This is sad news.
The legendary Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, CA, which was opened by the late great Buck Owens is reportedly closing its doors after nearly three decades.
The Owens family posted the news on social media and expressed their pride in the venue’s special legacy. It’s a family thing and I couldn’t imagine making that decision to step away something like that.
The post reads…
“We are extremely proud of the legacy of the Crystal Palace…For over 28 years we brought the best of local and national entertainment to Bakerfield, served great food, and hosted thousands of special occasions for thousands of special people and families. Although Buck left us in 2006, we continued to maintain the excellence that he expected, striving to carry out his dream.
Now, a challenging business climate plus the wishes of the Owens family members to step back from the responsibilities of management require finally shutting the doors. It is our hope that new owners will step forward to utilize this beautiful venue. Meanwhile we will do our best to fulfill scheduled commitments we’ve made in the coming months.
We know Buck would want us to thank the people of Bakersfield and fans from around the world for all of the support over the past years. We will miss you all.”
With the news of the closure spreading online it got people’s emotions going. Then people obviously started sharing memories of the venue and a lot of people are hoping that it will continue to be preserved under the new ownership. That place should be considered a damn landmark.
“The city needs to purchase this and keep it going. This is a landmark and Buck made Bakersfield what it is today.”
“Always had fun there and always looked forward to going there. Thank you Buck and Family”
“So disappointed. I was there for the Dive bar concert featuring Garth Brooks in 2019. It was my 1st time flying from Alabama to Bakersfield and had a wonderful time there. I remembered the staff was so friendly and made us felt so welcomed.”
My favorite comment was from @rivi666 (what a horrible number by the way) who said…
”@dwightyoakam DO SOMETHING!”
Hopefully the new owners…or someone does something to help make this venue stay open and preserve it’s legacy.