The eighth annual Latination art show kicks off First Friday, thieves target a fancy new cooler and Colin Kaepernick ups the ante in his anti-police campaign

 * ... LATINATION: It wasn't that long ago when the biggest thing going downtown was the occasional street fair featuring kettle corn and classic cars. But thanks to the vision of a handful of creative people who live and work downtown, Bakersfield now has a wildly popular First Friday that is at the same time whimsical, intelligent and fun. This Friday is perhaps the biggest of the year because it features Latination, an annual art show celebrating our west coast culture in oil, canvas and sculpture. This is the eighth year of Latination, the brain child of Don Martin, owner of Metro Galleries on 19th Street. Martin had some 150 entries and the winner will be announced at Metro Friday evening. Things will get under way around 5 p.m. Friday and won't end until the crowds disperse.

 * ... YETI COOLERS: Can you guess what is one of the hottest items for thieves today? According to The Wall Street Journal, it is the Yeti cooler, an expensive, bear resistant cooler that has been targeted by thieves across the country. A standard sized Yeti goes for around $400 and some models top $1,200. They are so prized that some folks are referring to the Yeti as the "Redneck Rolex."

 * ... KAEPERNICK: Colin Kaepernick has upped the ante in his very public protest against what he calls institutional racism among police. First he refused to stand for the national anthem (that prompted fans across the country to burn his jersey) and now he was spotted wearing socks depicting a pig wearing a patrolman's hat. What is it they say about karma?

* ... JOHN BROCK: Congratulations to Joe MacIlvaine, the retiring president of Paramount Farming who will be the recipient of the John Brock award this year. The award goes to prominent local business people who have displayed leadership and support of the business school out at Cal State Bakersfield. He will receive the award next Thursday during a dinner at Seven Oaks Country Club.


* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Letting someone in your life is like turning off the antivirus, downloading a file from the internet, installing it and hoping it is not a virus."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "Dating in middle age is a bit like Terminal 5 at Heathrow. Too much baggage to handle."

 * ... PETROLEUM WIVES: The Association of Petroleum Wives (AP W) is having a reception Friday,  September 9, for new and past members who want to be involved with this philanthropic group. The organization is open to spouses of folks who work in the oil and gas industry. The reception starts at 6 p.m. at The Petroleum Club. Call (661) 301-0907 or (661) 241-3507 for tickets and reservations.

* ... BAD FORM: When I lamented spotting a profane bumper sticker the other day, Ken Schmitz joined in my lament about the state of civil discourse.  "I read your item in Bakersfield Observe" about the *UCK TRUMP" bumper sticker. I spotted the same sentiment, this time on a gray pickup with four inch letters in the rear window. Welcome to the intolerant and low class world of progressive politics in America."

The eighth annual Latination art show kicks of First Friday, thieves target a fancy new cooler and Colin Kaepernick ups the ante in his anti-police campaign

 * ... LATINATION: It wasn't that long ago when the biggest thing going downtown was the occasional street fair featuring kettle corn and classic cars. But thanks to the vision of a handful of creative people who live and work downtown, Bakersfield now has a wildly popular First Friday that is at the same time whimsical, intelligent and fun. This Friday is perhaps the biggest of the year because it features Latination, an annual art show celebrating our west coast culture in oil, canvas and sculpture. This is the eighth year of Latination, the brain child of Don Martin, owner of Metro Galleries on 19th Street. Martin had some 150 entries and the winner will be announced at Metro Friday evening. Things will get under way around 5 p.m. Friday and won't end until the crowds disperse.

 * ... YETI COOLERS: Can you guess what is one of the hottest items for thieves today? According to The Wall Street Journal, it is the Yeti cooler, an expensive, bear resistant cooler that has been targeted by thieves across the country. A standard sized Yeti goes for around $400 and some models top $1,200. They are so prized that some folks are referring to the Yeti as the "Redneck Rolex."

 * ... KAEPERNICK: Colin Kaepernick has upped the ante in his very public protest against what he calls institutional racism among police. First he refused to stand for the national anthem (that prompted fans across the country to burn his jersey) and now he was spotted wearing socks depicting a pig wearing a patrolman's hat. What is it they say about karma?

* ... JOHN BROCK: Congratulations to Joe MacIlvaine, the retiring president of Paramount Farming who will be the recipient of the John Brock award this year. The award goes to prominent local business people who have displayed leadership and support of the business school out at Cal State Bakersfield. He will receive the award next Thursday during a dinner at Seven Oaks Country Club.


* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Letting someone in your life is like turning off the antivirus, downloading a file from the internet, installing it and hoping it is not a virus."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "Dating in middle age is a bit like Terminal 5 at Heathrow. Too much baggage to handle."

 * ... PETROLEUM WIVES: The Association of Petroleum Wives (AP W) is having a reception Friday,  September 9, for new and past members who want to be involved with this philanthropic group. The organization is open to spouses of folks who work in the oil and gas industry. The reception starts at 6 p.m. at The Petroleum Club. Call (661) 301-0907 or (661) 241-3507 for tickets and reservations.

* ... BAD FORM: When I lamented spotting a profane bumper sticker the other day, Ken Schmitz joined in my lament about the state of civil discourse.  "I read your item in Bakersfield Observe" about the *UCK TRUMP" bumper sticker. I spotted the same sentiment, this time on a gray pickup with four inch letters in the rear window. Welcome to the intolerant and low class world of progressive politics in America."

Anti fracking measures in Colorado fail to make the fall ballot, a candid conversation with Bako's mayoral candidates and a local woman's reaction to the Colin Kaepernick controversy

 * ... FRACKING NOTES: There is good news for the oil and gas industry out of Colorado. According to The Wall Street Journal, two measures to allow communities in Colorado to bad

hydraulic fracturing have failed to make the fall ballot. The Journal says this is "the most high profile defeat to date for groups aiming to curtail the drilling practice." Despite this, the anti fracking groups are not going away, and we can expect more such measures on future ballots.

* ... ELECTION: Did you realize the November general election is just two months away? Forget Trump and Clinton for a minute and focus locally, where there are plenty of lively races (and tax hiking propositions) on the ballot. I am intrigued by the contest to replace Harvey Hall as mayor, a largely ceremonial job that has come down to a runoff between two strong candidates: former home builder Kyle Carter and non-profit CEO Karen Goh. Yet, even at this late date, the personal stories of Goh and Carter remain somewhat a mystery. So this Friday I will be chatting with both of them when I fill in as host of the Ralph Bailey show on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM. Goh will come on at 4 p.m. and Carter at 5 p.m. Tune in, and call in with your questions.

 * ... KAEPERNICK: What did you think of the decision by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick not to stand during the playing of the national anthem as a way to protest racism? Judging by the reactions on social media, Kaepernick's stunt backfired turned into a black eye for the franchise, which enjoys a large and loyal following in Kern County. I had to chuckle when one of my friends, Pam Gleim Binns, took to Facebook to post a video of her burning Kaepernick's No. 7 jersey in the backyard of her Bakersfield home.

* ... SEQUOIA: The downtown location of Sequoia Sandwich Co. is about to undergo a major expansion. That's the word from Jeff Simpson, one of the owners who told me the popular deli has taken over the space to the east (once home to Moseley Design) where a new central kitchen will be housed along with a whole new series of "to go" items, including salads, sandwiches and desserts. Simpson hopes the new "to go" counter relieves some of the stress from the restaurant next door, which enjoys a huge weekday crowd thanks to jurors and bailiffs from the nearby courthouse.

 * ... MEMORIES: From Karene Williams comes this memory of an old market in east Bakersfield. "Way back in the 1950s and 1960s there was a little local market owned by the Fraley family. I believe it was actually named Fraley’s Market. I do not recall the exact location but his home was on Monterey just east of Baker."

  * ... MORE MEMORIES: And finally, Becky Whitehead wrote to answer another reader's question about the whistle at the old Santa Fe rail yard. "The whistle in the Santa Fe yard blew at noon for the workers to go to 'beans' and at 12:20 p.m. to return to work. It blew again at 3 p.m. to signal end of shift.  I grew up on California Avenue across from the railroad."