www.bakersfieldvoice.com
June 14-20, 2009
F R E E
Festival shines spotlight on local playwrights Pg. 2 Read way to prizes Pg. 3 Girl Scouts Troop 47 earns sweet rewards Pg. 5
Class of 2009 marks major milestone, pg. 2
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JUNE 14-20, 2009
EXTRA!EXTRA!
BCT Playhouse’s annual One Act Festival is sure not to disappoint
Staff EDITORIAL
BY BRIAN BROWN Community contributor
T
he Bakersfield Community Theatre Playhouse has been striving for no less than topnotch shows and performances for the past 82 years. This year, for the 22nd annual Original One Act Festival, it will be no different. The One Act Festival at BCT has done what other theaters have not — given a voice to local playwrights. This festival has been a proud moment for BCT and to Bakersfield in
general. Allowing local playwrights to produce their latest play, giving new directors an opportunity to learn and try something new — to enhance their art — that is what this festival is about. The BCT Playhouse is at 2400 S. Chester Ave. (Parking is around the back of the building on O Street). Ticket prices are: $12 for adults and $10 for students, seniors and active military. Show dates are June 19 & 20 at 8 p.m. (doors open at 7:30 p.m.); June 14 & 21 at 2 p.m. (doors open at 1:30 p.m.). For reservations, call 831-8114.
Bakersfield Braves Baseball Club golf fundraiser BY NICOLE HIGHTOWER Community contributor
B
akersfield Braves Baseball Club is hosting our annual golf fundraiser at Sycamore Canyon Golf Course in Arvin, 500 Kenmar Lane, Saturday, June 20 at 8 a.m. Format is four-person scramble. Cost is $85 per player,
which includes green fees, cart and barbecue lunch. Lunch is only $15 at 1 p.m. Sponsor a “hole” and get a sign with your company name on the “Tee Box.” Contributions are taxdeductible. For more information, e-mail: bakersfieldbraves@hotmail.com Hope to see you there!
YOURCELEBRATIONS Welcome to the world, Baby Lorenzo!
Frontier High graduates first class many proud faces in the stands of family and friends who attended Senior year really does happen this rite of passage for our children. and it goes by so much faster than To new students attending Fronyou ever would expect. Tears of joy tier next year, be active in your and sadness prevail even if you school and you’ll enjoy it more. To thought you wouldn’t, for this is the those of you entering your senior first step to adulthood for many and year, make the best of it ... it goes a time when you know your babies quickly. really aren’t little children any more. To all who graduated from FronSo this is the first senior graduat- tier and our surrounding high ing class for Frontier High School. schools, congratulations and best As they wished, it was done with wishes for a happy, productive class and honor and there were future.
Olivia Garcia Vice President /Content ogarcia@bakersfield.com Gene Garaygordobil Managing Editor ggaraygordobil@bakersfield.com 716-8642 Teresa Adamo Associate Editor tadamo@bakersfield.com Sandra Molen Writer/Copy Editor smolen@bakersfield.com
ART Timothy Heinrichs Designer theinrichs@bakersfield.com
ADVERTISING Jaime De Los Santos Sales Manager jdelossantos@bakersfield.com 716-8632 David Alanis Sales Executive Gustavo Carrillo Sales Executive Mark Wells Sales Executive Angela Espinoza Sales Executive Katie Blair Sales Executive Jose Trevino Sales Executive Samantha Vilchis Sales Executive
OFFICE Marisol Sorto Office Administrator msorto@bakersfield.com 716-8640
BY DEBORAH CONNORS Community contributor
Happy Birthday to Lorenzo Jaime Calderon, who was born June 1 at 8 pounds, 5 ounces. We’re so glad you’ve finally arrived and we can’t wait to watch you grow and be a part of our family.
The Bakersfield Voice P.O. Box 2344 Bakersfield, CA 93303 The Bakersfield Voice is published by Mercado Nuevo, an independent subsidiary of The Bakersfield Californian. To learn more or to contribute news and pictures, visit us online at: www.bakersfieldvoice.com
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JUNE 14-20, 2009
YOURVOICE
Contents
Book a fun summer 5 with the KC Library’s 6 reading program!
Top teachers
Sure, it’s summertime, but we still want to reward great teachers. See how you can enter your favorite educator to win a $50 gift card!
Two-wheeled excitement!
The folks at Adam Pierce Memorial Raceway have scheduled more races. Be sure to check out the action!
6-7
BY ALISSA MORROW Community contributor
T
The “Sesame Street Live” characters had this little fan dancing in the aisles!
Bakersfield Voice contest winner says thank you for free tickets!
T
hank you so much for the “Sesame Street Live” tickets! The show was awesome. My son really enjoyed it. My nieces did, too. He danced throughout the show. He even went into the aisle and started dancing. Lol! — Michelle Torres
he Kern County Library Summer Reading Program is finally here! “Be Creative @ Your Library” began June 8 and continues through July 25. Parents, come out and enjoy a variety of free programs for kids at your library branches. For more information on these special events, go to our Web site at: www.kerncountylibrary.org. Or, come visit us and pick up a schedule. Kids can also sign up to earn a free book for the first 10 books they read this summer! Reading records can be picked up at a branch or printed online. Make sure you have a parent sign it, then just return it to the library by July 25 and get a free paperback book provided by the Friends of the Kern County Library, Inc., plus other goodies while supplies last. Here at the Beale Library, we’ve got lots of great stuff planned for this summer. All of our big, special summer reading events will be 7 p.m., Thursdays. We will also have a morning storytime every Monday at 10:30 a.m., and a pajama storytime each Tuesday at 7 p.m. Since this summer’s program is all
ALTERNATIVE CARE
Stories of success
Two CSUB graduates prove that with hard work, anything is possible. Read their inspiring stories.
About the cover
CALIFORNIAN FILE
Sheila Quijada, aka Cat in the Hat, listens during celebrity reading time.
about being creative, we’ll also have lots of fun crafts and activities to go along with our storytimes. Materials will be provided by the library, and all events are free of charge and designed for children 12 and under. Have a great summer, and we’ll see you at the Beale!
Frontier High School’s graduation was made extra special because the Class of 2009 represents the first graduating seniors for the newer Bakersfield school. A sunset-filled sky provided a beautiful backdrop to the ceremony. See the story on page 2. Photo by Deborah Connors. Your photo could be on our next cover! Photos and stories for the June 28 issue must be posted by Wednesday, June 17 at 5 p.m.
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JUNE 14-20, 2009
YOURVOICE
Do it for Dad! Donate blood & pops could win a new BBQ!
BY TRACY HUNTER Community contributor
H
ouchin Blood Bank Presents “Donors Do it for Dad!” — A Father’s Day event, beginning Monday, June 15 through Satur-
day, June 20. Donors may enter a drawing for a chance to win “The Big Green Egg BBQ & Smoker,” sponsored by Randy Urner’s Out-Side. Visit either of Houchin Blood Bank’s locations during the week of June 15–20. Hours are: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
and Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m; Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 5901 Truxtun Ave. Or at 2600 G St. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Or Randy Urner’s Out-Side Mobile Event Friday, June 19 (11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.), 3154 Landco Drive, Suite A.
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YOURCLUB
Girl Scout Troop 47 keeps on going & going! BY TERESA JOHNSON-FITZPATRICK Community contributor
O
ur southwest Bakersfield area Troop 47 has 22 girls — in three age levels — all from a variety of local schools, including McAuliffe, Laurelglen, La Petite Academy, Bill William, Panama, Stine, Loudon and Voorhies. We were not only the top cookie Sellers in Central Valley, selling 8,882 boxes of cookies, but over 1,000 went to local charities and the military. With that said, the girls voted on things to to do with their money, including a trip to Disneyland on May 16. We also were able to experience what it’s like to be special guests at Club 33 at Disneyland, a rare treat that most people will never experience. Club 33 was Walt Disney’s private dining room turned into a club for those that can afford a nice yearly fee. Our troop had the entire restaurant to ourselves with 71 people eating breakfast from Bakersfield and butlers and chefs serving us! What the girls loved the most were the bathrooms and toilets. They are uniquely shaped like wooden boxes — with a toilet seats, of course! We also do other things with our money like have award ceremonies, parties and dances. This spring, we went to the Rescue Mission and met the ladies there, bringing them cookies, clothes and gifts for them to give their kids. We also served a meal to the homeless. We helped out at Relay for Life as well as planted trees at River Walk during Go Green Week! We have nut sales beginning soon (this fall) and hope to start raising money for our oldest girls, who are juniors
Troop 47’s hard work paid off with a top cookie seller status.
and have been in our troop the longest. There are eight girls in that age level of the 22 girls in Troop 47. At the end of the next Girl Scout year, they will get to go to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and walk over it in July 2010. This event is called When the girls of Troop 47 voted on what to do with some of their cookie sales earn“Bridging to Cadettes Scouts.” We are ings, a trip to Disneyland was at the top of the list! Here they pose with Aladdin. No focusing this summer, fall and next spring on raising $5,000 for this fourI’d like to nomina day trip. Mr. Rhodes who We will be selling nuts, having At the beginnin fundraisers at restaurants around town having learned t and car washes. We would also gladly for kindergarten take any help you may want to offer, as to what a gre such as using your place of business for girls love Mr. the car wash or your restaurant for the silly songs. He b fundraisers. This trip will be a privilege marvelous with for my eight juniors and something Nominated by Erin & Max Richey they will never forget! Mrs. Christine Whitaker was our son, Max’s, So watch for our Troop 407, and thank first-grade teacher at Bimat Elementary. To you for continuing your support of Girl say that she is his teacher is truly an underScouts across Bakersfield — a place statement; she is also his friend and a mentor. girls can learn and grow. She is an inspiration not only to him, but also to If you are interested in being a Girl me as a parent. Mrs. Whitaker cares not only Scout leader, call the council at 327about her students’ academic progress, but also To submit your nominee for Educator of the Month, 1409, or me at 833-8749. go to: www.northwest voice.com then click on “Post Something!” and contribute a about their character development, citizenship, paragraph why youwell-being appreciate and would like to out recognize your nominee. andabout overall in and of the class- Be sure to include the educator’s name, school, department and picture. The contest is open to room. Mrs. Whitaker is an extraordinary educators in the Southwest area. Entries can also be e-mailed perto: son! dmartin@northwestvoice.com. Each month the winning entry $50 gift certificate,
Educator of the Month
Educator of the month
Christine Whitaker
compliments of GW School Supply and The Northwest Voice. Sponsored by
Kakala wearing a fun Girl Scout cookie costume as she sells the yummy treats, too!
■ If you have a teacher you think is great, nominate them for Educator of the Month by going to: www.bakersfieldvoice.com and posting an article. Nominations should tell us in 50 words or less why your teacher is the best and MUST also include their first and last name, school, department/grade and a photo in a jpeg format. Winners will be featured in the print edition of The Bakersfield Voice for a month and will receive a $50 gift card for school supplies, compliments of GW School Supply and TBV.
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JUNE 14-20, 2009
YOURSCHOOLS
YOURVOICE
Get your moto running! Grad’s long road of recovery leads to CSUB BY CAROL ONSUM-PIERCE Community contributor
R
iders, families & race fans: Join us for three more races and an amazing freestyle show at Adam Pierce Memorial Raceway! The track is located at 15658 Breckenridge Road. Admission is $10 admission (under 12, $5; under 5, FREE). Race fee is $30. Upcoming race dates are: June 28 — Spectacular halftime Freestyle Show! July 12 Sept. 13 Races are at 10 a.m. Practice 8:309:30. Gates open 6:30. Music by Moonlight Music & Video. Food concessions by Papa Jorge. For more info, go to: www.apmracetrack.com. Or contact Ron Pierce at 661-549-1919. E-mail: ronpierce@atginternet.com. Event flyers available at various locations including :
COURTESY OF CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD
S
PHOTO BY CJ ONSUM
The next race is June 28. • Fred Cummings Motorsports on Chester Avenue (downtown) • Cycle Gear on 24th Street (downtown) • Valley Cycle on Buck Owens Boulevard • Westchester Liquor on F Street (downtown) • A.J.’s Bagel House on North Chester Avenue (north Oildale) • Valley Plaza skate shops and athletic shoe stores Don’t miss it! Bring your family and friends to join the fun!
This week’s Star Athlete: Izabella Holden Nominated by Melissa Holden My daughter, Izabella Holden, is 7 years old and has been cheering since she was 2 years old. Her Pee Wee team at Maximum Velocity won the National Cheer title this year in Las Vegas. We are so very proud of her and her teammates! Izabella will continue to cheer and is now being trained to be a flyer. She is so very excited! She is the littlest all star in our family.
■ Do you have a son, daughter, grandkid or buddy who is your pick for MVP? Nominate them for Star Athlete of the Week by going to: www.bakersfieldvoice.com and posting an article. Nominations should tell us in 50 words or less what makes this kid a star athlete and should include a photo. All nominees will be featured weekly in the print edition of The Bakersfield Voice,and each month, one nominee’s name will be drawn to receive a $50 gift card for sporting equipment, compliments of Sports Authority and TBV.
hana Ricker is thankful for the hard lessons that have shaped her life goals. After moving all over California, Ricker finally settled in Bakersfield at 18. She graduated from high school and got married at 20, then divorced before turning 24. Her life began to spiral out of control — unbeknownst to her family. “I started using drugs within two years of my divorce,” said Ricker, now 34 and the mother of two preteen children. “Once I started using, I lost custody of both my kids within six months. I was looking for something to make me feel better and drugs did that for me — temporarily.” Ricker sold drugs to make money to feed her habit, until she “got caught,” CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
Shana Ricker
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JUNE 14-20, 2009
YOURSCHOOLS
Grad finds the right Ricker’s road to CSUB chemistry for success CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
Ricker said. “I was arrested and spent four months in Lerdo Jail. I vowed to not return and entered a rehab facility in Arvin after my release.” Once she completed the program, Ricker was asked to stay and help others in the program. “I lived on the property and made money legally — a big deal to me.” Then came another blow — cervical cancer. She underwent surgery but learned she would never have more kids. That helped Ricker put life in perspective. She asked her parents if she could move back home to Bakersfield. They agreed and Ricker worked hard to rebuild the trust of her parents and her children. She worked at a local church volunteering in a recovery group, then realized she wanted something more and asked her parents to help her go to school. Her parents agreed. At age 30, she enrolled at Bakersfield College and eventually regained custody of her children. Ricker sought a field where her drug
COURTESY OF CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD
S
he enjoys discussing her research, “Quantitative Evaluation of Resonance Forms using Quantum Mechanics.” She spends her free time exploring physics, calculus and nanoparticles. She thinks Bakersfield winters are “freezing cold.” She is 20-year-old Fadekemi “Kemi” Oba, and she became a California State University, Bakersfield alumna on June 12. Born in Nigeria and raised in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Oba moved to Delano in 2005 with her mother, a registered nurse, and younger brother. Her father is a physician and still lives in Trinidad and Tobago. “The weather was a big transition for me. We don’t know about seasons back home and I’m used to the sun all the time. I don’t like the cold,” said Oba, who experienced her first-ever snow this past winter while attending a research conference in Utah. Hoping to become a pharmacist, she began taking classes at Bakersfield College and then transferred to CSUB. “I changed my major many times, but chemistry is what I love,” Oba added. “Last year I was accepted to a summer research program at UC Santa Cruz where I was introduced to ‘green chemistry’ and was fascinated. Now my ultimate dream is to use research to make clean and renewable energy products very efficient and affordable. Right now solar panels are very expensive, but maybe I can find a way to bring the price down so that anyone can access them. Then, I want to teach at the college level.” Oba will continue that dream in August when she enrolls in August as a doctoral student at the University of California, Berkeley College of Chemistry on a fellowship and stipend that will cover all her expenses for at least the first year. “I know that CSUB has given me experiences and opportunities that I wouldn’t have had elsewhere,” Oba said. “The quality of education is great and my professors are very encouraging. I have interaction with professors that is unheard of at a bigger campus. It’s very close-knit.” Chemistry professor David Saiki was happy to have her in his classroom.
use and arrest would not be an issue. “I found sociology to be the field with the greatest latitude,” she said. “Once I transferred to CSUB, I took Dr. Dugan’s sociology class and realized she was talking about my life. It helped me understand why I took the route I did.” Just as Ricker’s life started to take off, she had yet another setback. “I got really sick and was diagnosed with lupus, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia,” Ricker said. “Even today, I have to take chemotherapy medication every week, and there are days when the pain is so debilitating that I cannot even go to school. But, my professors have been incredibly understanding of my situation. Having that relationship with the faculty is one of the greatest things about CSUB. It has helped me get through some difficult times.” Despite the adversity she has faced, Ricker has persevered. And on Saturday, June 13, Ricker was scheduled to receive her bachelor’s degree in sociology.
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Fadekemi Oba
“Kemi is a success story because she works hard. She’s the kind of student that others want to emulate. She takes initiative and will no doubt be successful at what ever she wants to do. She’s definitely one to watch in the future,” he said. She has been named the CSUB Chemistry Outstanding Graduate as well as the Outstanding Graduating Senior for the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The California State University named her as an eligible participant of the Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program, a forgivable loan program for select graduate students who are pursuing full-time doctoral study and are interested in teaching in the CSU system. “When I walk across the stage at graduation, I’ll be thinking ‘Wow. I have a chemistry degree. I did it!’” Oba said. “I feel very fortunate for the experiences I’ve had at CSUB, and now I’m ready for Berkeley.”
Teddy is a 1½-year-old male Border Collie Pit mix. Teddy is housebroken, Playful and minds commands. He could use some training to enhance his already good habits.
Torrie is a 2 year old female Torti. She is playful and inquisitive. Torrie would make a great addition to any home.
If you would like to offer Teddy or Torrie a forever home, please call Bakersfield SPCA at 323-8353 today! DONATIONS ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED!
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Sell your junk
JUNE 14-20, 2009
YOURCLUB
get FREE stuff! Twirling graduates show off the exciting world of Whirlaways! BY HERB HALL Community contributor
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very spring for more than 50 years, the Bakersfield Whirlaways Square Dance Club has graduated dancers into the exciting world of square dancing. Dancers start classes each fall by learning basic movements. They often go to their first dances before Halloween and reach the mainstream dancing level shortly thereafter. Their first big time dance is usually the Bakersfield Fiesta held every year in midMarch at the Kern County Fairgrounds. The Fiesta runs for three days and hosts dancers from all over the state of California as well as other nearby states. Typical attendance is about 1,500 dancers, making it one of the largest such gatherings in the state. Current graduates are Dennis and Rencel Brown, Lear Harger, Mark and Donna Martin, Marilyn Murphy, David Spear, and Susan Wolber. Our club welcomed them as new members at formal ceremonies this past May. These new dancers join a long tradition of dancing that began centuries ago in English country dancing and with the French Minuet and Quadrille. Early last century it was revitalized and invigorated by Henry Ford — yes, the Model-T guy who taught it to his employees to improve teamwork. The current style was formalized and docu-
mented in the 1940s and 50s. Today, square dancing is also called team dancing. It is a social activity for all ages and lifestyles from 8 years old to dancers well over 80. It appeals to families, couples and singles. Today it is the most social form of dancing with the additional benefits that any active hobby or pursuit gives. Square dancing keeps the mind active and the body fit without strenuous workouts. The Whirlaways Club is one of seven local clubs that dance in Bakersfield, Tehachapi, Frazier Park and at Lake Isabella. Dozens of other clubs also dance in surrounding counties, offering dancers the chance to dance any day of the week. Dancers join us for many reasons, the social aspects of meeting dancers from all over the world, for one. Square dancing is popular in places as diverse as Japan and Germany. National conventions, like the one this year to be held in June in Long Beach, attract dancers from all around the world. We all get together just for the fun of participating and dancing. Think you might be interested in participating? The next class starts in September. At the Whirlaways, we pride ourselves on our friendliness and hospitality, and welcome anyone wishing to participate. For more information on how to join the Whirlaways, please check out our Web site at: www.whirlaways.org or call Cindy at 213-3105.
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The Whirlaways welcome anyone wishing to participate in this square dancing club. The next class starts in September. For more information, call Cindy at 213-3105.