The Condors began the 2007-08 season with a nine-year total attendance of 1,856,506. With the fourth-highest average attendance in the league, the Condors have added an additional 136,318 fans this season, meaning that only 7,176 fans are needed to reach the 2,000,000 mark!

The 2 millionth fan is expected to walk through the Rabobank Arena's doors at one of this weekend's games, either on Saturday night or Sunday afternoon. That person will have numerous gifts and honors showered upon them, such as a 10th Anniversary jersey with "2 million" as the number and tickets for the remainder of the 2007-08 season. The 2 millionth fan will also receive a team-signed hockey stick, a commemorative plaque, upgraded seats for that night and a lottery ticket with the numbers of that night's starting lineup.

Friday, Feb. 22 - No Condors game, but the 4th Annual Fighting Cancer Hockey-Thon kicks off at 11:59 p.m. at the Ice Sports Center.

Saturday, Feb. 23 - The Hockey-Thon shifts to the main stage, as the Condors host the Stockton Thunder at 7 p.m. The first 2,000 fans, 12- and-under, will receive a Yutaka Fukufuji Bobblehead, courtesy of ABC23 and Carl's Jr. Doors open at 6 p.m. Hockey-Thon action continues after the game!

Sunday, Feb. 24 - The Hockey-Thon wraps up with a Condors vs. Fresno Falcons Alumni Game at noon, followed by a game between the current Condors and Falcons at 2 p.m., sponsored by Bright House Networks, KUZZ 107.9 & Hudson Custom Construction. Doors open at 11:45 a.m. For more information on the Hockey-Thon, including Alumni Game rosters, click here.

Also on Sunday, don't forget to bring your skates and take the ice with the Condors immediately following their matinee match against the Falcons for a Skate with the Condors, free for everyone in attendance. Limited skate rental will be available for $5.

The Condors kick off March Monday Madness on Monday, March 3 with a game against the Cincinnati Cyclones at 7 p.m. The first 2,000 fans will receive a Michel Robinson magnet, the first of the five-piece Condors magnet collectors series. It will also be a CW Bakersfield & 106.1 KRAB Radio High School/College ID Night, where all college and high school students can get an executive level ticket for $1 by presenting their student ID at the Rabobank Arena box office.

The Condors then open a five-game home stand between Saturday, March 8 and Monday, March 17, each paired with great promotions, such as Spongebob Squarepants (3/8), Extinct Team Night (3/10), Beachball Giveaway (3/14), David Kudelka Youth Jersey Giveaway (3/15) and St. Hatricks Day (3/17). For more information regarding promotions at The Nest, click here and check out the full promotional schedule.

With the Yutaka Fukufuji bobblehead giveaway this weekend, we'd like to look back at the Condors bobblehead history. The Condors 10th Anniversary page features a display of all 10 previous Condors bobbleheads. Go to www.bakersfieldcondors.com/pdf/bobbleheads.pdf to see them all.

How well do you know your bobbleheads? The following is our list of random Condors bobblehead knowledge:

On Tuesday, Feb. 5 the Condors held their 10th Annual Help For The Homeless Canned Food Collection, which resulted in the donation of 1,731 pounds of non-perishable food items. With more than 1,700 pounds of food items collected this year, the grand total, which spans the 10-year history of the Condors, grew to over 12,600 lbs. The Boy Scouts of America collected the food for Partnership Food Bank and Golden Empire Gleaners, who distribute the food to those in need in Kern County.

On Saturday, Feb. 9 the Bakersfield Condors held their Hollywood Jersey Off Our Backs Raffle and Auction. A grand total of $30,700 was raised, $4,000 of which was donated for Sean Venedam's jersey alone, for the Children's Miracle Network to help purchase life-saving equipment for Bakersfield Memorial Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and for what will soon be Kern County's first Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. The Condors jersey auctions began during the team's first season of existence and have surpassed half a million dollars with a total of $511,062 raised for charitable organizations.

The Hollywood-style replicas of the specialty jerseys that the Condors wore and auctioned off on Feb. 9 are on sale at the Condors Team Store right now! The midnight blue jerseys feature a Condor perched on top of the Condorstown version of the famous Hollywood sign. From his position atop the Condorstown sign, the Condor peers down across the valley and directs its gaze to the Condors Walk of Fame, fashioned after the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

As part of the Condors Walk of Fame, 12 golden stars adorn the bottom border of the jersey, featuring the names and numbers of 12 of the best Condors to ever suit up in The Nest: Scott Balan, Jamie Cooke, Steve Dowhy, Connor James, David Kudelka, Brett Lutes, Glen Mears, Paul Rosebush, Kevin St. Jacques, Kevin St. Pierre, Kevin Truelson and Sean Venedam.

One of the subtler details is the crossing spotlights illuminating the Southern California sky behind the perched Condor. The spotlights give a back-glow to the jersey, while also forming an X on the front and back, paying homage to the Condors 10th Anniversary Season.

The sleeves feature one large golden star apiece and are lined with white palm trees to contrast the black silhouettes of palm trees in the corners of the front and back of the jersey, putting the finishing touches on a beautifully detail-oriented specialty jersey that can be yours with a trip to the Condors Team Store, located across the street from Rabobank Arena on Truxtun Ave. The Hollywood Jerseys are also on sale at Condors home games.

The Condors Team Store is open from 11:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, and noon - 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Online shopping is also available at www.bakersfieldcondors.com. For more information on all Condors merchandise, call the Team Store at 324-NETT (6388).

The Condors recent game on Feb. 12 - No Promotion, Sponsored by Nobody - featured a unique way to recognize a handful of 10-year season ticket holders. Three STH (John Ansolabehere, Austin Perkins from Kisco Sales, and Dalene Surret) were randomly selected from the exclusive list of fans who have been with the club since the 1998-99 season to serve as ceremonial puck droppers prior to the game. While it was a small gesture, we hope that fans realize their value to the success of the Condors!

Speaking of season tickets, renewals will be sent out to all season tickets holders during the first week of March. There will be an early renewal gift for those placing a 20% deposit on their 2008-09 seats by April 30 (gift will be announced later). Additionally, another gift will be earmarked for those paying in full by April 30 or signing up for auto-pay, which is a program that is set up for automatic payments to a credit or debit card. Auto-pay is not a new program, but by popular request this season, several different options are now available for Auto-pay and each qualify for the special gift. Look for your renewal information in the mail!

The fourth round of Condors Medallions was released last Saturday and features Condors Legend Paul Rosebush. The medallions are available exclusively at the Action Sports Superstore located at 9500 Brimhall Road, and are complimentary with any $5 purchase. The #21 Quinn Fair medallion is next to be released and will hit Action Sports this Saturday, Feb. 23. Only 250 medallions of each player are released with a new player featured each Saturday.

In 10 seasons, the Condors have become known for having a loyal following and large crowds. One crowd stands out in particular: the largest crowd ever.

The Condors best season, attendance-wise, was their second, 1999-2000, in which they averaged 5,977 fans per game and ranked second in the West Coast Hockey League. The largest crowd in history came that season on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2000 against the Idaho Steelheads. The Famous Chicken was in town to entertain the fans, and 9,129 Condors faithful packed the then-Centennial Garden.

Jamie Cooke scored the eventual game-winner and Philippe Bergeron got the start between the pipes for the Condors, and turned in a 30-save shutout performance - his second shutout of the season. Bergeron, who was starting his 12th consecutive game in net for the Condors, was a strong performer on home ice that season, putting up a 2.90 GAA and .902 save percentage in front of the home fans. He had a 11-6-4 record at home for the Condors that season, but a 5-13-3 record on the road.

Two of the top five largest crowds in Condors history came in November of this season, including the second-biggest all-time with 8,895 coming out for Teddy Bear Toss Night on Nov. 24 (pictured above). It was the sixth time in team history that more than 8,500 fans have packed the Rabobank Arena, and the Condors are 7-3- 0 in front of the top 10 largest crowds. Listed below are the top five crowds in Condors history, with attendance, results, opponent and the featured promotion:

1. 9,129 - Feb. 19, 2000 - 3-0 win vs. Idaho (The Famous Chicken)
2. 8,895 - Nov. 24, 2007 - 7-5 loss vs. Phoenix (Teddy Bear Toss)
3. 8,864 - Jan. 22, 2000 - 4-3 shootout win vs. San Diego (Blues Brothers)
4. 8,743 - Nov. 26, 2005 - 4-3 shootout win vs. Fresno (Teddy Bear Toss)
5. 8,661 - Nov. 14, 2007 - 4-3 shootout loss vs. Las Vegas (Businesspersons Special / Field Trip Day)

If you want to get the inside scoop from Condorstown, be sure to always keep an eye on www.bakersfieldcondors.com for new Condors Blogs. With front office members, current Condors and former players all typing away, you never know who is going to chime in! To check out the latest blogs, as well as blogs from the past, just click on "Condors Blogs" in the dropdown menu labeled "The Nest." Here's a sample from the latest "Bartl's Back" blog by the Voice of the Condors Kevin Bartl, titled "Road Trippin - Salt Lake City STILL":

"For the love of God, please get me the heck out of Utah.

Look, I'm sure this is a lovely place in the summer time, but the 35-degrees and whipping winds got old in about 12 hours. Now here it is Sunday and I'm still here.

I just want palm trees and 70 degrees. Is that too much to ask???"

Imagine enjoying the excitement of watching the Condors playoff pursuit in person with 20 of your closest friends while saving money at the same time. The Condors offer discounted tickets for groups of 20 or more for as little as $6, and groups enjoy benefits such as a PA announcement, your group's name displayed on the jumbotron and thunderstix for the whole group.

SpongeBob Squarepants and his nautical nonsense will head into Condorstown on Saturday, March 8th to kick off five straight games at The Nest. Be sure to book your group early because the best seats go first! For more information on that date or any other home game during March, call the Condors office today at 324-PUCK (7825).

Applied Technology Group, Inc. has been partnered with the Condors for a number of years; fans may have noticed their two dasher boards along the ice. ATG and the Condors share a top priority of achieving excellence in their respective fields.

Applied Technology Group, is a full service specialized communications company involved in communication and data solutions for a wide variety of applications. They offer such products as a Cellular Signal Booster to greatly reduce disconnects and dropouts and give up to 10 times more power than your current cell phone. ATG offers web hosting service for as little as $11.95 per month, they will also help you in the development of your web site so that it is a true reflection of you and your business. ATG also provides highspeed DSL internet services and BlueAnt hands-free car kits.

"Applied Technology is a perfect partner for the Condors, their organization is quite similar to ours," said Director of Corporate Partnerships Michael Reeves. "They demand perfection of themselves so that their customers are 100% satisfied and they're always finding new ways to stay on top of the competition."

For more information visit www.atginternet.com.

Tuesday, March 18: The 9th Annual Tip-A-Condor will be held at the Crystal Palace (2800 Buck Owens Blvd), starting at 6:30 p.m. Fans are invited to come for a great meal served by the Bakersfield Condors players as well as watch them perform for charitable "tips," including singing karaoke and dancing on stage. There will also be live and silent auctions with all proceeds from the night going to the Kern County Shrine Club.

Wednesday, March 26: The End of Season Kids Club Party will take place at Rollerama West (7850 Brimhall Rd) from 6 to 8 p.m., the event is open to all Condors Kids Club Members and their families. Kids Club members will be able to roller skate with the Bakersfield Condors and enjoy complimentary hot dogs and sodas. Admittance and roller skate rental fees are also complimentary for members.