Scenic 395 - The Official Guide 2019/2020

tance that my raft group was in-sync with our paddling routine when our instructor gave out the rowing commands. This was a great workout down the Kern River, to say the least. To be honest, I was pretty impressed that I wasn’t knocked out of the raft once because of the intense rapids, but I got absolutely soaked more times than I can count on my hands. The more wet I got that day, the merrier. This was one of the best ways to beat the heat that I could possibly think of, and I was hav- ing a blast battling the rapids all day with a single paddle. However, it certainly wasn’t all rough. In a few spots of the river’s route where the water was deep and the current was calm, many of my fellow rafters and I took full advantage to jump in and float with our feet downstream and heads tilted backwards. That was truly heavenly, as the water was the perfect temperature and it put a huge smile on my face because I felt like Baloo the bear in “The Jungle Book” during the scene of the movie when he lazily floats down the river on his back. Another thing that I really loved was my ability to simply leave all of my electronics in my car and enjoy nature for hours on a Sun- day. Being able to leave the electronics in the car was a type of freedom not many people get to experience very often. Afterward, I was very sore all over my body and in places I didn’t know could even be- come sore, and had plenty of water in my ears. But would I do it all over as soon as pos- sible and jump in a raft again on those class four rapids, though? Without a doubt! And with plenty of hot days ahead this summer, this is certainly an adventurous way to cool off. Continued from Page 21 2019-2020 Scenic 395 22 Kern River Valley T he Kern River Valley Historical Society was formed in 1967 to preserve and record the rich history of the region, celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2017. Eleven people met at Ardis Walker’s home in Kernville. The Society filed incorporation pa- perwork in 1968 with 95 charter members envisioning that a museum would ultimately be built. They worked with the Art Associa- tion to build the Kernville Chamber of Com- merce building in which a museum area was included. It opened in 1975. In 1989, the Historical Society purchased the doctor’s office at its current location for a down payment of $100,000. Through strong fund raising efforts, community support and large donations from private foundations, the Historical Society soon paid off the mortgage. The Historical Society remodeled the doc- tor’s office and with substantial donations of artifacts from the local community, and the present museum was opened to the public. Since the Kern River Valley Historical Society is an all-volunteer organization, the Society was able to open and continues to provide free admission to the public. There are over 12,000 visitors each year to the Museum. In 1991, the Historical Society was willed by the Ardis and Gayle Walker home in Kernville with extensive art, documents, and approximately 7,000 books. The Walker House and its contents were cared for by the Historical Society from 1991 to 2018. By 1993, the Historical Society ran out of room to display all the holdings so added on to the exhibit area. In 2005, the Society built an outside venue for meetings and the popu- lar summer time evening showing of movies filmed in the Kern River Valley. It became known as the Pack Station. In 2010, the Pack Station was expanded to provide shade cover from the hot sun. In 2014, the lot across the street from the Museum was donated to the Historical Socie- ty to house the holdings of the Ardis and Gayle Walker House. The facility will make the contents more accessible to the public for research and to provide room for educational seminars. Construction of the new ‘Annex’ was completed in October 2016. The Annex opened in the Spring of 2017. With sustained community support and thousands of volunteer hours over the last 50 years the Historical Society has achieved wonderful results in preserving the history of the Kern Valley and created a museum for which they are justifiably proud. The Muse- um is open Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the Annex is open Mon- day, Wednesday and Saturday. Kern River Valley Historical Society history PHOTO BY AARON CRUTCHFIELD Downtown Kernville is seen on a summer day.