The Condors have officially announced their first Bobblehead giveaway of the season - and newsletter readers - you're the first to know! The first 2,000 fans in attendance at the Oct. 20 game vs. Fresno will get a one-of-a kind Colonel Claw'd Bobblehead doll, presented by KGET 17 and Barber Honda. But don't forget about the other special nights we've got slated for you.

We recently released an initial list of other fun promotional nights and great giveaways. All your favorites will be back, and some great new ones will make their way to Condorstown too. There are more events to come, with a complete list to be released in September, which includes the second Bobblehead giveaway on Feb. 23. Check out the promotional calendar and make your plans to come see the Condors!

Temperatures may be in the triple digits deep in the heart of summer, but Condors tickets remain the hottest thing in Bakersfield! As of now the Condors have sold more than 2,400 season tickets for the upcoming 10th Anniversary Season, which exceeds last year's total at this time by 112 percent and puts the Condors well on their way to topping last year's total of more than 2,500.

However, it's not just the NEW season ticket sales that are hot. We're also renewing last year's season ticket holders at the highest rate in team history! Needless to say, support of Condorstown is at an all- time high in anticipation of our 10th Anniversary Season. If you haven't renewed yet or are interested in a new ticket package, contact the Condors office NOW at 324-PUCK (7825). It's your town, it's your team, so make sure you don't miss any of the action for what promises to be another great season!

Our 10th Anniversary Season brings with it some unique sponsor/co-branding/advertising opportunities. Many are still in the works, but one locked down is the 'Flashco Flashback' - a special 10th Anniversary in-game promotion that will take fans back in time showing historical Condors moments on our Jumbotron. The Condors are also teaming up with some retail partners to offer 10th Anniversary premiums exclusively at the store locations. In addition, special giveaways at Condors games are being planned and opportunities still exist for companies to get on board with this Xtreme co-branding. This includes a NEW ice logo location, souvenir program ads, radio sponsorships, promo team sponsorships, as well as another possible new feature: a LIVE player/coach interview during games. Contact the Condors marketing department at 324-PUCK (7825) now to get your business involved, as the biggest year since the inaugural season is just around the corner!

We're excited to see so many of you participating in our polls, which help us determine the best ways to make your Condors experiences even more enjoyable. This week, we ask you to tell us which intermission activity was your favorite last season. Make sure and return each Monday to cast your vote in the latest poll.

Keep coming back the rest of the week to read and comment on all your favorite Condors blogs, including Zags' Bag on Tuesdays, Snake Bytes on Wednesdays and the SHOOTOUT on Thursdays. Plus, tune in each Friday for our newest author, Senior Account Executive Tim Statezni, who will have you laughing out loud with his hilarious Timmy's Top 10 List. This week, find out why Tim thinks Lindsay Lohan should quit acting and join the Condors.

Aug. 6, 2004 - Mike Hofstrand signs
Hofstrand completed his third season with Bakersfield in 2006-07 and ranks ninth all-time in Condors history with 180 games played.

Aug. 12, 2005 - Los Angeles Kings sign goaltender Yutaka Fukufuji
Fukufuji was 27-9-5 for the Condors in 2004- 05 and last season became the first Japanese born player to appear in an NHL game.

Aug. 23, 2004 - Jon Mirasty and Lars- Peder Nagel sign
Mirasty holds the franchise record for most penalty minutes in a season (358), while Nagel set a Condors record in 2004-05 for most points by a rookie (53).

Aug. 24, 1998 - Glen Mears and Jay Neal first-ever Condors to sign
Mears, who played seven seasons in Bakersfield, is one of three Condors to have his jersey number retired (No. 26). Neal scored the first-ever goal in Centennial Garden (now Rabobank Arena) history on Oct. 23, 1998.

-The Condors are 18-1-2 all-time when a player scores a hat trick (11-0-1 at home).
-The only active ECHL teams the Condors have never played are the Augusta Lynx, Cincinnati Cyclones, Columbia Inferno, Elmira Jackals and Mississippi Sea Wolves. Bakersfield is slated to play Elmira (Nov. 10 and 11) and Cincinnati (March 3).
-The Condors have 270 points over the last three years (only Alaska, Gwinnett, Florida and Las Vegas have more during that span).
-Paul Willett is the only Condor to eclipse the 100- point mark (he had 107 points in 1999-00).
-Since 2003-04 the Condors are 100-7-9 when leading after two periods.

The Condors will be holding Mascot tryouts Monday, Sept. 17 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Bakersfield Ice Sports Center, located at 1235 Q St. (behind Rabobank Arena). We're looking for individuals with charisma, enthusiasm, a passion for entertaining and who LOVE the Condors of course! Applicants must be able to attend community appearances and interact with fans on game nights. For more information call us at 324-PUCK (7825).

In addition to Mascot Tryouts, two more events have been added to the docket, so be sure to mark your calendars. More details to come in our next newsletter.

Tuesday, Sept. 18: Condors Job Fair at the Holiday Inn Select (801 Truxtun Ave.) from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 7: Open House at the Bakersfield Ice Sports Center (1235 Q St.).

This Tuesday Mascot Colonel Claw'd and Brett Lutes will travel to Wasco with Goodwill Industries for the fourth Condors Care-A-Van of the summer. This road trip will once again assist Goodwill in collecting donations. The Condors first stop from noon to 1:30 p.m. will be at Perkos Café, located at 2100 Highway 46. From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. the Condors will join the Sheriff Activities League at Barker Park, located at 1280 Poplar St. Come visit us to drop off your donations, have a great meal at Perkos, get an autograph, and take shots in the Condors Slapshot. We will see you there!

Don't miss out on the special Early Bird Kids Club rate, which ends Sept. 1. Condors Kids Club sign- ups for the 2007-08 10th Anniversary Season are just $20 right now, but membership will increase to $25 after Sept. 1. Membership includes tickets to six games, one-of-a-kind opportunities to meet Condors players, access to the Flashco Kids Zone and exclusive prizes provided by the Bakersfield Californian, Bright House Networks and Wells Fargo Bank. Have more than one child? Don't worry, the Condors have a new Sibling Special, which allows for every child, after the first, to sign-up for only $15 all season long! For more information on sign-ups and membership benefits, click here.

The Condors are excited to be celebrating their 10th Anniversary Season and bringing some of the past back to life. In the second edition of "Blast from the Past," we skated into the crease to chat with former netminder Scott Hay, currently the general manager at the Bakersfield Ice Sports Center.

Hay, who played with the Condors in 2001-02, is tied for the franchise all-time mark with four shutouts, and also holds the team record for most penalty minutes in single season by a goaltender with 32.

A few things stand out for Hay from his year that he played in Bakersfield. One was a special night in goal; the other is much more personal.

"One of my shutouts came in Tacoma [Dec. 5, 2001] and it was a great night. The puck looked like a beach ball and I was making saves I probably shouldn't have" Hay said. "That night was great but the best thing to come out of my time in Bakersfield was that I met my wife Stephanie during the season. Her, and the great fans are why I'm still here today."

Come visit the Condors Team Store as it closes out the month of August with its Summer Blow-Out Sale. Every item in the store will be 25 percent off for the entire week! Jerseys, hats, T-shirts, souvenirs and all of your favorite merchandise will be on sale beginning Monday, Aug. 27 and ending Friday, Aug. 31. The store, located across Truxtun from Rabobank Arena, will be open during its normal hours, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please call the store at 324-NETT (6388).

The Condors got bigger, tougher and added more scoring punch in August with the addition of four more players to the roster. Over the past three weeks, the team reeled in the Western Hockey League's leading goal scorer, Mark Derlago (Aug. 2), a skilled center, Ryan Markham (Aug. 9) and physical defensemen, Steven Later (Aug. 15) and Louis-Philippe Lachance (Aug. 22).

Bakersfield now has 14 players on the roster, including six forwards, seven defensemen and one goalie.

Check out the new-and-improved multimedia page on the Condors website to see and hear head coach Marty Raymond and his players' thoughts on the new additions.

To view the up-to-date Condors roster, click here.

The Condors recently announced game-time changes to four home games for this coming season. Dec. 1 vs. Fresno, Dec. 15 vs. Victoria and Feb. 23 vs. Stockton are all now 7 p.m. starts. The Dec. 29 game vs. Stockton will now begin at 8 p.m. To download and print the most up-to-date schedule click here.

Dayna Cashion - Aug. 17
Bob Bartlett - Aug. 26
Andrew Oke - Aug. 26
Scott Borders - Aug. 31
Steve Rodberg - Sept. 9