400 Kern Street Taſt, CA, 93268 Phone: (661) 765-2165 Fax: (661) 765-6639 www.taſtchamber.com Taſt[email protected]Newsletter Our Gold Sponsors Our Platinum Sponsors Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015! We ended the year on a high note here in Taſt! Taco Bell opened on Saturday, Decem- ber 27, and the town rejoiced. If we can apply this enthusi- asm about all of the business- es in our town, we would be doing alright. There are lots of small, local shops who are working hard to provide for our town and we must not forget their hard work and dedicaon to our town. Dennis Schertz opened The Bank on North Street and the Best Western Hotel construc- on is coming along quite nicely. Sandy Creek Estates Development has been busy moving dirt to provide the groundwork for the housing development off Hilliard and we appear another step closer to growth in Taſt. The City of Taſt has successful- ly opened the Modified Com- munity Correconal Facility, creang addional jobs for our community. Several new businesses have opened or expanded in our downtown and others have stuck around for another year. As we look back to our year at the Taſt Chamber, we have expanded our reach and were able to bring Fireworks to Taſt for the 2nd year in a row. Thank you to the sponsors and community members who donated to make that event a reality. We hope you can sup- port the event again for 2015. And 2015 would not be com- plete without the return of the second largest event in Kern County—Taſt Oildorado! The event is being held on October 9-18, 2015 and there are lots of individuals working togeth- er to make the event as suc- cessful as the 100 year cele- braon. Here at the Taſt Chamber, we are proud to be selling the sckers for your vehicles and businesses and hope you will stop by to get yours today! The Taſt Chamber Installaon Dinner is planned for Thurs- day, February 5. We are proud to be able to host this event at the Taſt Fox Theater again, with a slight twist on last year. The cocktail style party was a huge success and we hope to replicate that in this year’s event. SAVE THE DATE so you don’t miss out! We hope you had a wonderful holiday and we wish you a Happy New Year!
aft College will be hosting its 2nd annual Triple Play Dinner & Auction benefiting the College’s athletics programs. The event will be held at The Historic Fort in Taft on Friday January 23, 2015, with no-host cocktails starting at 6:00 and the dinner beginning at 7:00pm.
The Taft College Athletics department is excited to announce this year’s special guest Ron Coomer, former Taft College student-athlete and former 9-year veteran major league baseball player. Coomer attended and played baseball at Taft College in 1986-1987 and was a 14th round draft pick by the Oakland Athletics in June, 1987. Coomer still holds records at Taft College, most no-tably hitting 19 home runs in 1987. Additionally, Coomer played in the major leagues from 1995-2003, with most of his career spent with the Minnesota Twins. In 1999, Coomer made the American League All-Star Game in Boston as a first baseman. He re-tired from baseball in 2003 as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He had a major-league batting average of .274, while hitting 92 home runs and driving in 449 RBI.
Since his retirement from baseball, Coomer has been a working member of the media. He worked for Fox Sports North for several years covering the Minnesota Twins. This past year he became the radio-color analyst for WGN radio covering the Chicago Cubs. The second annual Triple Play Dinner and Auction will be catered by Salty’s Barbecue. All proceeds from the event will help sup-port Taft College athletic programs. Individual tickets to this event are $60 presale and $75 at the door. Sponsorship tables can be purchased for $500. Please contact the Taft College Athletics Department at 769-7829 for more information.
December 3, 2014 Samantha Ramos and Nancy Coke-Kern County Public Library
Samantha Ramos and Nancy Coke were invited to Sit n Sip to update the group on the various programs at the Kern County Public Library. Their newest program is a Lego Club. This en-deavor is designed to support the work of the STEM Program, the far-reaching science and technology innovation of Chevron North America. STEM has been a presence in Taft City Schools, Taft High, and Taft College, and it is designed to get kids involved in the worlds of science and technology through hand-on experi-ences. The Lego Club is designed to begin or to continue the curiosity of children in seeing how things work together. To be successful, however, the Library needs Legos—in any form, any size, even Duplos.
While visiting with us, the librarians answered questions about the state of the Library. Many rumors have been circulated about the possibility of the Library moving to another location in our town. The guests could not comment on the rumors, stating they simply had no knowledge of the plans the County has in store.
We were able to learn that our local Library branch has no oper-ating TV and no WiFi, making them, as source of information and help to citizens, almost null and void. They also have had to suspend Grandma’s Attic, a story-reading time for tots, due to lack of personnel time. They are, however, getting into Face-Book, utilizing that format to inform folks of the activities and programs available at the Library. The Library is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Satur-day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You still get a Friends of the Library membership with your Library membership.
December 10, 2014 Jan Ashley, Chair, Taft High School Hall of Fame Committee
Jan Ashley, current Chair of the Taft High School Hall of Fame Committee, made the official announcement of the newest in-ductees to the Hall of Fame for this year: Les Clark, Jr. (Class of
1961), Gerald Dragoo (Class of 1964), and Nicholas Kauf-man (Class of 1961) will be honored at the 2015 Hall of Fame Banquet.
The Hall of Fame was insti-tuted a decade ago at the urging of Stan Barrett, Member of the Taft High School Board of Trustees. Since that time, fifty-seven graduates of Taft High School have been honored.
The Hall of Fame Banquet will be held Saturday, April 18, 2015, at the Taft High School Gymnasium. The event is open to the public, and tickets may be purchased at Taft High and at the Chamber.
December 17, 2014 Craig Jones, Manager, City of Taft
City Manager Craig Jones, fresh from accolades form the Kern County Grand Jury for his exemplary job in executing the tasks associated with running a City, was invited to update the Sit n Sip group on the many projects which will likely carry over into 2015. The Rails to Trails extension to A Street Park is finished. Future work on the Rails to Trails (Second Street to the Muse-um) will be done with the help of the California Conservation Corps. Federal projects require municipalities to ask the CCC to assist on such projects. Mr. Colston’s Sandy Creek Estates is coming along well with model homes expected during the first half of the new year. The Freedom Homes project, off Pilgrim Avenue also is moving forward. Safe Routes to School money will use $20,000 to update crosswalks (striping in pavement) and will provide lighting in front of the Fort on Tenth Street. The south side of Fifth Street Plaza has begun its renovation, and there is discussion about non-profits in our community taking on the repainting of the oilfield equipment on Center Street in time for Oildorado. We always appreciate a visit from our City Man-ager.
Wednesday mornings @ 9AM
Taft Chamber, 400 Kern Street
By Dr. Kathy Orrin, Executive Director
Taco Bell opens to a long line of eagerly-waiting custom-
ers!
The Bank Sports Lounge starts taking deposits—and folks
make a great withdrawal of fun to welcome 2015!
Work starts on the second (southern) half of the Fifth Street
Plaza!
The Rails to Trails path expansion west to Sandy Creek and
south to the A Street Park is completed!
And Guy Fieri ate at Asian Experience Tuesday night!!!
So . . . who says nothing ever happens in Taft?!
Welcome to 2015 in Taft, California! We officially have be-
gun the trek to Oildorado 2015, and it promises to be a
great adventure! If you are one of only a handful of folks in
Kern County that doesn’t know this, Oildorado runs from
October 9 to the 18th, 2015, and although it is not the 100th
anniversary of our town, it promises to be one of the most
exciting Oildorado celebrations of all time. Since the an-
nouncement of Oildorado Headquarters locating to the old
Taft Chevrolet Buick Pontiac Building at 501 North Street
(Thank you for your generosity, Devinder Bains!), plans
have been revving up!
Now, to more immediate issues:
The Chamber is in the midst of our Annual Membership
Drive! Let us begin by thanking those loyal supporters of
the Chamber. We have made many friends, support service
people, and business partners in the four years . . . yes!
FOUR YEARS! February marks the beginning of our fifth
year here at the Chamber!
You will be receiving a membership packet within a week.
The new packet will include all you need to know about
continuing your Chamber membership and the benefits you
will enjoy through sponsorship, either of individual events
or through whole-Chamber, “banner-worthy” support. In
either case, please get your updated membership infor-
mation back to us as soon as possible. And don’t forget the
Installation and Awards Evening Celebration on February 5,
2005, at the Fox Theater.
Here’s to another great year with the Chamber!
At the end of the year, we are already planning
the next year. Since the holidays are over, we
are looking forward to the new year of events.
And we have plenty of things to look forward to
for the upcoming year—Installation Dinner
(Feb. 5), State of the City Luncheon (April),
Rails to Trails Car Show (May 30), Annual Golf
Classic (June 13), Fourth of July Fireworks
Show (July 3), Oildorado (Oct. 9-18), Chamber
Trout Fishing Derby (Nov.), and Taft Christmas
Parade (Dec. 7) as well as our First Friday Car
Cruises and weekly Wednesday morning Sit n
Sip Community meetings.
Membership renewals for the Chamber are go-
ing out this month and we hope you will join us
again this year. Suggestions for events and ad-
ditions to our newsletter and emails are always
appreciated.
There are several wonderful events and things
happening in our town and we don’t want you to
miss out. Become a Taft Chamber Member to
help promote your events, participate in weekly
Sit n Sip meetings, and contribute to the suc-
cess of the growth of Taft.
I would like to thank our Board of Directors,
past and present, who are supportive of our
vision at the Chamber and understand the
importance of our presence here in the Taft
community.
Thanks to the City of Taft, County of Kern, and
your Taft Chamber working together, we are
bringing new businesses, houses, and a hotel
to our growing Oil Town.
Thank you to our sponsors, donors, volunteers,
and Chamber members for another great. Let’s
make 2015 the year to keep Taft on the minds
of everyone in Kern County.
By Shannon Jones, Event Coordinator
January 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
2
6-10pm, First Friday Cruise
Night
3
4 5
School Resumes
5pm, Supervisor David Couch Swearing In Ceremony
6
12-6pm, Houchin Blood Bank
No City Council Meeting
7
9am, Sit n Sip, Taft Chamber
6pm, Industry Night, Taft Petroleum Club
8
2:30pm/5:30pm Transit Planning
Event, WSRPD
4pm, Annexation
Meeting
9 10
11 12 13
SCORE
Workshop
14
6-10am, ADAKC Cinnamon Roll Fundraiser
9am, Sit n Sip, Taft Chamber
4pm, Taft Chamber Board Meeting
15 16
12pm, Hall of
Fame Meeting
17
18 19
Martin Luther
King Jr Day
20
6pm, City
Council Meeting
21
9am, Sit n Sip,
Taft Chamber
6pm, Planning Commission
Meeting
22
4pm, GTEDA Board Meeting
23
6pm, Taft College Triple Play Dinner, The Fort
24
25 26 27 28
9am, Sit n Sip, Taft Chamber
6pm, State of the County Dinner
29 30 31
1
2 3
6pm, City Council Meeting
4
9am, Sit n Sip, Taft Chamber
6pm, Petroleum Club Industry Night
5
6pm, Chamber Installation and Awards
6
6-10pm, First Friday Car Cruise
7
WSRPD Father-Daughter Dance
8 9 10 11
9am, Sit n Sip, Taft Chamber
4pm, Together We Can Meeting
12 13 14
Valentine’s Day
15 16
President’s Day
17
6pm, City Council Meeting
18
9am, Sit n Sip, Taft Chamber
6pm, Planning Commission Mtg
19 20 21
West Kern Oil Museum Annual Dinner
25, Chamber Board Meeting
Taft Chamber presents:
Annual Installation &
Community Awards Reception
Thursday, February 5, 2015
6:00-9:00pm
Taft Fox Theater
Hollywood Game
Night—
“Bet on Taft!”
Featuring an old Hollywood Cocktail
Reception & Awards presentation
SAVE THE DATE!
Reserve your tickets @ 765-2165
March 2015 3, Houchin Blood Mobile / City Council Meeting
17, City Council Meeting 18, Planning Commission Meeting
30-April 3, Spring Break
WHISKERINO CONTEST
REGISTRATION BEGINS Monday, January 5. Registration takes place during regular oper-ating hours at the locations below. Hours may vary, so please be gracious - huge thanks to these establishments for their assistance and participation. Happy growing! Big thanks to Tiffany Yaws and Kristy Barnachia for their work on the Whiskerino committee! Sponsors for the Whiskerino (and/or Tessie Garratt) Contest are needed - visit the website for more infor-mation!
Register at: Bangs & Tangles
Cindy's Hair Affair Eye Kandi
New Creations Personal Style Razor's Edge
Taft Barber Shop Taft Clippers
Trends Wildcats Barber Shop
Pre-Registration Categories Full Beard (Dark, Light, Red)
Most Unusual Beard Beard Fail
Beard-Burns & Freestyle Most Unique Mustache
Natural Mustache
Day-of-Event Categories Open Class Mustache
Open Class Beard Open Class Teen
FOLLOW THE COUNTDOWN
BUY YOUR WINDOW STICKER AT
TRUE VALUE
AND AT THE
TAFT
CHAMBER
Only $3
Thank you to the 2014 Taft Chamber Members! Join us in 2015 for another great year in Taft!
Accelerated Enviromental
Acme Jewelry and Gifts
Adam Bolla's Mobile Wash
Adventist Health
Aera Energy
Aflac - Gary Hackler
Albertsons Taft
Alliance Tax Credit
Alloy Construction
Alpha House Women Shelter
Alzheimer's Disease Association of Kern County, Inc.
Amazing Bounce
American Cancer Society
AmeriFirst Financial Inc, NMLS 145368
Anderson Business Services
Anderson, Ken
Art's Corner
Ashley, Jan
Asian Experience
ATP Homes, LLC
Bangs and Tangles Salon
Banks Pest Control
Ben's Books
Berry Petroleum
Black Gold Brewing Company
Black, Bill
Black/Hall Construction Inc
Brighthouse Networks
Bryan's Professional Window Washing
Business Fit
California Independent Petroleum Association
Calvary Temple of God
Campos Tire Service
CASA of Kern County
Cavins Oil Well Tools
Chevron
Chevron Valley Credit Union
Chicken of Oz
Circle of Love
City of Taft
Clear Channel Airports
Coldwell Banker Preferred, Realtors
Colston Construction
Community Christian Fellowship
Comprehensive Care Systems
Cooper's True Value
Cothrun, David
Creekside Apartments
Deckert Consulting
Domino's Pizza
Dr. Charles J Walker, DDS
Dr. J. Sterling Bryan, DDS
Dr. James L. Simonson, O.D.
DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen
EB Preferred Property Management
Edward J Herrera Insurance
El Paisano's Restaurant
Employer's Training Resource
Emy's Variety
Erickson & Brown Funeral Home
Express Employment Professionals
Extreme Wireless
Fairouzah Merchant
Fastrip Food Store #929
Faulkner, Tom
First Baptist Church
Freeport McMoRan Oil & Gas
Friends of Temblors
Garcia Lipscomb, Loretta
Garratt, Fern
Get Your Sweet On
Gorilla Demolition
Hall Ambulance Service
Hatch, Ray & Lodema
Helt Engineering, Inc.
Heritage Park
Hodel's Country Dining
Hoffmann Hospice
Holland Inn and Suites
Hosking, Harry & Carolyn
Hydrogen Energy California
Ice House America Vending
IDI-Tech
Independent Oil Producers Agency
J & D Recycling
Jacks Flower & Trophy Shop
Jo's Restaurant
Joyce Properties
KC Photography
Kern Citizens for Energy
Kern Street Pharmacy
Killingsworth, Vic
Kiwanis Club of Taft
Layton-Melton Productions
Lighthouse Foursquare Gospel Church
Lisa Brown, Realtor
LPL Financial
Lucard Apartments
M & S Security
Management & Training Corp
McKittrick Waste Management
Measure Me Mommie
Merrill Lynch
Midway Laboratory, Inc.
Mike's Pool Service
Miller, Randy & Ginny
Monarch Fleet Services & Auto
Monarch Wireless
Murphy King Real Estate
Napa, Country Auto & Truck
New Creations Nail Salon
NOV Wilson
Occidental of Elk Hills
Oildale Tire, Inc.
Old's Cool Antiques & More
Omni Family Health
OT Cookhouse
Pacific Gas and Electric Co.
Pacific Perforating
Paik's Ranch House
Personal Style Hair Salon
Pizza Factory
Popeyes - Taft
Precision Bodyworks/Towing
Proforma Solution for Printing
Randy's Trucking, Inc.
Ray Morgan Company
Razor's Edge
Revival Worship of Taft
Roger Miller Insurance Agency
Rotary Club of Taft
S & S Printing
Sagebrush Annies
Salty's BBQ & Catering
SCORE - Golden Empire Chap-ter 563
Shar-On Foundation
Skydive Taft
Soroptomist Intl of Taft
Southern Sierra General Engineering, Inc.
Southwest Signs
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church
Starbucks Taft
State Farm—Julie Franks
State Farm—Kathy Herm
Sunrise Power
Sunset Rails
Swearengin, John
Synagro
Taft City School District
Taft College
Taft College Foundation
Taft College Bookstore
Taft Community Gardens
Taft Fox Theater
Taft Holdings, LLC
Taft Independent
Taft Lions Club
Taft Midway Driller
Taft Midway-Sunset Lions Club
Taft Motorcycle Club
Taft News Now
Taft Plumbing Company
Taft Production Co. (Oil-Dri)
Taft Sportmen's Club, Inc.
Taft Union High School
Taft United Methodist Church
Terrachem, Inc.
The Arc - Taft
The Fort Preservation Society
Total Western Inc.
TRC Operating Company
T's Taxi
Tumbleweed Café
United Security Bank
Unity Thrift & Outreach
Unwired Broadband
Vibul Tangpraphaphorn, M. D.
Waldrop's Auto Parts, Inc.
West Hills Church of the Naza-rene
West Kern Oil Museum
West Kern Water District
West Side Health Care District/Urgent Care
West Side Mosquito & Vector Control District
West Side Recreation & Park District
West Side Senior Care
West Valley Real Estate
WestAmerica Bank
Western States Petroleum As-sociation
Westside Believer's Fellowship
Westside Childrens Camp
Westside Christian Ministers' Association
Westside Economic Develop-ment Company, LLC
Westside Furniture Inc.
Westside Waste Management
Willow Ranch Restaurant
CAST YOUR VOTE!
Taft Chamber Recognitions for 2014
To be presented at the Chamber Installation Dinner on Thursday,
February 5, 2015
Please nominate no more than one in each category.
Taft Chamber Board of Directors will select the winners.
