Newsletter - Taft Chamber of Commerce

Newsletter
Goodbye 2014,
Hello 2015!
400 Kern Street
Taft, CA, 93268
Phone: (661) 765-2165
Fax: (661) 765-6639
www.taftchamber.com
TaftChamber@gmail.com
Our Platinum Sponsors
Our Gold Sponsors
We ended the
year on a high
note here in Taft! Taco Bell
opened on Saturday, December 27, and the town rejoiced.
If we can apply this enthusiasm about all of the businesses 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
dedication to our town.
Dennis Schertz opened The
Bank on North Street and the
Best Western Hotel construction 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 Taft.
ly opened the Modified Community Correctional Facility,
creating additional 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 Taft Chamber, we have
expanded our reach and were
able to bring Fireworks to Taft
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 support the event again for 2015.
of individuals working together to make the event as successful as the 100 year celebration. Here at the Taft
Chamber, we are proud to be
selling the stickers for your
vehicles and businesses and
hope you will stop by to get
yours today!
The Taft Chamber Installation
Dinner is planned for Thursday, February 5. We are
proud to be able to host this
event at the Taft 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!
And 2015 would not be complete without the return of the
We hope you had a wonderful
second largest event in Kern
County—Taft Oildorado! The holiday and we wish you a
event is being held on October Happy New Year!
The City of Taft has successful- 9-18, 2015 and there are lots
Wednesday mornings @ 9AM
Taft Chamber, 400 Kern Street
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 endeavor 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 experiences. 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.
1961), Gerald Dragoo (Class
of 1964), and Nicholas Kaufman (Class of 1961) will be
honored at the 2015 Hall of
Fame Banquet.
The Hall of Fame was instituted 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.
While visiting with us, the librarians answered questions about
December 17, 2014
the state of the Library. Many rumors have been circulated
Craig Jones, Manager, City of Taft
about the possibility of the Library moving to another location in
our town. The guests could not comment on the rumors, stating City Manager Craig Jones, fresh from accolades form the Kern
they simply had no knowledge of the plans the County has in
County Grand Jury for his exemplary job in executing the tasks
store.
associated with running a City, was invited to update the Sit n
We were able to learn that our local Library branch has no oper- Sip group on the many projects which will likely carry over into
2015. The Rails to Trails extension to A Street Park is finished.
ating TV and no WiFi, making them, as source of information and
Future work on the Rails to Trails (Second Street to the Musehelp to citizens, almost null and void. They also have had to
um) will be done with the help of the California Conservation
suspend Grandma’s Attic, a story-reading time for tots, due to
Corps. Federal projects require municipalities to ask the CCC to
lack of personnel time. They are, however, getting into Faceassist on such projects. Mr. Colston’s Sandy Creek Estates is
Book, utilizing that format to inform folks of the activities and
programs available at the Library. The Library is open Tuesdays, coming along well with model homes expected during the first
half of the new year. The Freedom Homes project, off Pilgrim
Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and SaturAvenue also is moving forward. Safe Routes to School money
day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You still get a Friends of the Library
will use $20,000 to update crosswalks (striping in pavement) and
membership with your Library membership.
will provide lighting in front of the Fort on Tenth Street. The
December 10, 2014
south side of Fifth Street Plaza has begun its renovation, and
Jan Ashley, Chair, Taft High School Hall of Fame Committee
there is discussion about non-profits in our community taking on
the repainting of the oilfield equipment on Center Street in time
Jan Ashley, current Chair of the Taft High School Hall of Fame
for Oildorado. We always appreciate a visit from our City ManCommittee, made the official announcement of the newest inager.
ductees to the Hall of Fame for this year: Les Clark, Jr. (Class of
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 studentathlete and former 9-year veteran major league baseball player. Coomer attended and played baseball at Taft College in 19861987 and was a 14th round draft pick by the Oakland Athletics in June, 1987. Coomer still holds records at Taft College, most notably 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 retired 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 support 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.
By Dr. Kathy Orrin, Executive Director
Taco Bell opens to a long line of eagerly-waiting customers!
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 begun 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 announcement 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 information 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!
By Shannon Jones, Event Coordinator
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 going out this month and we hope you will join us
again this year. Suggestions for events and additions 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 success 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.
January 2015
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
2
3
6-10pm, First
Friday Cruise
Night
4
11
5
School
Resumes
5pm, Supervisor
David Couch
Swearing In
Ceremony
6
12-6pm,
Houchin Blood
Bank
12
13
No City Council
Meeting
SCORE
Workshop
18
7
9am, Sit n Sip,
Taft Chamber
6pm, Industry
Night, Taft
Petroleum Club
8
20
21
Martin Luther
King Jr Day
6pm, City
9am, Sit n Sip,
Council Meeting Taft Chamber
26
27
28
9am, Sit n Sip,
Taft Chamber
6pm, State of
the County
Dinner
16
17
4pm,
Annexation
Meeting
12pm, Hall of
Fame Meeting
22
4pm, GTEDA
Board Meeting
23
24
6pm, Taft
College Triple
Play Dinner, The
Fort
29
30
6pm, Planning
Commission
Meeting
25
10
2:30pm/5:30pm
Transit Planning
Event, WSRPD
14
15
6-10am, ADAKC
Cinnamon Roll
Fundraiser
9am, Sit n Sip,
Taft Chamber
4pm, Taft
Chamber Board
Meeting
19
9
31
1
8
15
2
9
16
President’s Day
4
9am, Sit n Sip,
6pm, City Council Taft Chamber
Meeting
6pm, Petroleum
Club Industry
Night
5
10
11
9am, Sit n Sip,
Taft Chamber
4pm, Together
We Can Meeting
12
18
19
3
17
6
6pm, Chamber
Installation and
Awards
7
WSRPD Father6-10pm, First
Daughter Dance
Friday Car Cruise
13
14
Valentine’s Day
20
21
West Kern Oil
Museum Annual
Dinner
6pm, City Council 9am, Sit n Sip,
Meeting
Taft Chamber
6pm, Planning
Commission Mtg
SAVE THE DATE!
Taft Chamber presents:
Annual Installation &
Community Awards Reception
Thursday, February 5, 2015
6:00-9:00pm
25, Chamber Board Meeting
March
2015
3, Houchin Blood Mobile / City Council Meeting
17, City Council Meeting
18, Planning Commission Meeting
30-April 3, Spring Break
Taft Fox Theater
Hollywood Game
Night—
“Bet on Taft!”
Featuring an old Hollywood Cocktail
Reception & Awards presentation
Reserve your tickets @ 765-2165
FOLLOW THE COUNTDOWN
WHISKERINO CONTEST
REGISTRATION BEGINS Monday, January 5. Registration takes place during regular operating 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 information!
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
BUY YOUR WINDOW STICKER AT
TRUE VALUE
AND AT THE
TAFT
CHAMBER
Only $3
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
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 Chapter 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 Nazarene
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 Association
Westside Believer's Fellowship
Westside Childrens Camp
Westside Christian Ministers'
Association
Westside Economic Development Company, LLC
Westside Furniture Inc.
Westside Waste Management
Willow Ranch Restaurant
2014 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President: Bob Leikam
Domino’s Pizza
1st Vice: Emmanuel Campos
Monarch Fleet Services
2nd Vice President: Ron Sousa
Albertsons
Treasurer: Bart Hill
United Security Bank
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.
Devinder Bains
Taft Chevrolet—Buick
Tony Cordova
Synagro
Les Clark
West Side Recreation and Park District
Bob Hampton
Westside Waste Management
Ed Herrera
Edward J Herrera Insurance Agency
Greg Hill
Old’s Cool Antiques and More
Sharon Hill
Taft Union High School
Sandy Koenig
Westside Community Resource Center
Orchel Krier
Tumbleweed Café
Michael Long
The Taft Independent
Dr. Dena Maloney
Taft College
Yvette Mayfield
City of Taft
Business Man of the Year
Business Woman of the Year
Business of the Year
Volunteer of the Year
Community Service Award
________________
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TAFT OILWORKERS MONUMENT
SPACE IS LIMITED!!
Call us at 661-765-2165 to order a
brick for that special oilfield
worker or family member to be
placed at the Taft Oilworkers
Monument.
4x8 Brick: $100—8x8 Brick: $175
Jordan Miller
Roger Miller Insurance Agency
TAFT OILDORADO
October 9-18, 2015
Civic Luncheon, Grand
Parade, Hot Air Balloons,
Music Festival, Car Show,
Gala, Whiskerino, Maid of
Petroleum, Hoosegow &
more. Contact Paul Linder
for info!
John Neumann
Accelerated Environmental
Dennis Schertz
Asian Experience
Harry Starkey
West Kern Water District
John Swearengin
Kern County Sheriff’s Office
Dan Tosti
Aera Energy LLC
Adele Ward
Taft City School District
Rodney Wikoff
West Hills Church of the Nazarene
OUR STAFF
Executive Director: Dr. Kathy Orrin
kathy.taftchamber@gmail.com
Event Coordinator: Shannon Jones
shannon.taftchamber@gmail.com
400 Kern Street
Taft, CA 93268
661-765-2165
www.taftchamber.com