Sounds of Summer bring all to Old Town Kern
If you’re seeking a way to take the sting out of these blisteringly hot days, look no further than the Sounds of Summer Concert Series, which kicks off today.
Popular local Latin ska reggae band Mento Buru will perform at Narducci’s Cafe, which reopened in April under new ownership.
This series is the latest effort from The Hub of Bakersfield, a nonprofit committed to reinvigorating the urban core. Although early projects took place downtown, the latest campaign focused on improving Old Town Kern and saving the Southern Pacific train depot on Sumner Street.
“Last year we launched ‘Revitalize Old Town Kern/Save Sumner Depot’ to generate support,” said Ward 2 City Councilman Andrae Gonzales, who also serves as The Hub’s chairman. “Our effort is to continue that campaign on an annual basis, lifting up this particular neighborhood, activating it and supporting existing businesses.”
“The goal is to get more people who don’t normally come to Old Town Kern to come out and see what it has to offer.”
Gonzales cited long-standing restaurants Arizona Cafe, Wool Growers, Luigi’s and Pyrenees Cafe as popular draws to the neighborhood, with Narducci’s being added again to the list after lying dormant for years.
New owner Edgar Ruelas, who once worked there as a dishwasher under previous restaurateur Jimmy Narducci, has reignited this stop on popular Basque pub crawl, offering another place to enjoy Basque favorites and a venue for live music.
“It’s a place that had been shuttered for quite some time,” Gonzales said. “The public has not had an opportunity to enjoy that unique space.”
Matt Munoz, lead vocalist for Mento Buru, said the band is excited to play the cafe once again.
“It will be fun to be back at one of our old stomping grounds,” Munoz wrote in an email. “Narducci’s holds a special place in the hearts of so many bands and regulars. When the show was announced, the response was immediate.”
Noting some fans were unaware that the restaurant had reopened, the musician said, “We’re looking forward to waking up the spirits of OTK on Friday night.”
Gonzales said two more concerts are planned in the series: one at Pyrenees Cafe in July and another in August. The final location and bands are in the process of being finalized.
“We’re hoping to partner with a lot of different bands for this and in the future,” Gonzales said. “We want to support artists in various different media … support in a very real way, paying them for their work.”
Other Hub projects in the works for Old Town Kern include another round of Paint the Void, in which visual artists will transform the exterior of vacant structures, a commission for a permanent mural in another location and a walking tour of the neighborhood.
And Gonzales continues to work with the city to plan the next step for the Sumner station, finding a use that is “appropriate and accessible to a lot of different people.”
For now, the concert series and campaign aim to pique interest in Old Town Kern for existing businesses and those yet to come.
“The Hub believes it has a role in activating the space,” he said. “If you can bring people down, it encourages more positivity. You see it in pockets of downtown.
“Success begets success.”