TAFT, Calif. (KGET) — Taft may look small, but at Friday’s Oildorado kickoff luncheon, it had huge hometown pride.
Sherry Sinden has lived in Taft for 55 years and has worked for Oildorado for some of them. This year she’s the volunteer manager.
“This is all about oil and our industry, so there is a lot of history here — you can come down and find out the history,” she said.
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Sinden says regardless of how long people have lived in the city, they all share one thing: Taft Pride.
“We love Taft … very tight knit community. Everybody I went to kindergarten with, I’m still friends with and they all still live here,” says Sinden. “What we love here is we’re tight and it’s small and we love the small community.”
Some families like Breann Bracken’s moved to Taft back in 1910 and have been coming to Oildorado for years. She says it’s a reminder of the influence oil has on not only the country but the nation.
“I have family who came here strictly to work in oil. So, it’s really about celebrating oil, celebrating the industry celebrating those who work into it … Oil is a really big deal for us and it’s kind of what keeps this little town going and the whole entire country.”
There is a little something for everyone over the next nine days of festivities. On Friday, Oct. 17, a Casino Night will be held at the historic Fort. On Saturday Oct. 18, the city will hold a grand parade, mayor’s luncheon and a gala hosted by the Taft Chamber of Commerce. Gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton joined the Oildorado event as Friday’s luncheon keynote speaker.
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“I am a huge supporter of our energy industry in California. I have spent a lot of time already here in Kern County, I’ve been to Taft before. I’ve seen the community I’ve have spent a lot of time learning about this industry,” said Hilton.
Hitlon also expressed his eagerness to expand the energy sector in Kern County. “I would sign anything that helps our oil and gas industry in California and in Kern County. As governor, we would never have been in that position if I was in charge … We need to go much further… we need to maximize production in Kern County.”
President of Oildorado, Stephanie Molina, shares what she loves most about this event.
“Honestly, I love contributing to the community and give them something to look forward to. It makes all the hard work worth it.”
The event ends on Oct. 19 so grab your boots, some Taft pride and come on down to celebrate the impact oil has had on the center of Midway.