Mike Devich-Managing editor

The upcoming Whiskey Flat Days celebration, now only two months away on the three-day President's Day weekend, will mark a very special anniversary - it will be the 50th year that Kernville has put on this special jamboree in which the community revisits its roots as a Gold Rush mining town.

The theme for this year's Whiskey Flat Days celebration, which brings thousands of visitors to the Kern Valley to enjoy simulated old-time gunfights, a gala parade, a carnival, an art show, an old-fashioned melodrama and a lot more fun-loving shenanigans, will be "50 Years of Gold Rush Fever - Can You Feel It?" The event is sponsored by the Kernville Chamber of Commerce, and is by far its biggest fundraiser of the year. Candidates for honorary mayor of Whiskey Flat (Kernville's original name) sell "bribes" to compete against each other for the title, and generally indulge in a lot of good-natured horseplay and skullduggery to be the winner. Some of the money they raise benefits the Chamber, but a portion goes to charity.

Last year, Kellee "Kick 'Em Up Kel" VanRensselaer, winner of the title of Honorary Mayor, raised over $20,000 - and donated 40 percent to charity.

The Chamber is now inviting candidates to mount their campaigns to become Honorary Mayor of Whiskey Flat for 2005. If you would like to throw your hat into the ring and maybe become the 50th Honorary Mayor, call the chamber at (760) 376-2629.

Kickoff dinner

The annual Whiskey Flat Days Kick-Off Dinner, the real start of Whiskey Flat Days, will be on Jan. 7. The dinner this year will be a real wingding, and will be held at Ewing's On the Kern. Participants are invited to wear 1860s costumes and come with their spurs a-jingling to the affair. There will be live entertainment, raffles, door prizes, and much more. Partygoers can have their pictures taken with former mayors (if they can get them out of the hoosegow in time). Tickets are $15 pre-event, or $18 at the door. Pre-event tickets can be purchased at the chamber office at the corner of Kernville Road and Sierra Way, or at Walter Mortensen Insurance, 5520 Lake Isabella Blvd. in Lake Isabella.

The buffet dinner will start at 5 p.m. Food will be served from 5 to 8, photos will be taken from 5:30 to 6:30, and festivities will start at 7 p.m.

Enter the parade

The Whiskey Flat Days Parade is a big deal. The parade attracts many thousands of viewers each year. Civic groups, businesses, schools and equestrians are just a few of those invited to enter. Entries are free and awards will be given for the best entries, subject to parade rules. You can get a list of the rules by calling the chamber office or writing them at P.O. Box 397, Kernville CA 93238. Information is also available at www.kernvillechamber.org.

Organizational meeting today

There will be a preparation meeting for Whiskey Flat Days that will take place at the Kernville Chamber building today, Dec. 15, at 3 p.m.

For more information, call the Kernville Chamber at 376-2629.