

car show, PRCA rodeo and

entertainment, Saturday and

Sunday, Philip Marx Central Park,

Tehachapi.

tehachapimountainfestival.com or

822-4180.


Eating out remains one of our

favorite pastimes, even in this

challenging economy. But the

food is only part of the reason

we make tracks to our favorite

local restaurants. It’s the waiters

and waitresses who have the

ability to turn a meal into a

memorable experience. Who are

the most charming/capable/

friendly/caring/funny servers in

town?

Send us your nominee and

include your name and phone

number, the server’s name, the

restaurant’s name and why this

server is so great (250 words,

max). The top server has the

chance to win a $50 gift card to

Goose Loonies and a four-pack

of tickets to the Monterey Bay

Aquarium. Email Lifestyles Edi-

tor Jennifer Self at jself@bakers-

field.com.

THE BEST SERVER AROUND

Bakersfield Californian Eye Street / 8-11-11

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