Bako Sucks. O RLY.

My new Twitter friend, bakosucks, compiles amusing tweets from various individuals in the twitterverse related to how much, well…. how much Bako sucks. Apparently it requires quite the wit to take a knock at our fair city. Bako smells like cows? Yes, sometimes it does. Bako is hot. Duh. There’s nothing to do in Bako. Here, my friend, is where we part ways. My fingers would beg to differ, having spent last night typing up the new Go. See. Do. calendar of events for the next two weeks in Bakersfield. This Week’s highlights:

This Friday, Flics (Film Lovers International Cinema Society), opens their season at the Fox Theater, 2001 H St., with a film from Kazakhstan, Tulpan. The show is at 7:30 p.m. If you love to go to the movies, enjoy independent and/or foreign films and want to view films amongst an appreciative audience, Flics is for you. Best of all, each film in the season is only $5.00. For a schedule of upcoming flicks, click on the link in the Go. See. Do. section on the sidebar. Many films are family-friendly and all films are handpicked for their social impact and/or entertainment value. All films are shown on Fridays.

On Friday and Saturday 9/11 and 9/12, the 37th Annual Greek Festival will once again showcase the warmth and culture of Bakersfield’s Greek population. There will be plenty of Greek food, homemade desserts, vendors, music, dancing and for the brave and over 21 crowd, Ouzo. (If you’re not sure what that is, re-watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding.) The Greek Festival is held at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 401 Truxtun Avenue (near the Beale Memorial Library). Friday festivities run from 3:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. Saturday, the day begins at 1:00 p.m. and ends at 11:00 p.m. Tickets are only $3.00. Don’t miss this once-a-year celebration! Opa!

If live music, unlimited food samples and plenty of beer and wine are what you’re looking for this weekend, you can have all of that and support a worthy cause too at Village Fest (formerly Brews in the Village), held this Saturday, September 12th, at the Kern County Museum, 3801 Chester Ave. Event times are 6:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. and will include live music on five stages with some of Bako’s favorite bands: Mento Buru, The Beagles, Soulajar, Fatt Katt and the Von Zippers plus many others. Admission includes 15 beer or wine samples of your choice from over 100 brew and 60 wine choices. Proceeds benefit the museum and Childrens’ Advocate Resource Endowment (CARE). Tickets are $63.00 in advance, $68.00 at the event.

As if all that isn’t enough, can you say, Lights, Curtains, Action—six times? No less than that many shows will be playing at Bakersfield playhouses by this weekend. Shows at The Empty Space, Stars Theater, The Gaslight Melodrama, Bakersfield Community Theatre and two offerings from Spotlight Theatre round out the highlights for this week. Not long ago, it was hard to find any players strutting or fretting upon a stage in Bako. Not so any longer! Get out there and support the many talented members of our community as they take to the various stages around town.

Next week: Even more stage offerings as the Kern Shakespeare Festival begins, a very worthy fundraiser for Bakersfield’s AIDS project takes place, exhibits open at Bakersfield Museum of Art and many other wonderful events are scheduled. Check back for updates and features—and don’t forget to check out the current slideshow for pictures of just a few of last week’s highlights.

What? Culture in Bakersfield?

Yes, it’s true. It has been found, in pockets, in this dusty, histamine-laced valley—even here in our own city: a burgeoning art scene, a bevy of things to do and people who care about our community! Need proof? Just check out Go. See. Do. to see some of the things happening in the next couple of weeks. There are benefits, art shows, concerts, fundraisers, theater performances—even a spoken word event!


This weekend, in addition to art, live music, food & wine samples and an atmosphere that will make you believe you’ve left Bakoland, the monthly Arts District treat, First Friday, will include two exhibit openings downtown. “Latination,” which opens at Metro Galleries, 1604 19th Street, will feature the artwork of local and other Hispanic artists; “One,” opening at Surface Gallery, 1703 20th Street (across from the Fox Theater), is the celebration of the one-year anniversary of the locally owned gallery. The accomplishment is definitely one worth celebrating in a town that does not make it easy to survive. Proving the point, recently closed underground gallery and indie art center, Basement Gallery (which thankfully looks like it has a new lease on life—more details to follow), will be sorely missed at Friday’s event but its spirit will live on as members of BECA (Bakersfield Emerging Contemporary Artists) hold a fundraiser including carnival games and an art raffle at 19th and Eye Streets, just outside their former headquarters. BECA is a local group comprised of individuals who want to connect with other artists and art lovers to create, discuss and participate in building an art community in Bakersfield. To get involved join BECA at http://www.meetup.com/Bakersfield-Emerging-Contemporary-Artists.

Also keeping the spirit alive is Ginn Williams and her fellow poets who bring a spoken word event, “Two Hours Inside,” to Fishlips on Thursday, September 3rd. This event had to relocate to a new venue after the Basement closure and should not be missed by lovers of the letters, emerging poets or anyone who wants to support having more really cool art events in Bakersfield. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and poetry flows at 7:00 p.m. SHARP. Admission is $10.00.

Over in the northeast corner of the world, an often-overlooked venue, Jones Gallery at Bakersfield College, will play host to its own as staff art professors put on an exhibit of their works. The opening reception is on Thursday, September 3rd from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. and the show runs through October 1st. If you happen to be up on the bluffs taking in the sunset, stop by for a great opportunity to support the BC art program.

Lastly, don’t forget the new season of Flics at the Fox starts next Friday, September 11th. Also, the 37th Annual Greek Festival will be making our mouths water with Greek delicacies, as well as entertaining us with dancing and general merry-making. This always fun event runs next weekend, Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th. More details on these and other events next week.

That’s it for now. Stop by anytime to see what’s happening in this old town of ours and to check out event slideshows where you might just be part of the action.