Bakersfield Life

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With the Fourth of July just around the corner, Bakersfield Life gathered four women On The Red Couch who are incredibly involved locally. This month, we asked the women about patriotism and the Fourth of July. Their answers are both inspirational and enjoyable.


Jennifer Henry - Executive Director - Links for Life

Lorna Brumfield - Attorney - LeBeau-Thelen, LLP

Kathy Lemon - Assistant Deputy Chief - Kern County Probation

Carola Enriquez - Director - Kern County Museum



What makes you feel patriotic about America?

Jennifer Henry – One of my favorite things about America is that we have the freedom to make choices in order to become the person we want to become. What I really love is when you are at a meeting or volunteering in the classroom and we come together, salute our flag and say the pledge of allegiance. I enjoy hearing all of the different voices united honoring our country.

Lorna Brumfield – The 230-plus year history of democracy. America is one of the few places in the world where the common people get to select those who will govern them.

Kathy Lemon – Supporting our service men and women who have and are currently dedicating their lives for our personal freedom and safety makes me feel patriotic. Knowing the sacrifice they and their families make everyday so we can live in a country where we are privileged to enjoy the entitlement of liberty also makes me feel very humble and grateful.

Carola Enriquez – A good rendition of the national anthem before a game. American flags waving on houses and public buildings. Veterans selling poppies. Just the little reminders of who we are as a nation. Fireworks are my very favorite thing and they always remind me of the Fourth of July no matter where or when I see them.



What are the things about America that make you proud to live here?

Jennifer Henry – I am proud to be an American because women have a choice to work outside the home or be a “domestic engineer” and run their homes. America is a wonderful place where individuals can volunteer their time and talents to make a difference in the lives of others.

Lorna Brumfield – The freedoms we have that almost no other countries have. The government does not mandate our religious beliefs. The public is free to attend and participate in virtually all meetings where the government is making decisions. I am also very proud of the national parks set aside for everyone’s enjoyment. The national parks are truly national treasures.

Kathy Lemon – The United States was founded by a small group of people who were underdogs but had the passion to pursue what they thought was right and fair and I believe that mentality has continued even today. Americans have the courage and freedom to pursue goals and dreams regardless of the odds against them.

Carola Enriquez – There is nothing like traveling somewhere else to appreciate where we live. I actually got to visit Russia in 1972, which was only a few years after it opened to the world after the fall of communism. I truly wanted to kiss the ground we walk on when I returned. We students couldn’t even have a snowball fight without drawing attention from the authorities. We take our freedoms for granted because it's what we know, but most are not so lucky. The freedom to be who you want to be through your own efforts is a real gift this nation gives people.



Do you have any special way of celebrating the Fourth of July?

Jennifer Henry – We usually have a party in the front yard with our family and neighbors. We all bring out tables and chairs with swimming and food.

Lorna Brumfield – My family is very traditional. We gather at my parents’ house where I grew up and have barbecued burgers, fresh corn and homemade ice cream. The neighbors all gather for the store-bought pyrotechnics display put on by the neighborhood kids. The evening ends with everyone watching the fireworks display put on by Stockdale Country Club.

Kathy Lemon – My husband and I are very fortunate in that we are very close with both sides of our family so the Fourth of July is always spent with our family and friends. Our gatherings are fairly typical in that we usually barbecue and hang out by the pool and later in the evening shoot off fireworks. On many occasions we have been fortunate to spend the holiday with family members and other friends at the beach and those times have been wonderful as well.

Carola Enriquez – My favorite thing to do for the Fourth of July in Bakersfield is to see the fireworks show at Sam Lynn Ball Park with an old-fashioned baseball game. I like the patriotic music and all the families enjoying the day together.



Do you have any special memories of Fourth of July celebrations?

Jennifer Henry – What I remember about the Fourth of July, being raised in Bakersfield, is on the third it could be 80 degrees but the on the fourth it was ALWAYS over 100 degrees. It begins the hottest part of the summer with time in the pool and vacations.

Lorna Brumfield – Our family moved from East Bakersfield to Stockdale Estates in 1968. At that time, Stockdale Estates was a small close-knit neighborhood. To this day, Stockdale Estates has an American flag hanging at the entrance. The neighbors used to take turns raising it in the morning and lowering it at night. When I was growing up, all of the neighborhood kids would dress up and put on a neighborhood parade with horses, bicycles, musical instruments and flags. Everyone would stand on the front lawn and cheer as the parade went by. What could be better than your own parade?

Kathy Lemon – On one particular holiday week, our family rented a house overlooking the ocean so we were able to spend the Fourth of July on the beach. I remember sitting around the campfire near the ocean watching the kids play and helping them make s’mores. The sky was clear and you could see all the other families and gatherings taking place along the shoreline. I remember feeling a sense of togetherness and community.

Carola Enriquez – I was lucky enough to be raised just outside of Washington D.C. so we would always go with the masses streaming toward the nation's capitol, parking all over the freeway medians to walk across those magnificent bridges to the Washington Monument to see the fireworks show. Everyone listens to the patriotic music that goes with the fireworks on their car or portable radios. There is nothing like it. My very favorite year was the nation’s bicentennial in 1976. I was working the summer for a defense contractor in Crystal City, Va. and they hosted a huge champagne party in the penthouse suite overlooking all the monuments across the river in D.C. I got to invite my whole family and it was quite an opportunity to watch the fireworks from that vantage point in such a special year.



What is your one wish for America in the upcoming year?

Jennifer Henry – My wish for America is that we see our unemployment rates drop and that we see less violence among our youth and realize what a wonderful place we live.

Lorna Brumfield – Peace.

Kathy Lemon – One issue that I am particularly focused on is the trauma and pain suffered by crime victims and their families, so my one wish for the upcoming year would be for a resolution to many of the issues that contribute to these unfortunate events.

Carola Enriquez – My wish is for us to come together to solve our problems as a team. We have such great people who have come to this nation from all over the world, it seems we should be able to work together to provide leadership toward achieving a peaceful and safe planet for all.



What are your Fourth of July plans for this year?

Jennifer Henry – So far on my calendar we have swimming lessons and swim team practice. For the evening I think we will probably be in the pool with the barbecue going and enjoying time on our block with our family and neighbors.

Lorna Brumfield – We have been invited to attend the Fourth of July baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Pac Bell Park, but I am not sure if I can tolerate missing the annual barbecue and homemade vanilla ice cream.

Kathy Lemon – This year we’re planning to stay in town on the fourth. We’ll gather with family and friends at our home for a barbecue and other fun activities. We enjoy watching fireworks with our family and neighborhood friends. The kids love to see how far they can run with a sparkler before it burns out!

Carola Enriquez – We have no plans at all! The kids are too old for the "buy too many fireworks and head to the cul de sac to light them with the neighbors” thing, although I loved doing that. I am sure we will barbecue and just relax at home. I will have sparklers if nothing else and dance around the front yard writing my name in the air. I may steal down to the local fireworks booth and buy a fountain or two of my very own, sit in my lawn chair by the curb and enjoy a little show. Not having a plan seems like a good plan to me.



How do you define freedom?

Jennifer Henry – Freedom is being able to worship whom you choose and ability to become the President of the United States. I look at all the individuals that I know and listen to their stories of their trials of growing up and see that it is possible to realize your dream in whatever career you choose if you work hard enough and believe in yourself.

Lorna Brumfield – Freedom to choose my own religion, voice my opinion and choose my own friends and place to live. Freedom is synonymous with tolerance and to have a free society we must be tolerant of our differences. This is what makes America great.

Kathy Lemon – Freedom to me means the ability to do, say and live in any way you choose as long as it doesn’t hurt others or violate the laws of society.

Carola Enriquez – To me freedom is the opportunity to be who you want to be in a nation that supports just that. We can think what we want, get involved in what we want and pretty much have an American dream that’s our own. Circumstances, our own mistakes and the like, may cause us to fall short, but the dream is there and the right to pursue it is something we all share. It’s a pretty amazing thing. When I see strife all over the world where people are not free in this same way, I feel even more blessed to live in the United States.