Kern County goes nuts!

  This Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Kern County will be holding its first annual Nut Festival.  This event was created and hosted by the Kern County Museum to help bring together Kern County residents and educate them about the tasty and healthy benefits of the various nuts grown locally.

Banner promoting the upcoming Nut Festival

This nut festival is a great way for friends and families of all ages to have some fun. June 14th, there will be a special VIP event just for adults. The next day, adults can bring their youth back to the museum to enjoy more family-friendly activities.

 Bakersfield resident and Nut Festival attendant Maci Atkins said, “I enjoy the Nut Fest every year, and I’ve been going for the past five years and I can’t for this weekend.”

  Events to take place include a “Run with Nuts,” where participants run a mile and back down Kern River Parkway Bike trail. Festival goers can also look forward to stage performances, art exhibitions, and culinary instructions taught by celebrity chefs. 

The nut festival also benefits organizations that seek to promote their cause as well as give back to the community. Though, most of the revenue will go to the Kern County Museum Foundation, non-profit organizations can gain revenue through volunteering or vending.

Not only can families grow closer, but they can work together to serve the less fortunate.

  Chair of the Kern County Museum Foundation Bob Lerude said in a Nut Festival promotion, “We are so excited about the Kern County Nut Festival and the impact it will have on our community; Not only will it be a fun, entertaining community event, but it will enable local non-profits to benefit as well, all the while supporting the educational efforts of the Kern County Museum.”

By Henry A. Barrios / The Californian

Besides the Kern County Museum, other organizations and corporations participating during the upcoming weekend include: the Bakersfield Police Department, Kern Community Foundation, Bakersfield Museum of Art (which I didn’t know existed), Memorial Hospital, and Kern County Environmental Health.

  The Kern County Museum is located on Chester Ave. Pre-sale tickets are $10 for adults, five dollars for kids (5- 12), and free for kids under four. At the gate ticket prices increase  by two dollars.

For more information about the Kern County Nut Festival or sponsorship information, contact Sheryl Barbich at
661.301.6763 or Beth Pandol 661.302.8171.

 

Beat the heat at the Bakersfield Museum of Art

Bakersfield Museum of Art (Courtesy of Google Images)

The Bakersfield Museum of Art has been around since 1956 but was re-established in 1990. The museum is widely known and is a great place to go to beat the heat. With all the hot weather in Bakersfield, the indoor museum is a great escape and a great place to appreciate different works of art with cultural diversity. It is not only inspirational but also educational and has four primary exhibitions with emphasis on cultural diversity. Admission varies with age and prices are as follows: Members get in for free, adults get in for $5.00, seniors above the age of 65 get in for $4.00, and students get in for $2.00.  Unfortunately, child prices are not listed.

The Bakersfield Museum of Art also offers different art education programs, workshops, and tours dedicated to children and adults. Furthermore, they also offer to bring the museum to any class room with a program named Museum on the Move, specifically for students. This is where a museum instructor will bring an educational presentation that informs students of artists and significant art movements. They also offer a program named Art Smart that takes fine arts to culturally isolated districts in Kern County.

Members of the museum are able to host several different activities, receive discounts on merchandise, get invitations to special events and are able to attend all workshops. Volunteers are always welcome and have the access to be behind the scenes of exhibitions and  are also able to meet artists. It is open Tuesday through Friday 10am-4pm and Saturday through Sunday 12pm-4pm. It is located at 1930 R Street. Bakersfield, Ca 93301 and contact information can be found at bmoa.org.

A Place that Entertains…

Picture provided by http://calmzoo.org. Children observe the Black bear.

Bakersfield is definitely a small town when compared to big cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco. It is conservative community that is growing at an accelerated rate, and so are its entertaining sources. Some may think that there is nothing to do in Bakersfield, but it is just a matter of looking around, rather than being passive spectators, waiting for something fun to pop out in our daily lives. One of the most fascinating entertaining experiences residents in Bakersfield can enjoy is the California Living Museum (CALM), which is only 20 minutes away from Bakersfield Downtown. Visiting CALM is a unique experience that does not only amuses us with its variety of exhibits of animals such as the Black bear and the two female lions, or the beautiful landscapes of Californian trees, but ultimately it enlightens our knowledge of the native features of Californian lands. How is this wonderful educational experience not taking into consideration when deciding whether there is or not entertainment in Bakersfield? With all the due respect to those that are convinced about the statement, “There is nothing to do in Bakersfield” I must state that their opinion is somewhat oblivious, as it is evident with the existence of CALM. Anyone out there interested in being part of an amazing experience should visit the following website, http://www.calmzoo.org. Maybe this will totally change your opinion that there is nothing to do in Bakersfield. And if you are interested in searching the zoo’s history before actually visiting, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Living_Museum, it will definitely help you have an insight about such unique place.