The Bakersfield Guy's Newsletter! Issue #8

I can't believe we're almost to issue #10! The interest for the newsletter slowly grows! Thanks for everything guys. I couldn't have gotten this far without your help.

Author

Bakersfield Guy
August 07, 2025

🎟️ Events This Week: August 7th-13th 2025

More events for this week. Looks like things are slowing down a bit with school starting again next week. I will continue to tweak with the events format next week. You guys also might want to come and checkout the newsletter on the website because if events sneak past me, i’ll have a late addition section as I find or get informed of other events.

💡 Click the bold event name for tickets or more info.

Thursday, August 7

Friday, August 8

Saturday, August 9

Sunday, August 10

Monday-Wednesday?

Looks like a pretty slow week. Probably with it being back to school, local businesses think it’s better to play it slow.

Late Additions

KCSO Hiring Event
📍 962 Norris Rd, Bakersfield
🗓️ Saturday, August 10 @ 8:30 AM
Meet deputies, learn about careers, and take on-site testing for Deputy & Detentions Deputy roles.
More info: KCSOJOBS.org

Bakersfield Collector-Con @ Dignity Health Arena (Saturday & Sunday, 11:00 AM–5:00 PM)
Two days of family fun with vendors, celebrities, comics, collectibles, toys, and more

Thank you Bakersfield!

Almost 250 subscribers to the newsletter!

Thank you guys so much for the support. To think this is only the 8th weekly newsletter, and we’re about to cross over 250 subscribers. When I started this little project I was testing the waters to see if there was many people Intrested, and look at how far we’ve already come. I’ve got a lot of work to do on my end, but I just want to say thank you. Keep sharing with anyone that needs something to do this weekend!

Don’t forget to follow along on my other socials as well. Instagram, Facebook and TikTok!

Local Business Spotlight

My Spot Downtown Grill— 1412 17th St.— Inside the Haberfelde Building

My favorite at My Spot Downtown Grill is the double western!

The Philly Cheesesteak

This spot I randomly ran into a few years ago, and it’s one of the best tasting and consistently good I have found. My Spot Downtown Grill is located in the heart of our little downtown area. It is a popular spot for lunch hour that only goes from Monday to Friday from 7AM-3PM. When my wife and I first found out about this place, we couldn’t stop going back LOL To this day it’s still one of our favorite lunch spots. it’s not the cheapest lunch, but just look at the pictures. The food is delicious! Please give them a try. The burgers, sandwiches, wet burritos, and. everything we’ve tried has been to die for.

The Wet Burrito!

Best picture I had of the onion rings! I’m sorry LOL

Remembering the past.

Bakersfield History

The 1889 Southern Pacific Sumner Depot

This week’s history segment is brought to you by my friend from reddit who goes by CartographerLess3945. He has helped me in the past, and I really like this piece he put together all about the train station that we all see to this day on Baker St. and Sumner St. Check out his original post here, and a big shoutout to him for allowing me to post his work to my newsletter. 

On June 27, 1889, the Southern Pacific Railroad opened its grand new depot at Sumner and Baker Streets then the separate town of Sumner, later Kern City, then East Bakersfield. Constructed of Richardsonian Romanesque style the station featured a notable long arcade connecting the train waiting room and attached hotel. Designed to serve the bustling San Joaquin Valley corridor, the depot welcomed SP trains such as the San Joaquin Daylight, Sacramento Daylight, and Owl Limited. until passenger service ended in 1971 with the advent of Amtrak.

By the late 1930s, ornamental stonework was removed and much of the station was streamlined into a Spanish Colonial Revival aesthetic though its steep pitched roof and iconic arcade remained. After passenger service ended, the depot’s hotel rooms were transformed into office space, and a portion of the arcade was enclosed. Union Pacific merged with SP’ and used the building as a crew change center and office base until there new office was built recently. The station still occasionally hosts Amtrak’s Coast Starlight when rerouted.

Still standing today its long canopy still shelters the platform to the tracks and recalls its role as a valley gateway. While stripped of much ornamentation, it stands as the last surviving SP passenger depot in Bakersfield, and an enduring testament to the city’s shift eastward toward Sumner. In an era when train travel defined city growth, the Sumner depot symbolized Bakersfield’s transformation from dusty settlement into regional center and its up to all of us to make sure this piece of history stays with us for future generations to enjoy.

I love this image! A bustling station filled to the brim with travelers of their time.

That’s it for this week.

As per usual, thanks for all the kinds words and support I’ve been getting on this little project!

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The Bakersfield Guy