Community pride: Wall of Fame unveiled in Oildale, USA

Apr. 28—Oildale certainly has its share of problems. But it also has its share of community pride.

On Friday morning, Oildale pride was in the driver's seat as dozens of area residents came out to see the unveiling of the Oildale Wall of Fame.

"We're here to celebrate the extraordinary life achievements of three local heroes: Merle Haggard, Kevin Harvick and Buck Owens," 3rd District Supervisor Jeff Flores said to the crowd gathered off North Chester Avenue, just north of Norris Road.

"Each of these individuals has left an indelible mark on our community ... and serve as a shining example of what is possible when we refuse to let adversity define who we are."

The Wall of Fame Project began with Flores' predecessor, former Supervisor Mike Maggard, Flores said. Maggard wanted to give the community something inspiring, something visible in their own neighborhood.

Oildale has long played an important role in the rich history of Bakersfield and Kern County, and the two country music icons along with NASCAR driver and racing legend Kevin Harvick are a good start to a project that Flores thinks will continue to grow.

"Who knows? The next addition could be Gerald Haslam," he said, referring to the award-winning novelist, essayist and biographer who grew up alongside Haggard in the same Oildale neighborhood.

Assemblyman Vince Fong was also at the unveiling and ribbon-cutting Friday. And like Flores, he praised the examples the three men set.

"They are a testament," he said, "to what you can accomplish with hard work, determination and grit."

As the crowd watched, Flores and Merle Haggard's nephew Jim Haggard removed a black cloth that had covered the Wall of Fame, revealing three large metal commemorative plaques, honoring the two country music icons and the local auto racing legend.

Jim Haggard pointed out that the Wall of Fame is adjacent to the railroad tracks that ran behind Merle Haggard's boyhood home, a house made from a converted boxcar.

"Merle has written several songs about the railroad," Jim Haggard said. "One of the last ones was about the oil tanker train. He could hear it from his house.

"We do need more pride in Oildale," he said. "It's always been a part of my life because my dad grew up here after they moved from Oklahoma."

Indeed, the railroad tracks weren't the only local feature connected to the honorees. Harvick attended North High School, which is not far from the wall, and raced at local tracks.

And Jim Shaw, a 53-year veteran of Buck Owens' band, the famed Buckaroos — who was there Friday to cut the ribbon — pointed out that the former Buck Owens Studios was easily visible just south of Friday's event.

Shaw noted Owens received many national honors and awards during his long career. But there was something special about being recognized in his adoptive home town.

"He always appreciated the local stuff very much," Shaw said. "It was so important to him."

Longtime local singer Jennifer Keel was also there Friday to witness the event.

"It's always nice to see the Bakersfield Sound and all of Bakersfield's heroes being recognized," Keel said after Friday's event.

"But I think there's so many more to come," she said.

"There's not only the old Bakersfield Sound, but it's diversified into a multitude of different sounds because we're such a musical community — so there's the whole future of the Bakersfield Sound."

Big House, which recorded two albums for MCA Nashville in the late-1990s, didn't sound like Buck or Merle, but Keel said their music had a Bakersfield, in-your-face personality.

"Look at Mento Buru," she said of the longtime local Latin-ska band. "They're the same way."

Maybe the three local heroes are just a start for the Oildale Wall of Fame.

Who knows where it will go from here.

Steven Mayer can be reached at 661-395-7353. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter: @semayerTBC.