Dewar’s Offers Delicious Desserts Daily

Dewar’s has been providing Bakersfield with tasty treats for over 100 years.

When Bakersfield Heats Up Head Out To Jastro Park

(Photo from: http://www.bakersfieldcity.us/recreation/Parks/jastro.htm)

Jastro Park was built in 1917 and has made its mark in Bakersfield.  Jastro Park is located between Truxtun and 18th Street just east of Oak Street and provides several activities for all members of the family.   Jastro Park has been apart of the Bakersfield community for over eighty years and still attracts a lot of people during the hot summer months. 

The park has several qualities that may help avoid the heat in Bakersfield.   The park is filled with big trees to provide some cover from the sun.   There are two picnic areas available at Jastro Park for rent.  The picnic areas are perfect for birthday parties or just a nice summer BBQ.   

The park offers many activities to keep the children busy.  There are seven tennis courts that are available during park hours.  There are basketball courts that are available all day and even after sundown.  The park is equipped with volleyball nets and even horseshoe pits. 

After a competitive game of tennis or basketball, cool off at the Jastro spray park available during April or May until October.  The spray park is free and the perfect way to cool off during Bakersfield’s hottest months.   

Jastro Park does offer the usually necessities of a park as well.  There are sandboxes designed for younger children and toy areas designed for the older children.  It is guaranteed that the children will have plenty to do while the adults relax in the shade. 

 Grab the family and come and enjoy one of the more established parks in Bakersfield.  Jastro Park is the perfect solution to a cooler and fun summer.

In an interview with Heidi Crabtree, she explains why you should shop at one of Bakersfield’s local farmers markets versus a grocery store.

Opa! The Greek Food Festival is Here

(Photo from: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Greek-Food-Festival-Bakersfield/129590840403116?id=129590840403116&sk=photos_stream#!/pages/Greek-Food-Festival-Bakersfield/129590840403116)

St. George Greek Orthodox Church is having its Greek Food Festival (Spring Edition) on May 11.  The festival will be held at Hellenic Park located at 401 Truxtun Avenue next to the Amtrak station.  The festival on Saturday starts at 11 a.m. and ends at 11 p.m.  The price for an adult ticket is $5 and children under 12 are free.  In addition to children under 12, all mothers will receive free admission in honor of Mother’s Day.  The Greek Food Festival is a wonderful and unique event for whole family to enjoy Greek food, folk dancing, live music, and fun games. 

The Greek Food Festival will be offering many traditional Greek dishes throughout the day.  There will be delicious appetizers like Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves), Tiropites (Filo wrapped feta cheese), and Spanakopita (Filo wrapped spinach and feta).  The entrees will include Souvlaki (Shish Kebab) Dinner, Gyro Sandwiches, There will also be tasty desserts like Loukomades (light and airy fried pastry balls dipped in honey) and Baklava.  Baklava Sundaes will be debuting at this year’s Greek Food Festival.

Live Greek music will be playing at the festival performed by Synthesi accompanied by Greek Folk Dancing.  The festival will also provide lessons for those whose want to learn some new Greek Folk Dancing moves. The festival will have a large variety of games for the children and there will be several vendors at the festival for shopping purposes.  The festival will also be offering church tours throughout the day for those who are unfamiliar and interested with St. George Greek Orthodox Church.

 

Basque traditions build up Bakersfield entertainment

(photo from: blogs.ocweekly.com)

The Kern County Basque Club is having its 41st annual Basque Festival on May 25 and 26. The festival will be held at the club house located at 2301 South Union near Planz Road. The two-day festival is a chance for Basques to celebrate their heritage and for non-Basques to experience a very unique culture.

The Kern County Basque Festival is a combination of authentic food, culture, music, games, and dancing. The Kern County Basque Festival is one of the largest Basque festivals in the United States and many out-of- towners will make the journey to Bakersfield just to attend the event. Basque traditions originated from a small area located between Spain and France. Basque people and culture has now spread all over the world.

 The Kern County Basque Festival is one of the most popular Basque festivals. There were about 3,500 people that attended the festival in 2012. Kern County has a large Basque community and several other Basque communities in the United States travel to Bakersfield for the festival. The Basque culture originated in The Kern County Basque Festival has activities for all ages.

The events on Saturday begin at 8 a.m. and the events on Sunday begin at 10 a.m. The activities on both days will continue until late evening. The price for an adult ticket is $20 and the price for children 12 and under is $12. The festival is filled with Basque traditions such as a performance by a Basque marching band the Bakersfield Klika, a traditional Basque mus card game tournament, handball matches played by Basque Country natives, and a performance of traditional dances.

(photo from: en.wikipedia.org)

“I have been a part of the festival since I was a little girl. I use to perform and teach the traditional dances that take place at the festival. It is amazing to see how popular the festival has become in past years,” said Stephanie Duhart, 38, a Basque Country native who lives in Bakersfield.

The activities and performances are not the only things that draw in a large crowd. The food keeps people coming back every year. The food served throughout the festival is authentic Basque dishes. If you are not familiar with Basque style dining then just be prepared for delicious food and a lot of it. During Sunday’s events there will be BBQ lamb sandwiches served.

“I have attended in previous years and realized that it is the only two days that I will stop my diet because the food is everywhere and it is irresistible,” said Holly Campbell, 27, a student at Bakersfield College.

The events do not just include those that are scheduled for the festival. Many people continue their celebrations at other locations in Bakersfield. Benji’s French Basque Restaurant has live traditional Basque music in the bar Saturday evening after the festival and many people go to Wool Growers on Monday morning for breakfast.

“The whole weekend is devoted to family, friends, and fun,” said Bernard Arduain, 65, owner of Benji’s French Basque Restaurant. “Once one festival ends we begin planning for and counting down the days until the next festival. The entire Basque community in Bakersfield works together to make sure that the festival is memorable for everyone.”

The two-day festival has become increasingly more popular in past years as Basque traditions have spread throughout the Bakersfield community.  Overall the Kern County Basque Festival is a place where family and friends can spend time together and have fun.

Eureka Burger Celebrates One Year in Bakersfield

Scene Setter: Eureka Burger is located at 10520 W. Stockdale Hwy. Bakersfield, CA 93311. Eureka Burger celebrated its Steal the Glass night on April 18 and its one year anniversary on April 19.

Medium: Eureka Burger displayed the performances and specials for the two-day event on the bulletin board at the entrance of the restaurant. The Steal the Glass night was on April 18 and the one year anniversary was on April 19.

Portrait: “Eureka Burger has the best food and beer,” said Irene Sanders, 23, a Eureka Burger regular. “I had to come to Eureka Burger for its one year anniversary.” Photo of Sanders meal (Italian Caprese Burger and a draft Blonde).

Detail: Racer 5 was one of the specialty beers that was served on April 19 during the one year anniversary.

Detail: Eureka Burger’s Steal the Glass night on April 18th featured Firestone 805. If you order the beer that is featured on Steal the Glass night you get to keep the glass it was served in.

Action: Brandon Burch (left) and band-mate (right) performed at Eureka Burger’s Steal the Glass night on April 18. Burch played a mixture of cover songs and his songs.

Brent Brown performed at Eureka Burger’s one year anniversary on April 19. Brown played a mixture of cover songs and his songs.

 

Bakersfield Entertains on Game Day

Tired of siting on the couch at home watching the game? Well how about trying out one of Bakersfield’s many sports bars. There are several locations in Bakersfield that offer all the necessities for the perfect game day. Firehouse, Chuy’s Mesquite Broiler, and Buffalo Wild Wings are a few sports bar in Bakersfield that never disappoint on game day.

Firehouse is located at 7701 White Ln. Bakersfield, CA 93313 (Photo from: http://firehouseeats.com/page4/index.html)

• Firehouse is the perfect place to watch the game with your family.  Firehouse has something to offer for everyone.  There are pool tables and a variety of arcade games to amuse the children.  The sports bar also offers over 20 flat screen TVs so several different games can be playing at once.   The two-story sports bar has the ability to accommodate large parties and offers a reasonably priced menu with all items being under 20 dollars.  The menu consists of a variety of items such as pizza, burgers, tacos, and desserts.  Game day is not complete without a cocktail.  Firehouse is equipped with a full bar and variety of draft beer selections.

Chuy’s Mesquite Broiler is located at 2500 New Stine Rd. Bakersfield, CA 93309 (Photo from: http://wdifl.com/2013-MM-6.html)

• Chuy’s Mesquite Broiler is the sports bar to go to when the weather is right in Bakersfield.  The sports bar has a larger outside patio with TVs and a bar.  When Bakersfield gets scorching hot in the summer or freezing cold in the winter Chuy’s Mesquite Broiler fights the elements by providing misters and heaters so you can comfortably watch the game outside on the patio. If the patio is packed, which is normal, there is seating available indoors with TVs on every wall.  The sports bar offers drink specials every day and all items on the menu are under $10.

Buffalo Wild Wings is located at 5677 Gosford Rd. Bakersfield, CA 93313 (Photo from: http://rebelbww.com)

• Buffalo Wild Wings is one of Bakersfield newest sports bars but it can keep up with the competition on game day.  The name of the restaurant says it all. Wings!   Buffalo Wild Wings has 16 different sauces and 5 different seasons for its bone or boneless chicken wings.  The prices range from six wings for $5.99 up to 50 wings for $36.99.  If the delicious food isn’t enough, the walls of Buffalo Wild Wings are covered with over 30 flat screen TVs.  There is no doubt that at any seat in the bar the game can be viewed.  Buffalo Wild Wings has bar seating as well as dining room style seating.

41st annual Bakersfield Basque Festival countdown has begun

(photo from http://www.kcbasque.com)

The popularity of the Bakersfield Basque festival continues to grow. The Bakersfield Basque festival in 2012 brought in an estimated 3,500 people.   Basque festival are very unique compared to the other kinds of festivals out there. Festivals are likely to have some type of music, activity, food, or dance. The Bakersfield Basque club provides all these items at the festival but with a Basque twist.
The Bakersfield Basque festival will feature several traditional Basque dances. There are over 100 Basque dancers ranging from ages 5 to 30 from Bakersfield that will perform at the festival. Many Basque Country natives who live in Bakersfield perform in the dances and some teach dance lessons to prepare the dancers for the performances at the festival. For example, Stephanie Duhart performed for 25 years and taught the dances for 15.

(photo from http://www.kcbasqueclub.com)

The music that will play at the festival will be performed by the Bakersfield Klika. The Klika is a traditional Basque marching band. The Bakersfield Klika was formed in 1975 and performs annually at the festival.

(photo from http://www.flickr.com)

The festival will have four pelota players from Basque Country play matches on Saturday and Sunday. The four players that are going to be at this years festival are Aritz Lasa, Asier Arruti, Jon Apezetxea, and Kepa Penagarikano.

The festival provides mass at the Basque club park with Father Craig Harrison from St. Francis church on Sunday. Following mass, there is a BBQ lamb chop lunch that is served. The food is cooked and prepared by local Basques.

Tickets to the Bakersfield Basque Festival are available at Benji’s French Basque Restaurant, Woolgrowers, and the Bakersfield Basque club.

People are What Make a Place Great

Photo from http://www.facebook.com/AmityFlow

     It is not uncommon to hear someone in Bakersfield say “There is nothing to do here”.  The truth is that most people do not take the time to look.  Bakersfield offers many things to do for all ages.  Bakersfield looks like an empty town for those whose only experience of Bakersfield is passing through on the Highway 99.  I have lived in Bakersfield since I was born and do not plan on moving anytime soon.  Bakersfield has a small home town feeling but with some perks of a big city. 

     There is a very large music scene in Bakersfield.  Amity Flow is a new local band that recently started playing shows at several locations around town.  The band has become very popular in just a short amount of time.  Drew Thomas Peterson, Patrick Griffith, James Barron, Andrew Whitmore, and Kevin Lundy are the five members of the band.   The band plays a vibrant style of reggae/rock music.  Amity Flow has previously played at several locations such as B-Ryder’s, On the Rocks Bar and Grill, and Narducci’s Café.  The band can be contacted and the schedule can be viewed at the link.

      Since the band is becoming such a big hit they were able to get a spot in the tour “Everybody Loves Everybody Tour” so they can play in other areas of the country.  Amity Flow will be able to spread their music and message to other areas and not just Bakersfield.  If you attend one of Amity Flow’s shows and become interested in the Bakersfield music scene you can view some of the upcoming events at the link.

     Bakersfield is home to many unique and talented people and people are what make a place wonderful.  Everyone might not love Bakersfield as much as I do but it would be a lie to say there is nothing to do in Bakersfield.