Susan Barr
Kern Valley Sun

For a few hours last Saturday, Tank Park in Lake Isabella set the stage for a unique political event; the valley’s first Americana Rally. As kids played in the playground and teenagers shot hoops on a nearby court, a large group of valley residents sat side-by-side in the shade, listenening to local speakers share their ideas about the land they love and the values and ideals they hold dear.

Event organizer, Robert “Mac” McDaniel, a relatively new transplant to the valley, almost single handedly pulled the rally together over a period of just a few weeks. When asked what motivated him to undertake such an ambitious event, he stated, “I learned that a political event was being planned in the valley and that the speakers slated to appear, had beliefs very different from my own. I felt it was important to offer the conservative minded citizens of the valley an alternative, one where they could have a voice of their own.” McDaniel added that he was very pleased with the number of local businesses that wanted to be sponsors of the event.

Andrea Babb, left, director of the Kern River Valley Republican Party Chapter speaks with Assemblymember Jean Fuller, at Saturdays Americana Rally at Tank Park in Lake Isabella.

Assemblymember Jean Fuller was invited to attend the event and was one of the first speakers to address the early morning crowd. She thanked everyone for coming out to be a part of what she felt was an exciting event. Fuller, who was born and raised in Kern County, told the receptive audience that she’s always happy to return to the valley. Her parents resided here for many years, so it feels like home. With less than two weeks remaining before the election, the assemblymember took advantage of the opportunity to touch on several important issues, most notably Proposition 11, which deals with district restructuring.

Next on center stage were two of the incumbents hoping to retain their seats on the Kern Valley Healthcare District Board of Trustees; Barbara Casas and Bob Jamison. Jamison, who has been on the board for eight years, shared with the crowd some of the board accomplishments of which he is most proud. In her speech, Casas similarly cited what she believed were the most worthwhile changes that have taken place during her 12 years on the board.

Several members of the Republicans of the Kern River Valley were on hand to lend their support and to help out with the event. Both Lynn MacGarity, interim President and Andrea Babb, Director of the relatively new association addressed the audience. In her heartfelt speech, Babb was able to share with the audience her unique perspective as a Navajo.

Chad Whiteley, Pastor of the Landmark Missionary Baptist Church in Lake Isabella was another speaker that the crowd enjoyed hearing from. He spoke about the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence and shared how he believes that today, there are those who are fighting to destroy the principles behind the two documents, notably faith, family, and freedom.  

Local business owner and long time valley resident, Kathy Bohn, was one of the attendees who was only too happy to lend her support to the event. When asked why she had decided to participate, Bohn responded, “My country is very important to me and I want to see the United States that I grew up in, continue to exist.” She also added that events like the Americana Rally clearly show that there are many others in the valley who feel the same way.

Not all of the event attendees were long time conservative voters. Seven year old Luke Barr was there with his family experiencing his first political rally. When asked what he thought of the event, the youngster stated, ”The people there seemed really nice. And the candy was really good.”

Overall, McDaniel was very pleased with the rally turnout. For a first time event, he thought the attendance of 100 was a significant accomplishment, adding, “This weekend’s event is only the beginning. Now that I’ve seen that the conservatives of the valley are eager to have a voice, I’m looking forward to bringing other like-minded people together to put on additional events.