HolidayLights at CALM will be open every night from 5:30-9 p.m. through Dec. 30, except Dec. 24 and 25. Monday and Tuesday nights are special with non-profit CALM offering $2 off the admission price. Admission prices are $5 for children ages 3 -17, $7 for seniors above age 60 and $10 for adults. Tickets can be purchased through Vallitix at (661)-322-5200 or at the gate each night. Take a look above to see some of the surprises that await you at the two million light extravaganza located on Alfred Harrell Highway between Lake Ming and Hart Part in northeast Bakersfield.

Centennial High School has its sites set on Sacramento where it will represent Kern County at the California "We the People The Citizen and the Constitution" congressional hearings competition from Feb. 6-8. Centennial earned the right by defeating Arvin High in the region four championships held Dec. 4 at California State University, Bakersfield. Centennial and Arvin emerged from a field of 13 Kern County high schools to be crowned congressional district winners. Teams competed in either the 22nd or 20th Congressional Districts with Centennial winning the 22nd District trophy and emerging as the overall champion based on total team score. Arvin was the 20th Congressional District winner. Arvin's loss to Centennial does not necessarily mean it is out of a chance to compete in the state championships. There are 10 regional representatives. In past years, as many as two regions have not sent representatives leaving wild card openings for teams with the best statewide scores among runner-ups.

As it has for many years, the Kern County Museum invited visitors to step back in time on Dec. 1 to celebrate the holidays the way it was done during 19th Century. One hundred old-fashioned lanterns lit the way for visitors who attended the 3-8 p.m. event, known as Holiday Lamplight Tours. “More than 3,000 people attended, and I was really happy to see members of families who have been attending for years now bringing their own families,” said Assistant Director Jeff Nickell. “Our goal for over 20 years has been to help local residents enjoy the holiday season in a fun, exciting way, while teaching them about Kern County history and the Old West.” New this year and actually pointing the way to the museum’s extensive historic vehicle collection was a refurbished neon light “Entrance” sign that was a familiar welcoming for visitors to the landmark Bakersfield Inn when Union Avenue was the north-south highway for motorists traveling through the central valley.

November 15 was not the Academy Awards, but it was a pretty creative, red carpet affair that drew about 200 visitors to the Kern County Museum to see a history of movies told in trees. That is right — trees. The event, an opening night reception for “Movie Magic,” featured holiday trees decorated by local artists to reflect famous motion pictures in history. It is the signature exhibit for the museum’s Clock Tower Holidays, which runs through Dec. 30 and will also include “Lamplight Tours” on Dec. 1 and “Cookies at the Clock Tower” on Dec. 16. Opening night guests paid $25 each to get the first peak and tour of the exhibit, while savoring catered hors d’oeuvres and adult beverages. The displays were awe- inspiring. Designers have turned holiday trees into cinematic displays of such movies as Harry Potter, Phantom of the Opera, Pirates of the Caribbean, Babe, Toy Story, The Grinch That Stole Christmas, Star Trek and more. Keeping with the movie motif, wreaths were decorated to highlight such movies as Wizard of Oz, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, A Christmas Story, Star Wars and A Tribute to the Academy Awards.

They call what happened on Oct. 27 "Independent City" because it is a celebration of learning what life holds for Foster Youth who are suddenly on their own after age 18, when the state no longer provides support. Independent City took place on the campus of Bakersfield College (BC) with dozens of foster youth and pregnant or parenting teens finding out what they can expect as legally defined "adults." Approximately 100 attended the fifth annual event, presented by the Kern County Superintendent of SchoolsÂ’ Foster Youth Services, Kern County Department of Human Services and BC. More than 30 agency and community vendors participated including the Bakersfield Police Department, Bright House Networks and the Kern Schools Federal Credit Union." This is an outreach event to prepare transition-aged youth (ages 16-18) for life outside of foster care with a real focus on school to career programs," said Foster Youth Services Supervising Case Manager Carrie Bloxom. "This year students had opportunities to receive vocational education instruction, featuring hands-on activities, in the fields of horticulture, medical assisting, manufacturing, computer aided drafting and culinary arts. BC instructors presented courses which are currently part of the curriculum at the college."