A look inside Bakersfield Life magazine - Chris's Blog - Bakersfield Life

Holiday Shopping

I would venture to bet that you and I are doing the same thing this time of year. We’re making a list of whom we need to buy for, and frantically scouring the ads to find that perfect gift. Mix in taking the kids to the Bakersfield Christmas parade, the Magical Forest, HolidayLights at CALM and picking up a few other Christmas events here and there. Yes, this is a busy time of year for all of us.

I always struggle with what to by certain family members. I can ask and ask what they want and the response is normally the same. These few will tell me things like, “Just get me a card,” or “I don’t know … maybe a nice sweater.” Now I know I bought a few sweaters last year and I would like to have an original and great gift for them under the tree on Christmas morning. A card just isn’t going to cut it.

I haven’t become an online holiday shopper yet, and with good reason. Although I may look online to find gift ideas, I always to go into a store and make my purchase. I go in expecting to come out with more than I went in for and gather ideas for additional gifts while I’m there. I’m always looking for ideas.

The one thing I have learned over the years, is that many local retailers are ordering gifts early in the season. Trust me, the owners of local shops work hard to bring wonderful special items to Bakersfield.

This time of year I have this urge to buy local. Yes, it is easier to buy online and if a local merchant has an online point of purchase I may do so. But in this economy, one that will undoubtedly have you checking your shopping list twice, I feel a need to keep my dollars in Bakersfield. Supporting local retailers brings a great pride to a community, one that is measured by the growth of our local business owners that put in countless hours to employ our residents and give back to the community. In a way, I am giving back to my community by shopping local. Many local merchants are very active in the community and give their time and resources to make Bakersfield a better place to live.

So as we make our lists this year and determine what we want to buy for whom, lets take a few extra minutes and see if we can keep our purchase this season in Bakersfield. It means so much to our community that we support each other, this year more than ever.

In the November issue of Bakersfield Life, you will find great gift ideas from some of our local merchants. As you’re looking for something special, take a few minutes and drop buy some of these locations to find the perfect gift for anyone on your list.

Chris Thompson
Specialty Publications Manager
The Bakersfield Californian

Win a Holiday Makeover

Looking for a Holiday Makeover? Bakersfield Life is gearing up for our first holiday makeover and you could be treated to a day of local luxury. Send us your picture and 100 words stating why you’d like a holiday makeover and you could win a luxurious tour to visit some of Bakersfield’s best beauty experts.

From hair and nails to facials and fashion, you could find yourself with a new look this holiday season, not to mention being featured in Bakersfields most read city magazine.

E-mail us at the link below

bakersfieldlife@bakersfield.com

Looking for the perfect Holiday meal

The Bakersfield Life Holiday Meal

Do you have a special holiday recipe that you’d like to share? Do you have a secret stuffing that everyone should know about? Bakersfield Life magazine would like to show your holiday treat to all of Kern County. Simply e-mail your recipe to Bakersfieldlife@bakersfield.com.

Five lucky winners will have all the ingredients purchased for their recipe and will cook their masterpiece for everyone to see.

We are looking for your most exciting recipes that all of your family raves about. We have five categories for your treats.

Best Holiday Turkey

Best Holiday casserole

Best Holiday Salad

Best Holiday Stuffing

Best Holiday Dessert

Submissions are open through Wednesday, October 8. You can also mail your recipe to

Bakersfield Life “Holiday Meal”
P.O. Box 440
Bakersfield, Ca 93302

Same old TV shows

I am a fan of the Olympics, don’t get me wrong, but anyone who knows me well knows that I have a short attention span. I like watching people swim, but not every night. The one thing I enjoy the most about the Olympics is the variety of the events and when I can’t watch a large variety, I get bored.

So until the next event comes on TV, I have found myself in re-runs of last season’s shows. I am enjoying the Terminator series and have caught myself watching more CSI that I ever have. Not only C.S.I., but also NCIS, Criminal Minds and other crime shows.

It only takes a few of these shows to get the point and figure it out from the beginning. First, someone that you don’t know is killed. Second, the stars of the show are called in. They start interviewing people while the bad guy is right under their nose. All the time, a couple of the stars are kissing in the backroom. Next, they stumble onto one obscure piece of evidence that opens up the insolvable case. They race to the next scene right before the bomb goes off and their “co-worker” is killed to apprehend the bad guy. In the final three minutes of the show, the “lady cops” have their arms around the victim’s family while some song you’d hear at Starbucks plays in the background.

There it is. One hour in a paragraph.

This is where I’m tired of this show. The crime is always murder. No big deal right? Wrong. Before the show starts, I know someone dies and here are my suggestions to mix it up a bit.

Law and Order - Petty Theft
Brent walks into a 7-11 and runs out with a Snickers. Lets hunt him down.

C.S.I. – Jaywalkers
Don’t get caught crossing outside the lines – this team of “kinda cops” will use their mobile crime lab to find you.

Criminal Minds – Graffiti Artists
We know what’s in your head before you paint that wall.

Ok, so maybe these TV show ideas aren’t going to get me a gig in Hollywood, and they may not be that interesting ... but they are a bit different. I bet these crimes could be solved in about 5 to 10 minutes. Just the kind of show I’d watch. Just the kind of show to fit my attention span.

Chris

Taking my ties home

I don't think I am alone in this, but I like to take my tie off late in the day. Somewhere around 4 p.m. on a busy day, I pull the cloth from around my neck and relax a bit as I focus on the next days chores. Today, now that Bakersfield Life is in your hands, I will finally take my ties home and breath for a few minutes. Good thing too as I struggle in the mornings when I can't find my favorite ties.

I am hoping that you will read our latest issue of Bakersfield Life. We hope that you take the time to vote on the Top 32, and take the time to write us and give us your thoughts on the magazine. We worked hard on this one and are excited to present to you our work.

Trust me when I say that this is a glimpse of things to come. We have a wonderful fall lineup on the way and some exciting new features. Thank you for being part of the largest local magazine readership in Kern County. We truly appreciate your time.

Chris Thompson
Managing Editor
Bakersfield Life magazine
“Bakersfield’s Premier City Magazine”
661-395-7492
cthompson@bakersfield.com

Looking forward to the weekend

First, I would like to send props out to our team members for a great issue of Bakersfield Life due out soon. We have worked long and hard on this one and are excited about the entire book.

To you, thank you for your votes. While voting on the Top 64 from the July issue, you amazed us with the amount of votes we received. We already knew that Bakersfield Life had the most magazine readers in Kern County, and it seems like every one of you voted. Thank you for making the first round such a success.

I am excited about this weekend of nothing. After production week, we all are getting some much-needed time off. Ok, two days isn’t much time, but it feels like a week after a week like this.

For those of you that are awaiting our next newsletter, I am working on getting that out soon. Stay tuned.

Again, than you for your readership. You are the reason that we come to work every day.

Chris Thompson

Managing Editor

Bakersfield Life magazine

What a week!

What a week.

As mentioned at the top of this blog, I try to give you an inside look at what goes on here in the office. I could write a book about this last week if I had time.

As some of you know, our team works to create more than just Bakersfield Life. We also produce Bakersfield’s only business-to-business publication called Kern Business. Additionally, we have our quarterly Health and Wellness section, the annual Kern Life magazine and the annual How-To Guide. This is all coming together at the same time.

Our jobs are no different than yours. We have deadlines, e-mails, calls, and a non-stop flow of people through the doors that we need to work with. Typical day at the office.

All this said, I can say that this has been the busiest few weeks since I started with Bakersfield Life in June of 2007. I want to give credit to our artist Joe Simpson and Editor Kevin Eubanks for pulling it all together and getting it all done.

I am so pleased with the new July issue of Bakersfield Life. What a great piece. I really hope you enjoy this issue.

And a big thanks to you.

Bakersfield Life is now the undisputed number one. Our ratings, (from Scarborough, the industry standard for print publications), came in recently and we found exactly what we expected. Bakersfield Life is the fastest growing magazine in Bakersfield along with having more readers than any other local magazine. The readership of Bakersfield Life is more than double that of any other style publication in Kern County. We have you to thank for this honor.

With this honor, we know comes greater responsibility. We know you demand content that is relevant to your life. Now, more than ever, you have my pledge that our team will work everyday with you in mind. We know your time is valuable and we are honored that you take the time to read Bakersfield Life. I promise, we won’t let you down.

Thanks for reading,

Chris Thompson

Living Well in Bakersfield

When I was younger, I remember going with my grandparents to their medical appointments in Southern California. They were, like many Bakersfield residents, in need of medical services that were not offered locally. I’m sure they would be pleased to know that these days, their trips out of town would be unnecessary.
    Our local medical facilities are continuing to grow with new doctors and technologies that are the best in the business. Bakersfield is seeing this growth in many areas including cancer treatment at CBCC, pediatrics at Memorial Hospital, a stroke center at San Joaquin Community Hospital and a forthcoming burn center. These areas of expertise are in great demand in our area and our medical professionals have shown keen interest in filling these voids in Kern County.
    Bakersfield Life will look further into these advances in this issue and see who is excelling in our local medical field and what offerings are here in town now that weren’t here five or 10 years ago. If you are one who is still leaving town for medical care, take note of these services as you may now be able to save some travel time and take advantage of local medical care.
    From your feedback, I know that many of you read our monthly feature, Guys on the Green. To let you in on a little secret, we plan the photo session for this piece on a Monday morning when most country clubs are closed. So here we are every month, four men with our staff and photographers on a glorious golf course, and we can’t play. It’s painful to leave the peacefulness of the plains and head back to the office.
After our last photo session, Bakersfield Life Editor Kevin Eubanks brought up an interesting question. We sat asking ourselves, “What is your favorite golf hole in Kern County?” This question turned into a wonderful story this month highlighting some of our best golf courses in town and make working in the office even more difficult.
Bakersfield Life’s “Dream 18,” will feature our favorite golf holes in Kern County. For those who golf, you already know which holes are your favorite, but have you played all the holes on our list? From beautiful greens, memorable plays to long yardages and tough challenges, this dream list of our favorite holes will make for a fun round which is sure to strike up conversation at the 19th hole.
    Finally, if you are like me, you have always had the itch to live at the beach. Would you be surprised to learn that a few of our local friends actually do own homes on the coast? Yes, there are some in Bakersfield who have wonderful summer coastal homes at the beach and they took us to see what life is like when they leave town. Be ready for a bit of relaxation as we take a mini-vacation to the central coast to spend some time with our friends.
    As always, we would like to thank you for taking the time to read Bakersfield Life. We work hard to come up with quality editorial that is purposeful to your live. We know your days are busy and you have many things to do everyday. Just know that everything we do here is to ensure that you enjoy your city magazine as we continue to bring to these pages the best that life in Bakersfield has to offer.

The Best and the Brightest

My daughter Victoria is about to enter high school this fall. My wife and I have taken her to orientation, bought her PE clothes and helped pick her electives. As excited as she is as a freshman, I am even more excited as a parent. Looking ahead, I see many great opportunities for her and know that many great things are ahead.

It’s no secret that high school is tough. With all the classes, clubs, sports, peer-pressure and…boys, I know this is going to be a challenging time. High school students these days have more and more stress put on them as they look to conquer the years before college. With all the challenges on the way, she knows that her mother and I will do all we can to help her succeed and give her the tips needed to master this new world.

I hope that she, along with all freshmen this year, will find inspiration in our feature this month. This month we highlight 17 of the brightest young men and women in Bakersfield. The only thing that stands out to me in this list is the diversity of this group. Their academics are flawless as all members of this group bring a 4.2 GPA or higher.

This senior class is due to graduate within weeks and head out to many prestigious colleges. UCLA, Dartmouth, Stanford, Cornell, Penn State and more great schools are well represented by this group. You’ll find that one of our local graduates is on his way to Yale to join his two brothers who are both products of Bakersfield high schools. These are great kids I’m sure they are making their parents proud. I know they are making their community proud.

Additionally in this issue, it’s time to release the results. Since January, we have been counting votes from the “Best of Kern County” poll and creating a list of your favorite businesses, parks, air personalities and entertainment options. This year, the readers of The Bakersfield Californian came through with a record number of votes and left no doubt who their favorites are.

Although unscientific, this feature has become one that many people take pride in, so much that you can see the Best of Kern County logo at many local businesses. It’s one of the few logos that you will see in Bakersfield that says, “We trust this business and are happy with their products and services.”

We have listed the best and two favorites in each of the categories. These are the top three in our polling. Trust me, you send in many different names and these that are listed truly represent your favorites.

Who is the best car dealer? The best Chinese restaurant? The best bank? Did you know that Snider’s Cyclery has won the “Best of Kern County” award for the last 10 years? Lets find out if they kept the tradition alive.

Many of these winners may not be such a surprise as they are long-time established businesses, but it is interesting to see some new businesses to town show up on our list. Our friends at Sports Authority and Sports Chalet can be found in this list for the first time this year.

Thank you for all your votes and your continued readership. Bakersfield Life has become a much-anticipated monthly magazine and we are proud to be able to continue to show you the best that our great city has to offer.

The American Dream

My wife and I bought our first home together in the spring of 2007. At the time, we knew we would have to sell before we could buy and the downturn in the market was a bit of a concern. We were faced with the idea that if we didn’t sell and move at that time, the value of our current home would drop and we would never be able to get into our new home. We made the move at the right time that worked for us and we are glad we did.

One year later, I look through the Saturday Homes section of The Bakersfield Californian and see that the prices of homes are much lower and much more inviting. I remember, however, that if we had waited, we would have never sold our home for what we needed. We would have been stuck.

I learned that timing is everything. We made our purchase at the time that was right for us. Although the value has dropped in the year we have owned our home, it is of no concern because we have no plans to sell. This is our home. This is the place where my children will grow and enjoy time with their family.

The current real estate climate is much different than it was a year or two back. We read and watch news every day that warns us to stay away from local real estate. But there is a hidden story, one that is not being told. Ask any real estate agent and they will tell you there is more to this trend than what we see in the headlines.

Bakersfield Life gathered five professionals from the local real estate industry to talk about the state of the market. What we heard was not a bias toward their industry, but facts and figures that show local real estate is still moving. We wanted to hear what was going on in Bakersfi eld and these professionals held nothing back.

Additionally, inside Bakersfield Life this month you’ll find our annual article on Relay for Life. Relay is such a large event that you either are participating or know someone who is camping for the weekend in support of the cause. This annual event is full of stories of courage and although we couldn’t tell all of these in a year worth of issues, we hope that you find inspiration from the stories we are able to tell. When you read these, I’d hope you’d take a moment and think about those in your life who are affected by cancer.

Finally, on a lighter note, we are getting ready for camp. On page 20 you’ll find great information about many of our local summer camps and what they offer. It’s a great opportunity to decide where your kids are going this summer.

Make sure you look for our annual “Best of Kern County” issue coming in May. We’re counting all youre votes and will publish the results on May 17.

Chris Thompson

Managing Editor

Bakersfield Life magazine

“Bakersfield’s Premier City Magazine”

A product of The Bakersfield Californian

661-395-7492

cthompson@bakersfield.com