Page6 The Ren egade Rip I www. th erip.com Wednesday, October 6, 2010 Tower of Power returns to KC Fair By Martin Chang Along with founding member, Stephen Reporter Kupla, Castillio has written most of the band's original catalog. Since their start Tower of Power played a high energy set they have been touring consistently. at the Kern County Fair Budweiser Pavil­ Of the people interviewed, all mentioned ion stage to an appreciative a love of the genre that audience. TOP plays. Some called it TOP played to a neai·ly full "blues," and others called it audience on Sept. 28. The au­ " funk." Several pointed out dience was responding to the the "groove" of the musi­ beginning of each song by cians as an attraction. yelling and clapping. At the Raul Duarte, an attendee end of some songs the clap­ at the concert, saw their ping lasted as long as nine music as innovative and seconds. The audience had cal led them "musician's a similar response to many musicians." instrumental solos and songs He pa,ticularly liked the they recognized. playing of the horn section For several songs, whole and the drummer. He has sections of the audience been a long time fan and were standing and danc- .....____ .... GREGORY D. COOK /TlIE RlP Larry "LB" Braggs estimated that he has seen Vaquero Renee Reyes brings his brahamn bull out of the chute during the Fiesta Del Charro Rodeo at ing. The audience laughed at them "20 or more times." lead singer of the band Larry the Kern County Fair on Oct. 3. Another attendee, Arlene Braggs' stage banter that included him Taylor, had been vaguely aware of the saying things like "Time to get funky like band, but she did not become a fan until a bow-legged monkey." she saw them at the fair last year. Emilio Castillio, a founding member of She said, "They had a lot of energy. I PRCA Rodeo thrills fair goers TOP, calls the band's music "Urban Soul (jke the venue where you can really see the Music." group, because every seat is a good seat They have been around since 1968. here. I like the rhythm and blues style." By Zak Cowan Reporter On Oct. 2 the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association put on the Kern County Fair Rodeo. Victor Torres holds on The rodeos had roughly 14 differ­ for a wild ride as his ent competitions, including a female bull goes airborne at barrel race. bull riding, and tie down the Fiesta Del Charro roping. Rodeo presented by the Mickel Jay, 27, has been coming to Flying U Rodeo on Oct. the rodeo for 17 years and has paitici­ 3. pated in the event before. "It's such an adrenaline rush - one of the best you 'II ever have," said Jay. "[The rodeo] is one of the best events GREGORY D. COOK /THE RIP [at the fair]; it's always packed with all sorts of stuff." Jay said that his whole fam ily is competing against the clock and the The stadium was filled to capacity, into the rodeo and that he wants to other competitors. "It's probably the and the event that got the most feed­ enter one of the competitions again hai·dest competition in the rodeo, be­ back from the crowd was the bull rid­ sometime soon. sides the [bull] riding," said Nauman. ing. Matt Nauman paiticipated in the tie Roughly 70 men and women pai·­ The fair also held a Latino heritage GREGORY D. COOK /THE RIP down roping, where the rider chases ticipated in the rodeo, with most of rodeo on Oct. 3, where a free Corona Oakland soul group Tower of Power gives a free concert at the Kern down a calf and ties its legs together, them coming from Bakersfield. was handed out to every attendee. County Fair on Sept. 29. The group, which formed in 1968. Dominguez Gang Unit cracks down during fair By James Licea sings to Reporter The Kern County Sheriff's Depa1tment Gang Unit started up in 1989. Since then, they have been working the Kern County fair eve,y yeai·. Their Lucha Libre responsibil ities are to try to prevent gang related incidents. Lieutenant Bart Camps is in charge of the sher­ iff's depaitment at the fair. He stated that Gang fair crowd Unit is effective 365 days a yeai·, not just at the fair. They usually patrol in sheriff's cars, sometimes in unmai·ked vehicles. By Michael Wafford According to Camps, Gang Unit came about Opinions Editor because gangs were beginning to develop in Kern County. They needed special expertise to deal with Hector Dominguez rode into these criminal ailments. GREGORY D. COOK /THE RIP the grandstand of the Kern "Officers are specially trained in the recogni­ County Fair on Sept. 26 to tion of gang members and the practices," Camps A member of the Sheriffs Gang Unit dance with horses. said. They focus on gang-related crimes and are patrols the fairgrounds Sept. 26. Dominguez, 35, has been responsible for tai·geting gangs who are causing pe1fo1111ing for 17 years and problems. unnoticed by sheriffs and police officers. tours North Ame1ica pe1fo1m­ The reason they are required as fair personnel, Jennifer Facio, 23, said she attended the fair on ing mai"iachi while riding atop according to Senior Deputy of Gang Unit Lauro Wednesday as well as Friday and saw no violence. horses. Cantu, is because people from all over Kern County Facio said that she didn't notice Gang Unit on both "Mai"iachi is Mexico's heart show up to this event. Being such a populai· event, of her visits. She described the fair being more and soul," said Dominguez, GREGORY D. COOK /THE RIP rival gang members often encounter each other. pleasant than her previous visits, "Bakersfield has who began singing as a boy. Hector Dominguez serenades fans from the back of his On Sept. 18, Cantu reported stopping eight to JO tamed down since I was in high school." "Dancing horses ai·e a pait of trained Andalusian horse at the fairgrounds Sept. 26. fights. The large amount of people makes breaking Nancy Rivera, 22, had a different account of Mexico's culture." up a fight a difficult task. "You're ultimately sur­ the fair. On Saturday, Sept. 18, she saw two girls Riding in on a strutting An­ cente Fernandez, Dominguez paiticipant to the Kern County rounded by hundreds of people," Cantu said about standing in line arguing after one girl confronted dalusian horse, Dominguez per­ accompanied his uncle several Fair, having performed with his the mindset of officers while breaking up a fight. the other. The girl who incited the ai·gument began fonned for a crowd of around times during his youth, helping dancing horses before and also "You don't know who they are or what their inten­ punching the other girl until she fell to the ground. 600, only dismounting to develop his appreciation and paiticipating in the rodeo. "I tions ai·e." After she fell, the girl continued to beat her while change horses and serenade the love of mariachi. was a rodeo paiticipant a few When an act of violence takes place, Cantu gives she was on the ground. crowd on foot. Dominguez was accompanied yeai·s ago. I still do [rodeos]," an account of the procedure that is followed to try to Rivera said the girl being beaten eventually got Dominguez's performance by Ma1iachi La Voz De Mex ico, said Dominguez. intervene. "The biggest thing we try to do," Cantu up and began running away. The other girl and a opened up for Lucha Libre and a band of eight led by band di­ "I'm a cowboy at heart," said, "is get the main people who ai·e involved out group of her friends began chasing her through La Internacional Sonora Mai·ia­ rector Juan Cortez, who said, said Dominguez, who tours the of the area." This is for the safety of the surround­ crowds of people. "I was trying to look for a cop. chi Show. "We work with Dominguez a United States and Mexico and ing people and the sheriffs. They were by the games standing ai·ound." Rivera The nephew of ranchera and couple of times a year." plans on returning to the Kern While some people who attended the fair report­ explained that, by the time she saw them, it was mai·iachi singer-songwiiter Vin- Dominguez was a returning County Fair. ed seeing no violence, others saw fights that went too late. Page 7 Th e Renegade Rip I www.therip.com Wednesday, October 6, 2010 Fair exhibit shows off Organization a Bakersfield artist improvises at fair By Kristen Blue Press releases and Facebook are By Chrystal Fortt work, Nancy Ely, her watercolors are Reporter also used to spread the word. Reporter fantastic, Shirley Rowles, I love her The family selection committee work," said Tom. For the past 10 years, Habitat then scans through all the appli­ Tom Bumgarner, who used to take art "Mary Lou Slinkard, she does a lot for Humanity has been build­ cations. classes at Bakersfield College, entered of western, her family are cattle people. ing houses at the Kern County According to Hernandez, 10 pieces in the art section of the fine Her and her husband use to have a ranch Fair. Last year, they completed a monthly payments on the houses arts building at the Kern County Fair and up in Kernville, she's a natural in cows.