Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - Sunday, September 28, 2008
Time: Monday thru Thursday 3-10pm; Friday 10:30am to 11pm; Saturday noon to 11pm; Sunday noon to 10pm.
Address: 1142 South “P” Street Bakersfield, CA 93307
Email: kcfair@kerncountyfair.com
Phone/Fax: 661-833-4900/661-836-2743
URL: http://www.kerncountyfair.com/home.asp
Aug 15 to Aug 17
The Mammoth Festival of Wine, Music & Food is now in its third year and growing ever more popular with locals and visitors alike. The festival begins with a Wine Walk at the Village at Mammoth and continues throughout the weekend with tastings from a variety of world-class vintners. The three-day festival also features live concerts, and food from fantastic local restaurants all in the outdoor setting of Sam’s Wood site.
Aug 01 to Aug 02
Mammoth’s Festival of Beers and Bluesapalooza promises an energetic lineup of blues talent and a grand tasting of microbrews from around the country. It all takes place outdoors among the pines at Sam’s Wood Site, located on Minaret Road between Main Street and Meridian Blvd., with California’s Eastern High Sierra as the backdrop.
In 2005, the Bakersfield metro’s workforce was comprised of approximately 320,000-330,000 people. The rate of unemployment dropped measurably between January and November, from 10.4 percent to 8 percent.
The city’s largest employing sector is educational, health and social services, which accounts for about 24 percent of all jobs. Retail trade and professional, scientific, management, administrative and waste management services are also strong; together these two sectors support about 20,000 positions. Surprisingly, the agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting and mining industry is only the fourth largest employing sector, providing about 8,000 jobs. Most of Bakersfield’s workforce, 32 percent, is employed in a management or professional capacity. Sales, office and service positions are also popular, accounting for about 43.8 percent of the workforce combined. In 1999, the median annual household income was $39,982.
More than 75 percent of the city’s workers commute to a place of employment alone, while about 16 percent carpool. The remainder either works at home or uses some other means, like public transportation, to get to work. The mean travel time is about 22 minutes.
Bakersfield’s selection of dining establishments runs the gamut from steakhouses to international cuisine. Well-known brands, such as Sizzler, and independently owned restaurants both have a place in the city. Popular choices are steakhouses and home-style cooking, but Mexican cuisine is also well represented.
Bakersfield has five popular museums that promote the local artwork, history and culture. Bakersfield Museum of Art represents the work of aspiring regional artists and internationally known artists. A generous donation from the Osborn family in honor of Marion Osborn Cunningham prompted the museum’s establishment in 1956. Originally called the Cunningham Memorial Art Gallery, the name was changed to Bakersfield Museum of Art in 1990. A movement to expand the museum was begun in 1997, leading to the re-opening of an updated, larger facility in 2001.
The Kern County Museum emphasizes local history and culture. Located on Chester Avenue, the museum has 56 historic exhibits featuring thousands of artifacts on display. More than 94,000 people visit the museum annually to experience hands-on exhibits, educational programs and the Lori Brock Children’s Discovery Center.
The focus of the Buena Vista Natural History Museum is to educate the public about geological events that transformed most of Kern County from an ocean bay to dry land. The museum holds the world’s largest private collection of Sharktooth Hill Miocene fossils. Sharktooth Hill is a bonebed of fossilized organic remains that is mainly underground. Only an area east of Bakersfield is at the surface of the land.
A tour of modern animal and plant life is available at the California Living Museum located on Alfred Harrell Highway. Botanical gardens feature woodlands and desert habitats, and animal exhibits include bald eagles, black bears and more.
As of the 2000 census, Bakersfield had 88,189 total housing units. The vast majority of these units, 65 percent, are detached, single-family homes. Most of the multifamily homes are large complexes with 20 units or more.
The median home price in 2000 was $106,500, but Bakersfield, like most California communities, has experienced significant land value appreciation in the first half of the decade. In 2005, the city’s median home price was measured at $247,500 – an increase of more than 130 percent from five years prior. Current prices range from about $100,000 up to $1.75 million. Within this range, prospective buyers will find single-family homes, residential lots for custom building, investment properties, waterfront homes and townhouses and condominiums. More than half of Bakersfield’s homes are owner-occupied.
Bakersfield, as a large, established community, has an extensive education system consisting of 15 public school districts. The public school system contains 119 campuses, broken down as follows: 12 high schools, 24 middle schools and 83 elementary schools. These facilities have a combined enrollment of about 100,000 students.
The largest school district is Bakersfield City Elementary School District (BCESD). BCESD provides curriculum from the pre-kindergarten level through the eighth grade, with more than 40 campuses located throughout the city. Roughly 30,000 students attend BCESD schools and the student-to-teacher ratio is less than 21:1.
Several smaller districts also provide elementary and intermediate school education in Bakersfield. These include: Beardsley Elementary School District, Edison Elementary School District, Fairfax Elementary School District, Fruitvale Elementary School District, General Shafter Elementary, Greenfield Union Elementary, Lakeside Union School District, Norris Elementary School District, Panama Buena Vista Union Elementary School District, Rio-Bravo Greeley Union Elementary District, Rosedale Union Elementary School District, Standard Elementary School District and Vineland Elementary School District.
High school education is mainly provided by Kern Union High School District (KUHSD) and its 23 campuses. Seventeen of these campuses are located in Bakersfield; the remaining six are in neighboring communities like Arvin and Lake Isabella. KUHSD has a total enrollment of about 33,000 and maintains a student-to-teacher ratio of 22.9.
Options for private education in Bakersfield are largely parochial programs. There are at least two private high schools and about eight private elementary/intermediate schools. These ten campuses cater to a student population of about 3,800.
Several institutions also offer Bakersfield students the opportunity to continue their education locally after high school. The most prominent college is California State University at Bakersfield (CSUB), a four-year, public institution. Established in 1965, CSUB has grown its enrollment to almost 8,000 graduate and undergraduate students who participate in 31 bachelor’s programs and 22 master’s programs. These courses of study fall under four main schools within the college: Humanities and Social Sciences, Business and Public Administration, Natural Sciences and Mathematics and Education.
Bakersfield College provides two-year programs and transferable general education coursework. About 15,000 students attend classes at Bakersfield College’s 153-acre campus in the northeastern section of the city. The school has the distinction of being one of the country’s oldest community colleges that has been operating continuously since its founding in 1913. Students can take advantage of traditional semester classes and distance learning programs.
There are also career training centers within the city. Two prominent facilities are the Golden State College at Bakersfield and San Joaquin Valley College.
Downtown shopping, professional sports and entertainment, outdoor exploration, recreational sports and quality city parks are the primary activities that keep locals busy in their off-hours. Live music is also available at several casual venues in the downtown area. Country music and alternative rock are popular styles. Notably, the alternative band Korn is from Bakersfield. Classical music performances are provided by the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, which has been a part of the community for more than 70 years.
A retail district in downtown is a favorite venue for boutique shopping and distinctive dining. Available wares include antique furniture, western-style clothing and accessories, shoes and souvenir items. Traditional mall shopping is also available at The Marketplace on Ming Avenue, Stockdale Fashion Plaza on Stockdale Highway, Valley Plaza on Ming Avenue and East Hills Mall on Mall View Road.
Sports fans can cheer on Bakersfield’s professional hockey, baseball and arena football teams. Condors Hockey competes in the ECHL, a premier AA hockey league; games are held between October and April at Rabobank Arena. Just when hockey finishes up, Bakersfield’s arena football team, the Blitz, starts its season at the same venue. The local, minor league baseball team is called the Bakersfield Blaze; these games are played at Sam Lynn Ballpark.
Two automotive facilities nearby host racing and other automotive events. Indy cars, sports cars and go-karts compete at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, while Auto Club Famoso Raceway features drag racing events like the NHRA Pacific Division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competition. For less structured recreational fun, Bakersfield has more than 45 public park sites, including the Kern River Parkway. The Parkway is a scenic, 23-mile retreat where locals go to get away, either on foot, bicycle or horseback. Other amenities located throughout the park system include lighted softball fields, volleyball courts, tennis courts, basketball courts, gymnasiums, disc golf, soccer fields, multipurpose rooms and outdoor amphitheatres.
Outside of Bakersfield, the surrounding landscape provides plenty of opportunity for outdoor exploration. River rafting trips are provided by various tour guides and operators along the Kern River, as are guided hikes within the Sequoia National Forest. Other outdoor adventures available in the region include mountain biking, cross country skiing and rock climbing.
The main, large scale attraction of Bakersfield is the Rabobank Arena, home of the local hockey and arena football teams. Rabobank hosts a variety of professional and college sporting events, as well as concerts and theater performances.
Bakersfield’s most appreciated attractions are oriented towards the outdoors: city parks, nature areas, trails, campsites and the Kern River’s rugged shoreline provide a wide selection of activities and experiences to locals and visitors.
