Ever Walked the Streets of Bakersfield? Despite its size, Bakersfield, California, is a large small town. It has the conveniences and amenities of a large urban area, but visitors comment on others smiling and saying ‘ ‘hello.’ With music, festivals, outdoor activities, performing arts and sports, there are ample activities for visitors to explore and reasons for a return visit. Bakersfield’s historic and primary industries are oil and agriculture. Oil was discovered in 1865; by 1870, more than 600 people called Bakersfield home. In the 1930s, Bakersfield saw a surge in population from those fleeing the Dust Bowl. In 2013, Kern County produced more oil than any other county in America. Kern County is a part of the highly productive San Joaquin Valley and ranks in the top five most productive agricultural counties in the U.S. Major crops for Kern County include grapes, citrus, almonds, carrots, alfalfa, cotton and roses. The city gained fame in the late 1950s and early 1960s for the Bakersfield Sound, an electric guitar-driven subgenre of country music that commercially dominated the industry for more than a decade. Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and Dwight Yoakam were its bestknown stars. Buck first recorded “Streets of Bakersfield” in 1972 and re-recorded it in 1988 as a duet with Dwight Yoakam, again hitting number one. Opening in 1996, Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace is a must see for visitors to Bakersfield. The all-in-one restaurant, museum and music venue spotlights the rich history of the Bakersfield Sound and the career of Buck Owens. The Palace is home to countless items of memorabilia from Owens’ early days to his time as co-host of Hee-Hawand his final years as a living legend. Until his passing in 2006, Owens would perform each weekend for fans who came from across the globe to pay homage to the star. RV Lifestyle CSANews | SUMMER 2021 | 31
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