Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
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It was a sunny day on May 19, 1938 when my eldest brother, Everett Davis, drove my sister, Evelyn, my brother Buster and myself to the local airport in my father's 1928 Hupmobile. I had asked to go as they got into the car and they grudgingly assented. Ten year old sisters can be a trial to older siblings and I was perfectly cast for the part. The occasion was a commemoration marking the 20th Anniversary of National Airmail Service with a flight from Tehachapi to Bakersfield. Local pilot, Harry...
Pre emergent or post emergent A pre emergent herbicide is a product that prevents seed germination. So if you are trying to prevent weeds from growing, put down a product like "Amaze" or "Weed Impede" which will nullify weed growth. Early in the season right after you have weeded an area would be the ideal time to apply. It will not kill anything that is already germinated, so it is great around plants and saves so much money. Figure what it would cost to pay someone to weed that for you. It's...
There's a house in Bear Valley that twice a week hosts a gathering of school kids working on their projects. These projects stand a good chance of getting them into an international competition. Many of these kids actually got there last year, and have the souvenirs to show for it. Destination Imagination (DI), a global non-profit sponsored by some large well-known corporations such as 3M, Ford and IBM , exists to provide students opportunities to increase their learning through participation...
The answer is maybe! Only tax law is strange enough to have three different answers to the same question. Let us wade through the murky water together and I will give you some examples of different answers to the same question. The first factor to consider is, did you own the property you sold for more than one year? Exception#1- Tax law differentiates between property held more than a year and property held a year or less. If you held the property more than a year, it is taxed at a more...
And the gypsies dance and the gypsies sing and the gypsies holler and they stamp their feet to the music, fala lalala, la la la, fala lalala la laah! When I was a wee child, I asked my mom why my stomach made noises when I was hungry. She told me, very matter-of-factly, that there were little men in my tummy whose job it was to shovel food from my stomach into the intestines. She said those men loved their work, and when they didn't have anything to do, they banged their shovels against the wall...
Gene and Pat Coker moved into their mountaintop home in Bear Valley Springs last November. They had spent the last five years living in Ojai, a little town about 10 miles inland from Ventura. Before that they lived in Santa Paula and other areas of Ventura County. They thought that Ojai and the coastal areas of the county had become too crowded, so when they retired they began to search for a new place to live. Gene said that he had always wanted a cabin in the mountains. They had once had a...
At their Feb. 1 meeting at Steampunk restaurant, the Tehachapi Rotarians were treated to an audio visual presentation by Enrico Palermo, Executive Vice President of The Spaceship Company. The Spaceship Company is part of the Virgin Group and is responsible for the design, manufacture and testing of space vehicles for Virgin Galactic. About 450 people are currently employed by the company. Palermo showed the group the latest pictures of Space Ship Two (SS2) and White Knight Two (WK2), the mother...
How do we tell if a computer is fast or if it's faster than that computer over there? What's fast anyway? We need an objective way to measure a computer's speed overall, and it would be nice to break down the major parts of a computer and get ratings for them, too. That's where benchmarking comes in. Gamers have used benchmarks to rate their computers for years-both for bragging rights and also to make sure their computer can play specific games. Even if you're not looking for bragging rights or...
Disasters seem to be a weekly occurrence, if not daily. We hear it over and over – Are you prepared? Are you ready for the BIG ONE? Do you have your 3-7 day supply of food and water? Do you have your GO bag ready; for you, your car, your office, your pet(s), your family? Do you have an escape plan or "Out-of-Town" contacts arranged? We see the horrible images on TV and/or online. Many people feel it will not happen to them; in their community; in this lifetime; and, if it does, they will just "w...
In a presentation before the Tehachapi City Council on Feb. 5, Robert Ball from the Kern Council of Governments outlined the Kern Region Active Transportation Plan (ATP). He said that with the passage of SB1 last April, KernCOG can expect an increase in funds to fix roads, highways and bridges. The bill would invest $54 billion statewide over the next decade. Ball estimates that Tehachapi could receive as much as $10 million over the next 24 years from SB1 and cap and trade funds. Ball said...
Pamela Wildermuth is an artist in Bear Valley Springs who has the great luck to live in a beautiful area and to create beautiful art. Her specialty is "equine art" and she has painted or drawn commissioned pieces since the mid-1960s. She has won numerous awards for her art, including a Best Drawing at the 21st International Miniature Show (2012), a 1st Place Gold Medal for Drawing at the San Dimas Festival of Arts (2016), and an Award of Special Merit at the San Dimas Festival of Arts (2017)....
Tax deferred is not the same as tax free. "Tax free" means that no income taxes are due at all. Some employer-sponsored savings plans, like Roth 401(k)s, Roth 403(b)s, and Roth 457s, can generate tax-free income during retirement. When you contribute to a Roth account, you don't receive a current tax benefit like you would with a traditional pretax savings account, but your earnings can still grow without having to pay taxes on them each year. Then, qualified withdrawals are tax free....
Wild rice is actually the grain of a species of grass. The plants grow in shallow water in small lakes and slow-flowing streams. Often only the flowering head of wild rice rises above the water. The rice grains are gathered by beating the grass with long sticks and collecting the resulting grains in a wide basket. Wild rice has a chewy outer sheath with a tender inner grain. The result is a lovely firm texture yielding to a slightly nutty and vegetal tasting inner core. I like to serve wild rice...
In the 1970s, some folksingers, including Bob Dylan, began to "plug-in" and "amp up" like the rockers. Now, pop music is coming full circle as many rock 'n' rollers un-plug. For instance, the two former rockers of Ryanhood, Ryan Green and Cameron Hood, were named 'Best Group/Duo in the 2014 International Acoustic Music Awards (IAMAs). They will demonstrate this blending of musical genres when they return to the stage at Fiddlers Crossing on February 23. Green and Hood met in high school where...
The City of California City and California City Art Commission are very proud to host the 38th Desert Tortoise Days on Saturday, April 28, 2018, from 10:30 to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 29 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Central Park. This festival reinforces friendships in our community, promotes exciting local businesses, and showcases what makes California City stand out as a city with a tremendous history and vibrancy. This year's theme "A Bright Future" was chosen by the committee which meets at...
Opening night had our BeeKay audience bring in standing ovations to Tehachapi Community Theatre's presentation of "The Importance of Being Earnest", directed by Kenny Chugg and produced by David SteeleReed. Even before the show begins you'll be welcomed by a breathtaking stage; then more magic unfolds when our TCT actors (in stunning costumes) bring to life one of the most enchanting romantic stage comedies written by Oscar Wilde. Your giggles will marry intrigue as plot twists and turns keep yo...
To a lot of people buying a home seems impossible. Looking at the prices of homes can be overwhelming, especially if you are a first time home buyer. What many first time home buyers don't know is that there are many methods of buying a home. This includes special financing programs that are only available to first time home buyers. You don't always need to have a large cash down payment to purchase a home. There are several programs available for first time home buyers, here are just a few....
Kim Fahey made a big splash in the news three years ago when Los Angeles County, citing building code violations on his Acton property, ordered his fanciful structures – including a huge treehouse – torn down. He and his wife Pat packed up their collection of thousands of books, science fiction toys, model dinosaurs, vintage mechanical objects and art work and found a house on six acres in Sand Canyon. Fahey, 66, has been remaking the overgrown parcel into a whimsical wonderland of his own des...
Fred Rowan has been appointed by the Stallion Springs Board of Directors to complete the term of Vince McLaughlin who resigned in late October. Rowan was selected by the Board from the three candidates that applied to fill the position. Rowan comes to the Board with experience on the boards of the Livermore and Yreka Chambers of Commerce. He also served on the Board of Main Street in Livermore and several churches. He has 40 years of retail management experience and is currently the manager of B...
We must be an example for our children. This was the message Jim Pendleton shared with the Kiwanis Club at their recent meeting. He became a single parent when his daughter was seven years old. That was a life changing experience for him, and he determined to become the kind of man he would want her to eventually marry. Pendleton had a successful career and worked for 39 years at Edwards Air Force Base. However, it was in raising a daughter that he found real fulfillment. She is now 17 years old...
The 2019 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) budget "reflects confidence that America will lead the way back to the moon," Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot said Feb. 12. In announcing the 2019 NASA budget from the Marshall Space Flight Center at Huntsville, Ala., Lightfoot said the budget of $19.9 billion was a $400 million increase over last year and supports a renewed focus on space flight activities. "We're once again on a path toward the moon with an eye toward Mars....
It's not a scaled down model or a toy – Tina Cunningham holds a 32-inch "winglet" that engineers at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base hope will be the first aircraft to fly on Mars. According to engineer/pilot Robert "Red" Jensen (seen in the background of the Armstrong model shop), the instrument-carrying flying wings will be folded to fit in 4x4x12-inch spaces and used as ballast on a Mars rover heat shield before being deployed at 12,000 feet over the s...
I'm planning to visit Mars the weekend of Feb. 23 to 25. Well, at least a reasonable facsimile. You see MarsFest 2018 is going to be taking place in Death Valley that weekend. I guess that Death Valley has a bit of similarity to Mars, though conditions are still very different. Death Valley, even in winter, is quite warm in comparison to Mars. The atmosphere's all wrong and there's all that life everywhere. But the terrain is fairly similar – rocky, sandy, hilly, and dry. So, Death Valley can s...
Golden Hills School held their annual science fair on January 31, 2018. We had a record 258 projects entered. Congratulations to the kids and parents for taking on a big project and completing it. The overall winners were Emma Gonzales and Joshua Boles. They now get to compete in the Kern County Regional Science fair. A big thanks to the judges who volunteered their time: From Mrs. Evansic's science department at Tehachapi High School, there were Chloe Shadduck, Meghn Daffern, Magnus Loken,...
David SteeleReed was drawn back to Tehachapi by the community arts and friendly faces in town. The Tehachapi native moved to Seattle for two years, but found the cold, wet climate not to his liking. He is back in his hometown now and was recently named Executive Producer of the Tehachapi Community Theatre. His first production, "The Importance of Being Earnest," is playing now. "I'm enjoying being back in the Tehachapi theater scene and back home at TCT after a two year absence. I took two...
